By: Shane Brennan
Liverpool welcomed Chelsea to Anfield on Saturday afternoon as the Reds looked to return to form in the Premier League following their battling victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in mid-week, but just how did everyone in a red shirt perform?
Alisson Becker 6 – An incredible save from Benoit Badiashile from close range kept a shaky Liverpool side on terms, other than that heart-stopping moment, the reliable Brazilian was rarely called into action.
James Milner 7 – He managed to do well for his side today making crucial interceptions when the Reds needed him most, he tired a little bit towards the end of his stint on the field very understandably because he was very much involved.
Stefan Bajcetic 6 – Outstanding determination shown by the young man, perhaps a little bit too much so, as he found himself in the referees’ notebook having been sold short by Thiago. Another impressive display before running out of steam.
Naby Keita 5 – He was a little nervy overall, not his best performance in a red shirt. Still made up part of a far more combative midfield.
Find out how Ste rated the Reds…
Mohamed Salah 4 – Had a nice chance to put Liverpool in front just before halftime, but other than that he was not as involved as much as he would have liked to have been, he found the going tough.
Cody Gakpo 5 – He panicked a little bit when a few decent chances fell to him, but he just couldn’t quite steady himself properly, as his attempts went flying over the bar. Huge chance at the start of the second half that he couldn’t get on target, he also had an attempt that made Kepa Arrizabalaga work slightly, but overall it wasn’t his day in front of goal.
Harvey Elliott 4 – He didn’t really have the impact we would have liked to have seen in an unfamiliar position, credit to Chelsea for nullifying his attacking threat.
Ibrahima Konate 7 – Kept a clean sheet, tried hard, and could have given Liverpool the lead at the start of the second half when he cleverly spotted Kepa off his line, but his long-range attempt sailed just over the crossbar.
Thiago Alcantara 5 – He wasn’t as influential as usual, which was disappointing but in truth, Chelsea didn’t give him the opportunity to create chances and control the game for Klopp’s side. Occasionally off target with his usual metronomic passing.
Joe Gomez 8 – A crucial block by the Englishman denied Conor Gallagher a threatening shot on target and there were also a few more crucial blocks and interceptions made by the defender to earn the Reds a point.
Andy Robertson 8 – He was a complete bundle of energy, and drove Liverpool forward with every opportunity, overall he performed very well.
Subs
Darwin Nunez 6 – He kept the Chelsea defenders very busy indeed, with lots of endeavour in his performance too.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 6 – He managed to do very well when he came on, almost got his side in a few times and came close enough with an attempt over the crossbar.
Jordan Henderson 6 – Brought lots of energy to Liverpool’s performance late on, signs of a potential return to form at a pivotal time.
Fabinho & Curtis Jones 4 – Both didn’t really have a positive impact on the game, that being said they didn’t get too long to make a big difference to the outcome.
Conclusion
A dull, tight cagy battle that ended goalless, it’s a game that went to the form book really, and with the recent encounters we have witnessed between the two heavyweights, both way below par this season we shouldn’t really be surprised, and both sides were in somewhat of an injury crisis going into the game. A fair predictable outcome in hindsight one would imagine. The positives to take from it are that we kept a clean sheet and we didn’t leave the encounter empty-handed, in what was a massive game.
Jürgen Klopp is in a next-to-impossible position at the moment with all the injuries, and the longer we have players out injured then the less positive results we are going to pick up, because, without crucial players on the field, the Reds may find it hard to find the net for the rest of the season unfortunately.
