By: Dan Clubbe
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool – Shock horror!
Well, we should’ve seen it coming.
The Reds and the Blues have made a habit of playing out drab goalless draws of late and this eas no different.
Two sides severely lacking in belief, quality and confidence to go and win a game of football. For Liverpool, this was a contender for their worst display of the season in many senses, albeit a rare point was earned on the road.
Here’s how I rated those involved:
Alisson Becker 7 – Brilliant once again. Got into a minor argument with Jordan Henderson and appeared to tell the captain in no uncertain terms what he thought of his captain in that moment.
Joe Gomez 6 – Steady enough in at right-back for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Defensively sound throughout, lacking in the attacking department.
Ibrahima Konate 6 – Huge goalline clearance in the first half to deny Mateo Kovacic and keep it at 0-0. Struggled thereafter and gave away numerous fouls.
Joel Matip 4 – Shaky from the outset in and out of possession. Not his finest display in Red and was almost punished on more than one occasion.
Kostas Tsimikas 4 – Struggled badly early on and was replaced in the second half. Weak corner summed up his performance.
See how Paul rated the Reds during The LFC Fan Interactive Show
Jordan Henderson 5 – Attempted to kickstart the side but fighting a losing battle in that sense. Quality wasn’t there either and a poor first touch whilst on the attack frustrated the travelling Kop.
Fabinho 4 – Walking a tightrope throughout whilst committing numerous fouls. Generally off it in every department.
Curtis Jones 6 – Kept the ball impressively on a rare outing. Not the dynamic driving force we needed but given how little he has played, it was a display with some promise.
Diogo Jota 6 – Still not his ruthless self, as illustrated by taking an extra touch instead of hitting a big chance first time!
Darwin Nunez 6 – Always a threat with his pace, power and direct tunning but his end product wasn’t there.
Roberto Firmino 6 – Showed glimpses of his Brazilian brilliance around the box but was unable to provide that killer moment.
Subs:
Mohamed Salah 5 – Quiet and unable to spark the Reds into life as many would’ve hoped.
Andy Robertson 5 – Another who was unable to change the direction of travel in a game destined to end without a goal.
Conclusion: More dropped points in a seemingly doomed attempt to reach the Champions League next season.
Plenty of changes in team selection from Klopp but no change in away performance and Liverpool continue to struggle away from Anfield.
Luckily, the Reds will be back at Anfield next time out, this Sunday when we do it all over again!
