Chelsea brought an end to their run of Premier League losses as they battled back to earn a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday. Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick earned Calum McFarlane’s side a point on Merseyside, though their hopes of sneaking into the Champions League via a sixth-placed finish continue to fade away after failing to record a much-needed victory.
Not for the first time this season, Chelsea fell behind early as Ryan Gravenberch curled home from 20 yards. The hosts should have made it 2-0, too, but Virgil van Dijk blazed over when presented with a gilt-edged chance after a cross found him in acres of space at the back post.
The Blues gradually worked their way into the game, and Marc Cucurella tested Giorgi Mamardashvili with an angled drive after getting in behind the Liverpool defence. The Reds’ goalkeeper was left powerless to keep out Fernandez’s low free-kick, however, as Wesley Fofana’s run across the near post caused enough of a distraction to Mamardashvili for the ball to nestle in the bottom corner.
Fernandez forced Mamardashvili into another save before the break, and Chelsea continued to put on the pressure after half-time, with Cole Palmer having a goal ruled out after Cucurella strayed narrowly offside in the build-up. That did seem to spark Liverpool back into life, however, and after Curtis Jones had a goal ruled out of his own, Dominik Szoboszlai was first denied by Filip Jorgensen before striking the post from the edge of the box.
Van Dijk planted a header against the crossbar as Arne Slot’s side attempted to find a winner of their own, but in the end, both teams had to make do with a point.
GOAL rates Chelsea’s players from Anfield…
