By: Shane Brennan.
On a bright sunny August evening many peoples favourites for the league title Chelsea visited Anfield in what was built as a must not lose game for both sides.
Liverpool started the better of the two sides with Harvey Elliott carving out a chance which just went wide of Mendy’s right hand post. That was swiftly followed by a chance for Jordan Henderson thanks to a wonderful ball from the Local man on the team Trent Alexander Arnold with which Henderson could not make use of at all blazing well wide of the target.
From there the Liverpool chances dried up and the European champions left their mark on what was an absorbing game at Anfield. From a Recce James corner Kai Havertz jumped high past the leap of Andy Robertson to score a quite wonderful header to send the Chelsea fans into raptures and Liverpool had it all to do.
Chelsea were looking comfortable Liverpool looked to be somewhat running out of ideas, there was an unbelievable chance created between Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount for Chelsea which just went narrowly wide of the post.
Liverpool earned a corner thanks to a swash buckling run from Jota just before and from the resulting corner the ball pin balled around in the box with several players getting a touch with Sadio Mane eventually kicking the ball goal wards from which Recce James was a judged to have handled the ball on the goal line. This resulted in a Liverpool penalty and a red card for the Chelsea defender. Salah despatched the resulting penalty with minimal fuss to leave the game all square at half time.
In the second half Liverpool had plenty of possession but did not test Edouard Mendy at all to have a chance of earning three points. There was a header from Jota that went over the bar Van Dijk had a shot from long range from which Mendy saved comfortably diving to his right and side and palming the ball away.
Henderson had a shot that went narrowly wide. Fabinho and Robertson also had long range shots saved by Mendy. There was to be no way through for Liverpool due to no lack of effort against a side who defended resolutely in Chelsea who nearly stole the game themselves on the break from a good shoot by Mateo Kovačić but it was to be honours even at Anfield in what was an enthralling titanic battle between two excellent sides.
By: Shane Brennan.
