Liverpool took on Chelsea in what was built up to be the match of the weekend. The Reds had a big injury boost going into the match with centre-back Joel Matip back in the starting line up. Having won four of their last five matches, the Reds were in rampant form but recent history suggested that Chelsea will be no push-overs. Jurgen Klopp decided to make some changes up top and went with Daniel Sturridge and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in place of Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. The omission of the duo surprised a lot of people and that eventually resulted in a scoreless first half. The match came alive in the second half when Mohammad Salah slotted home the opener from close range in front of the Kop. Willian came on late in the match to equalise for Chelsea when the Liverpool goalkeeper was caught off guard with a delicate chip. Whether the attempt was deliberate or not remains to be seen. The contest ended honours even with both teams sharing a point.
Let’s take a look at the performance of each Liverpool player against Chelsea.
GK: Simon Mignolet – 4/10
The Belgian came to Liverpool’s rescue in the first half when Danny Drinkwater was through on goal. But the goalkeeper was at fault for Chelsea’s freak equaliser. He was caught off guard and couldn’t parry away Willian’s delicate chip. He will once again be the talking point for the Reds’ dropping two huge points on the night.
RB: Joe Gomez – 7/10
The young English defender put in another good performance at right back. He defended well and kept Eden Hazard quiet.
CB: Joel Matip – 6/10
Liverpool missed his defensive services against Sevilla. He relatively handled the threat of Alvaro Morata well and made a lot of clearances. But the failure to keep another clean sheet will not be good for his confidence.
CB: Ragnar Klavan -5/10
The experienced centre-back was caught out of position at times and looked panic-stricken while making clearances. He was lucky that none of his mistakes cost Liverpool a goal.
LB: Alberto Moreno – 7/10
The Spanish has been a subject of a lot of criticism lately but he put in a good shift today. The left-back tirelessly ran down the flanks and contributed to a lot of good moves while going forward.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 6/10
The Liverpool captain ran tirelessly all around the pitch and closed the Chelsea midfield down with his desire and hunger. On the ball, he looked calm and composed but his final pass let him down.
CM: James Milner – 5/10
He was poor in possession during the first half. The England international came back strong in the second half but failed to have an impact in the game.
CM: Phillipe Coutinho – 6/10
The Chelsea defence kept him quiet but the Brazilian was always looking to create for Liverpool. He linked up well with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Daniel Sturridge and Mohammad Salah going forward. The midfielder was at the heart of most Liverpool chances.
LM: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7/10
The English international had a good game today. His running created space for the Reds’ attackers to exploit. His extended stretch created the chance for Mohammad Salah to slot home the opening goal for Liverpool.
RM: Mohammad Salah – 9/10
The Egyptian was by far the best Liverpool player on the pitch. He always looked a goal threat and was a nightmare to defend against for the Chelsea players. He calmly slotted home the first goal of the match in front of a roaring Kop.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – 6/10
The English striker made some good runs but looked out of pace in possession.
Substitutes
CM: Gini Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch midfielder came on to rescue a tired Liverpool midfield and put in a good shift.
ST: Sadio Mane – N/A
The attacker came on too late to have any impact on the game.
