Raheem Sterling believes Chelsea are "tailor-made" for him, while adding he did not consider prior abuse from supporters as a strike against the club after his Stamford Bridge arrival.
Ex-Manchester City stalwart Sterling ended a seven-year spell with the Premier League champions to make the move to Thomas Tuchel's side ahead of the new campaign.
Under Pep Guardiola, the 27-year-old played a part in multiple domestic triumphs, and further enshrined himself as a fixture in Gareth Southgate's England squad.
But a reduced role last term, with just 23 top-flight starts, has seen him push on for a more expansive role elsewhere - and Sterling feels he has found the right answer to his problems with Chelsea.
"As a person, you strive to achieve," the forward told a news conference. "I felt my playing-time at City was being limited for different reasons and I could not afford to waste time.
"At first, I had a few options, but this was the one that was tailor-made for my personal goals. It made a lot of sense for my family and with the direction of the club.
"I have a lot of memories and top moments at City but in the year and a bit that I was in and out of the team it made me value a lot of things."
Sterling has previously weathered racial abuse from sections of the Chelsea fanbase during his days with City, but the forward stated he had forgotten the incident when quizzed on whether it played a part in his decision-making.
"No, that is the first time I [have] even remembered it," he added. "It was nothing that played on my mind at all. I cannot let an incident from individuals reflect on the club."
Sterling will hope to cement his place in Southgate's plans for the Qatar 2022 World Cup over the coming months, having been a key member of the Three Lions team that reached the semi-finals at Russia 2018 four years ago.
Dante Polvara goal in vain as Aberdeen are edged out by Eintracht Frankfurt
Aberdeen stunned Eintracht Frankfurt by equalising in the Waldstadion before succumbing to a 2-1 Europa Conference League defeat.
Dante Polvara finished off a clinical counter-attack in the 22nd minute to cancel out an early penalty opener and the Dons looked comfortable for the majority of the first half.
The German side stepped up a gear after the break and on-loan Leeds defender Robin Koch headed what proved to be the winner in the 61st minute.
But Frankfurt, third-favourites to win the competition behind Aston Villa and Fiorentina, had to withstand some late pressure and Aberdeen substitute Ester Sokler missed a good chance in stoppage-time.
Barry Robson’s side had only beaten Stirling Albion in their eight previous games this season and it looked like it might be a long night in Germany when Frankfurt took the lead inside 11 minutes.
Jack MacKenzie was caught out by a pass inside him and Dina Ebimbe muscled his way in front of the wing-back. The Frenchman went down amid a tangle of legs and MacKenzie was penalised. Omar Marmoush converted from the spot.
Aberdeen delighted their 2,900 travelling fans by drawing level against the side that beat Rangers in the 2021 Europa League final.
Bojan Miovski collected a loose pass just inside the Eintracht half and was joined by several team-mates in bursting forward. The lone striker played the ball out wide to Nicky Devlin whose low cross found Polvara, who took a touch six yards out and fired high into the net past two home players and the goalkeeper. It was the American’s first goal for Aberdeen.
Some Dons fans took their celebrations too far amid reports that a lit pyrotechnic was thrown into the home end. More missiles followed amid loud jeers from the Frankfurt fans, although they appeared to be plastic cups.
There was only one scare for the visitors before the break when Paxten Aaronson got in behind MacKenzie to meet a lofted pass. Kelle Roos got down well to stop the volley before the offside flag was raised but the VAR decision would have been interesting if the ball had gone in as there was very little in it.
Frankfurt’s winner came after some sustained pressure and Stefan Gartenmann cleared a header off the line just before the corner that made the difference. Koch managed to get away from his marker and guide a free header just inside the far post.
The home side continued to press and Gartenmann was perhaps fortunate to only receive a yellow card for a hefty challenge before Roos stopped a long-range strike from Hugo Larsson and Devlin produced a goal-saving challenge.
But Aberdeen came back into the game after a triple substitution in the 71st minute when Connor Barron, Jonny Hayes and Ryan Duncan came on.
Richard Jensen headed over from Duncan’s corner before Roos saved from Ansgar Knauff and Aberdeen then forced a series of set-pieces in the final third.
Their chance for a memorable night eventually fell for the unmarked Sokler but he went for power rather than accuracy with his volley and fired off target.
PAOK beat HJK 3-2 in Finland in the other game in Group G.
Liverpool come from behind to secure Europa League victory against LASK
Liverpool took time adjusting to life back in the Europa League but for the fourth time in six matches this season they came from behind to win 3-1 against LASK in Linz.
It had been 2,682 days since they last appeared in UEFA’s second-tier competition, having played in three Champions League finals and won one, and that adaptation to a new reality took a while to bed in.
The Austrians had no such problem in the biggest game in their history as the visit of Manchester United in 2020, when they were hammed 5-0, happened behind closed doors because of the pandemic.
They were so fired up they predictably took an early lead through Florian Flecker’s brilliantly-taken goal but once Jurgen Klopp’s side came to the realisation the Europa League will be just as tough a task as the competition favourites this season’s familiar trait emerged.
Within the space of eight second-half minutes Darwin Nunez fired home a penalty and Luis Diaz converted from close range and late on substitute Mohamed Salah clinched Klopp’s 50th European victory, the most of any Anfield manager.
