Liverpool and Chelsea laid their respective Premier League struggles bare for all to see in a bitterly disappointing stalemate at Anfield.
Mykhaylo Mudryk impressed on his debut as Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw by Chelsea at Anfield, leaving both sides firmly in mid-table in the Premier League.
Chelsea had the ball in the back of the net within two minutes, with Thiago Silva hitting the post and Kai Havertz slotting home the rebound. After the celebrations, VAR intervened, ruling out the goal due to Havertz’s offside position.
From there, both sides struggled to dominate the match, but Chelsea had the better chances. In the 22nd minute, Mason Mount slipped in Lewis Hall, whose shot from a tight angle flashed right across the face of goal and went wide. 10 minutes later, the away side saw Benoit Badiashile’s header from close range saved by Alisson, who was crucial in Liverpool securing their first clean sheet in the Premier League since October.
New signing Cody Gakpo saw a lot of the ball for the home side, but of his seven shots, only one was on target, and he was unable to truly test Kepa Arrizabalaga nor inspire a lethargic Liverpool.
The second half saw a better start from Liverpool, but they were unable to sustain the pressure for long. Graham Potter’s big-money signing Mudryk came on in the 55th minute and consistently got the better of Liverpool’s back line, forcing Jurgen Klopp to bring on Trent Alexander Arnold for James Milner. The Ukrainian’s best chance came as soon as he came on, weaving his way between several Liverpool defenders before hitting the side-netting.
Next, Liverpool will head to Brighton for the fourth round of the FA Cup, while Chelsea face Fulham in the Premier League.
Despite the two sides’ recent success, it’s clear that they’re both in a rebuild era with each club needing different things.
Liverpool’s midfield is in dire need of a refresh. Despite Jurgen Klopp opting to rotate today, starting Naby Keita, Thiago, and youngster Stefan Bajcetic, it’s clear that that the middle of the pitch is disjointed. No matter who is playing, and who they are playing against,
Liverpool’s midfield fail to act as a unit to protect the back and are unable to offer much going forward. This leaves an exposed back line, and an under-equipped forward line.
Chelsea, on the other hand, certainly need to find some time in training to work on their shooting. Of the two teams, the visitors had the better chances, but lack of quality has let them down in front of goal. Graham Potter now has a plethora of new signings, and he’ll need to get them up to speed quickly.
