Liverpool 1 – 1 Chelsea

There was frustration at Anfield as Liverpool drew 1-1 with a visiting Chelsea side who ended their six-game losing streak.

Liverpool had the perfect start when Ryan Gravenberch curled the ball high into the net from distance but the mood soon soured as Arne Slot’s side surrendered the initiative. Chelsea’s leveller looked likely long before it came via Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick.

Wesley Fofana got the slightest of touches and Chelsea, led by interim head coach Calum McFarlane, grew in confidence thereafter. Giorgi Mamardashvili saved from Fernandez. Chelsea finished the first half with 16 touches in the box to Liverpool’s four.

The right side of Liverpool’s defence was an obvious weakness, Curtis Jones struggling to cope with Marc Cucurella’s movement, and the Reds were fortunate that the full-back strayed offside in the build-up to fashioning a disallowed goal for Cole Palmer.

Jones had a header ruled out at the other end and the mood was summed up when the Kop booed the call to take off Rio Ngumoha. Liverpool did then hit the frame of the goal twice through Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk but couldn’t find a winner.

The draw sees Liverpool stay fourth as they edge closer to Champions League qualification – but with Slot still under pressure. Chelsea remain ninth with lots of work still to do to qualify for any European competition through their Premier League position.

Mood turns on Slot

Liverpool fans are famed for their loyal support so this was a strange afternoon to be at Anfield and witness such discontent. There was agitation from midway through the first half as Chelsea began to take control of the ball and the Liverpool pressing was absent.

It briefly boiled over in the second half, particularly when the popular youngster Ngumoha was withdrawn in favour of Alexander Isak. Slot would probably not regard it as a contentious call but it shows how the mood has soured with supporters.

There were more boos at full-time. Slot and those above him will just want this season to end with Liverpool safely in the Champions League and looking ahead to continuing their rebuild next term. But is that realistic if this fan feeling carries into the new season?

‘Sick and tired’ of Slot

Clinton Morrison watching on Soccer Saturday for Sky Sports:

“When you take the lead at Anfield, and you are against a struggling Chelsea team, you should go on and win. But after scoring the goal, they just sat back.

“Some of Slot’s substitutions were nowhere near good enough. I’m a bit sick and tired of him. He’ll make excuses and blame someone instead of looking [at] himself. He is the manager and he should be solving the problem. But at the moment, he isn’t.”

Gravenberch: We don’t deserve the boos

Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch speaking to TNT Sports:

“We need them behind us, I think what they do is – OK, we don’t win, but I think we don’t really deserve this.

“I think fans have to be behind us like 90 minutes, because when I think it was the second half, when they went behind us, we pressed them really, so we need it, so hopefully the next few games they won’t do the same.”

Story of the match in stats

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