Liverpool welcomed Chelsea at Anfield earlier this evening as both teams looked to keep their 100% winning record intact in the Premier League. The Reds made a bright start to the game but it was the visitors who struck first in the 22nd minute when Kai Havertz’s scored with a brilliant header. However, the Merseyside outfit got a huge break when Reece James was caught handling the ball on the goalline and received a red card because of it. Liverpool were awarded a penalty which Mohamed Salah converted just before the stroke of half-time.
The ten-men of Chelsea stood strong in the second 45 minutes and frustrated the home side by slowing the pace of the game which meant that Jurgen Klopp’s players could only grind out a 1-1 draw at Merseyside after the full-time whistle.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the clash against the Blues.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper made a couple of solid saves during the game but couldn’t do much about Havertz’s excellent header in the 22nd minute which ruined his hopes of a clean sheet.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6/10
The English right-back was defensively solid but failed to deliver a telling ball in the final third. It was quite a forgettable display from him today.
CB: Joel Matip – 7/10
Matip had a few nervy moments in the first half but bossed the game in the second. He did well to neutralize the threat of Lukaku for major periods of the game.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 8/10
The Dutch centre-back was strong in the air and didn’t put a foot wrong in the game. Klopp will be quite content with his performance today.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 6/10
Robertson looked a bit gassed at times but still managed to deliver an energetic display down the left flank. However, his final delivery was far from convincing.
CM: Harvey Elliott – 7/10
Elliott linked up play quite effectively with his teammates in the Chelsea half and produced a matured display at the centre of the park.
CM: Fabinho – 7/10
The Brazilian did well to snuff out most of the threat that the Blues posed on the counter and went close to scoring himself but was denied by a good save from Edouard Mendy.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The Liverpool captain was up for the fight and put in an energetic performance in midfield. He also went close to finding the back of the net but narrowly missed the target.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 7.5/10
The Egyptian winger was a constant nuisance for the opposition on the right flank and kept his composure to score his penalty just before the half-time break. However, he missed a great chance to score in the second half.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 6/10
The Brazilian striker showed some neat touches but had to go off with an injury in the first half.
LW: Sadio Mane – 7/10
Mane ran himself to the ground and did well to get to the byline whenever he wanted. However, he lacked the cutting edge inside the Chelsea penalty box.
Substitutes:
ST: Diogo Jota – 7/10
The Portuguese striker caused a few problems for the Chelsea centre-backs but didn’t do enough to get himself a goal.
CM: Thiago Alcantara – 6/10
The Spaniard sprayed a few excellent passes but couldn’t cut open the opposition defence.
LB: Konstantinos Tsimikas – 6/10
Like Robertson, his crossing left a lot to be desired.
