Liverpool gives Chelsea a taste of its own medicine after rejected requests and Rio Ngumoha fallout

Liverpool faces Chelsea this Sunday against the backdrop of increasing animosity between the two teams. Arne Slot's side appear to be responding in kind following an escalation in tensions from the Blues.

Since the Roman Abramovich takeover in 2003, which cast Chelsea as the rich upstarts, bad blood with Liverpool has never been far away. The pair met in a series of loveless encounters over the course of that decade , with Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho figureheads of the rivalry.

Under the reign of Todd Boehly, Chelsea's spending has if anything been even more obnoxious, rubbing much of the Premier League up the wrong way. But Liverpool landed a transfer blow in the summer, plucking Rio Ngumoha from the London club's youth setup.

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Chelsea — yes, the same club which has balanced its books by effectively selling two hotels to itself — has had the gall to be outraged by Liverpool's successful bid to lure Ngumoha to Anfield .

According to The Athletic , it has denied scouts accreditation to youth matches , a move viewed within the industry as retaliation. Manchester United scouts have also seen access requests denied. United, too, showed an interest in Ngumoha.

The report goes on to say that Liverpool is believed to be responding in kind. The scouting arrangements are described as "reciprocal" — and even though the Reds deny rejecting any accreditation requests so far this season, it has intimated that future requests from Chelsea are likely to be turned down until a resolution is found.

Talks between Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United took place last week in an effort to resolve the situation, although it's said that no agreement has been found. It's worth noting that none of this escalation amounts to an outright ban on opposition scouts, which would go against Premier League rules.

Liverpool's conduct regarding the Ngumoha transfer was also cleared by the Premier League in a comprehensive process that is triggered whenever Academy players move between clubs. Yet that appears to be no consolation to Chelsea.

On the pitch, Liverpool has definitely had the better of the recent rivalry with Chelsea. It has inflicted defeat on the Blues in three cup finals in the last three seasons.

Liverpool.com says: Ah, thinly-veiled contempt between Liverpool and Chelsea. Nature is healing.

If Chelsea is indeed denying scouts access, it's a hugely petty move, and one which leaves Liverpool little choice but to follow suit. Clearly, a resolution would be in everyone's best interests.

But the main battle comes on the pitch on Sunday. Both sides will be hopeful of making a statement about the extent of their ambitions this season.