Pre-match the German had insisted this was not a competition for handing out “opportunities” but then proceeded to name a completely different side from that which won at Wolves at the weekend.
Not to say that it was weak with first-choice centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at the back and Diaz and Nunez up front but in between was the untried midfield of newest signing 21-year-old Ryan Gravenberch, on his first start, and Harvey Elliott (20) either side of the 30-year-old ‘veteran’ Wataru Endo who had played just 89 minutes for Klopp’s team since his own summer move.
The real excitement was reserved for livewire winger Ben Doak, who became the club’s fourth-youngest player to play in Europe at the age of 17 years and 314 days on his first start.
But while his first real run at the LASK defence saw him glide past Rene Renner to win a corner he was starved of opportunities by a malfunctioning midfield which could not gain any control in the first half and the young Scot was replaced just past the hour.
Stefan Bajcetic’s misjudgement, the 18-year-old midfielder asked to play the Trent Alexander-Arnold hybrid right-back role, in missing a cross led to a LASK corner and the opening goal.
Flecker was picked out on the edge of the penalty area and he took a touch before drilling a shot through a crowd of players past Caoimhin Kelleher as a training-ground move paid off from their first shot on target.
Liverpool were not so clinical as Nunez headed over an inviting Elliott cross before seeing his close-range nod towards goal from Van Dijk’s header at a corner clawed out by goalkeeper Tobias Lawal.
The raucous home crowd cheered not only that but every block, every tackle, every Liverpool corner repelled, every corner won.
Liverpool’s first move of any quality brought the equaliser when Diaz was brought down by Philipp Ziereis, after Elliott, Doak and Bajcetic had combined down the right, and Nunez powered home from the spot in the 56th minute.
It was the signal for Klopp to make changes with summer signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, two of his new first-choice midfield, replacing Doak and Endo with Joe Gomez giving Bajcetic a break after his first game since March after injury.
They went ahead when Nunez brought down Gomez’s pass from deep, laid off to Elliott who sent Gravenberch racing down the right and his low cross was turned home by Diaz.
If life was not difficult enough for the hosts Mohamed Salah was introduced in the 76th minute and created two chances and had a shot inside his first 60 seconds before weaving himself into a position to poke through the legs of the goalkeeper two minutes from time.
Aston Villa suffer defeat at Legia Warsaw on return to European action
Sloppy Aston Villa crashed to a chaotic Europa Conference League defeat at Legia Warsaw.
Ernest Muci’s second-half winner spoiled Villa’s debut in the competition as Legia pulled off a deserved 3-2 victory in Poland.
Pawel Wszolek and Muci had twice given Legia a first-half lead only for Jhon Duran and Lucas Digne to peg them back.
Muci pounced six minutes into the second half and Villa never recovered.
Legia boss Kosta Runjaic had billed it as a David v Goliath tie, with Legia going into the Group E opener with hope rather than expectation. Captain Josue, pointed out the vastly different transfer values between the squads.
Maybe it was reverse psychology but they were far from overwhelmed and picked holes in Villa’s sloppy defence.
Villa are expected to not just qualify from the group with ease but challenge for the title in Athens next May but they will have to significantly improve if that is to be the case.
It look just two minutes for the energetic hosts to unpick their visitors with worrying simplicity.
Muci sent Patryk Kun scampering down the right and he crossed for the onrushing Wszolek to fire in from eight yards.
That Legia conceded 13 goals while qualifying for the group stage would have given Villa encouragement for any comeback and, sure enough, it took just four minutes to level.
Nicolo Zaniolo’s strike from 25 yards was turned onto the bar by Kacper Tobiasz and Duran reacted quickest to nod in from close range.
Villa managed to steady themselves as game settled after a rapid start, until Legia regained the lead after 26 minutes.
Again the threat came from out wide, this time from the right. Wszolek was given too much time by Digne to cross for Muci to smash in.
Defensively Villa had been weak, switching off when it mattered most, and Ezri Konsa was the next to escape when Muci went down under pressure in the area but referee Evangelos Manouchos was unmoved.
Still Legia found gaps in the Villa backline when Marc Gual tested Emi Martinez and the visitors looked far from tournament favourites.
Duran’s goal had been their only serious chance but Unai Emery’s men levelled against the run of play six minutes before the break.
Leon Bailey tricked his way through, John McGinn’s shot was blocked and fell to Digne on the edge of the box for the left-back’s deflected volley to find the top corner.
Villa had taken their opportunities to redeem themselves and Legia still needed Tobiasz’s leg to deny Duran an undeserved third just before the break.
Yet if they thought they had tamed Legia they were badly mistaken and, like the first half, the hosts wasted little time in the second.
Emery would have despaired at how open his side were when Gual picked out Muci to run at Konsa, he was pushed wide by Calum Chambers but still managed to squeeze his shot across Martinez and in off a post.
Reinforcements were needed and Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby arrived but Villa almost fell further behind when Gual just failed to turn in after Martinez parried Bartosz Slisz’s drive.
From then there appeared little way back with Legia comfortable, Tobiasz never tested – even when Jacob Ramsey shot wide.
Outside of their qualifiers, it had been a long 13 years to return to Europe for Villa. It was not worth the wait.
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