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Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge has been postponed, it has been confirmed.
The decision has been made to postpone a second consecutive match following the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Their away league meeting at Fulham was called off on Saturday and Chelsea will not be in Premier League action until October now.
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Despite the Football Association giving the go-ahead for games to resume this weekend, policing in the capital ahead of the Queen’s state funeral on Monday 19th September has left Chelsea versus Liverpool to be postponed.
As statement read: "Premier League fixtures will resume this weekend after a pause to the season as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
"Seven of the 10 Premier League fixtures this weekend will be played, with three matches postponed due to events surrounding The Queen’s funeral.
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"In addition, kick-off times will change for two Premier League matches.
"Matches postponed on Sunday 18 September are Chelsea’s matches against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, and Manchester United’s home match v Leeds United.
"Brighton & Hove Albion’s fixture against Crystal Palace, that was due to be played at 15:00 BST on Saturday 17 September, will also remain postponed."
It continued: "Following extensive consultation with clubs, police, local Safety Advisory Groups and other relevant authorities, there was no other option but to postpone the three fixtures.
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"The Premier League would like to thank the UK Football Policing Unit and other police forces across the country, as well as our broadcast partners, for their support during this process, and will continue to liaise with them ahead of the weekend.
"For the matches being played during the period of National Mourning, tributes will be paid to The Queen at Premier League stadiums.
"New dates for the postponed matches will be announced in due course."
It will mean Graham Potter’s first game in charge will be against FC Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday night, but then as a result of the international break, he will have to wait until the beginning of October to face Crystal Palace.
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The 47-year-old is excited to get his Chelsea tenure underway after being impressed with the vision of the new ownership.
He said: "It's the start of a really exciting period. I was really excited and impressed by (the new ownership), firstly as people and then the vision for the club and what they wanted to do. The history of the club speaks for itself, but it's about trying to create that again, in our own way.
"It's an amazing history, fantastic tradition, a historic football club. You only have to walk around the place here and you see the pictures, trophies, names. It's incredible and it's a huge honour for me to be part of that now.”
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Potter added: "It's nice to be able to take the next step and to be able to work with an exciting group of players that we have here and compete at the top, try and create a winning team and that's a fantastic opportunity for me.
"Surreal, hectic, a whirlwind, exciting, amazing, a little bit of sadness because you're leaving some good people but very, very happy and excited to meet some new people... a whole range of emotions. Overall, really, really happy and very proud."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Liverpool, Premier League
