Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool: Much-changed Reds fails to impress in boring draw with Chelsea
Jurgen Klopp made six changes for the trip to Stamford Bridge and it was no surprise that Liverpool began the game disjointed and easy to carve open.
Ibrahima Konate, the only defender to keep his place, was left to hold together a makeshift back line early on as Kostas Tsimikas and Joel Matip both struggled to settle. Chelsea were the dominant side for much of the first half, and a brilliant Reece James volley looked to have put them ahead, only for the linesman’s flag to overrule him with Enzo Fernandez offside.
Neither team showed any consistent quality, though, with Kai Havertz woeful up front for Chelsea and a handful of Liverpool players failing to complete simple passes. A sharper, more confident Diogo Jota may have buried the chance Curtis Jones laid on for him late in the half, but he instead turned into danger as the wait for a goal clearly preyed on his mind.
HT: Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
Having conceded within a minute of the restart at Man City, Liverpool should have conceded within two minutes at Chelsea, only for Mateo Kovacic to waste a one-on-one with Alisson.
The ball was then in the back of the net as Havertz saw his shot blocked and then rebound off him and in, only to be ruled out for handball. It was just after the hour that Klopp first turned to his bench, with Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah sent on for the awful Tsimikas and short-of-fitness Firmino.
For the umpteenth game, Fabinho flirted with a red card with a series of sloppy challenges after being booked, while Jordan Henderson buzzed around and got in the way in a hapless midfield. There was never really a spark for Liverpool – nor, in truth, Chelsea – and unsurprisingly the fixture faded out for a fourth successive 0-0 draw between the two sides.
