Pictures: Chelsea edge out Liverpool in feisty clash in LA

Chelsea were 1-0 winners over Liverpool in their pre-season International Champions Cup clash.

Chelsea's manager Antonio Conte with Liverpool's manager Juergen Klopp Chelsea’s manager Antonio Conte with Liverpool’s manager Juergen Klopp

This wasn’t your typical pre-season friendly. It contained some fight and hard challenges between two sides who are determined to improve on their disappointments from last season in the campaign ahead.

The contest was settled by a solitary goal as Gary Cahill headed home from a fine corner from Cesc Fabregas. It was a lead that Chelsea managed to hold on to for 80 minutes of the encounter, even when Fabregas was dismissed for a challenge on Liverpool’s Ragnar Klavan.

The Blues defensive effort was perhaps a sign of things to come, as the Italian seems to have established a solid defensive unit in a short space of time based on this evidence – though that will be of little surprise to those who saw his Italy side at Euro 2016, and his Juventus team prior to that.

They didn’t let Liverpool allow the extra man count towards the end of the game after Fabregas was dismissed as chances were, in reality, few and far between for both teams as they look to build up their fitness for their opening Premier League games in two weeks’ time – even if there are one or two players who have suffered knocks, with Liverpool’s Marko Grujic suffering from suspected concussion.

Both sides have several players to return to their squads following a summer of international activity and were nowhere near their best but there was something for both sides to take from the game – though Chelsea will be the happier of the two sides following their win.

Here are some images from the action overnight in LA:

Chelsea's Gary Cahill celebrates scoring a goal against Liverpool Chelsea’s Gary Cahill celebrates scoring a goal against Liverpool