"Trash vs garbage", "Mudryk is electrifying" - Twitter erupts as Liverpool and Chelsea play out drab 0-0 draw at Anfield

Liverpool and Chelsea settled for a 0-0 stalemate on Saturday (January 21) that has done neither side any favors in their quest for a top-four finish. Jurgen Klopp's side move up to eighth in the league while Graham Potter's men remain 10th. They both trail fourth-placed Newcastle United by nine points.

The Blues had the ball in the back of the net in the 3rd minute when Thiago Silva hit the post from close range and Kai Havertz tapped home the rebound. However, VAR intervened and deemed the German to have been in an offside position.

Graham Potter's side made a better start to the game. Lewis Hall sent a wicked shot just trickling across the face of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker's goal in the 22nd minute. Chelsea's new defender Beniot Badashile had an opportunity to score his first goal in Blues colors in the 32nd minute, but Alisson well saved his header.

It was Jurgen Klopp's men's turn to put the pressure on. Cody Gakpo had seven shots throughout the first half, but only two were on target. The Reds searched for an opener in the 42nd minute when Andy Robertson raced through the middle and entered the visitors' box. However, Mohamed Salah's pass towards the Scot asked too much of the left-back, and Blues goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga claimed it.

Gakpo was poor in front of goal, and his move to Liverpool seems to have gone under the radar after his explosive spell with PSV Eindhoven in Eredivise. He attempted a close-range header in the 49th minute, which flew well over Kepa's bar.

Hakim Ziyech went on a brilliant run in the 59th minute, tricking his way past three defenders. However, the Moroccan lashed his shot over. Mykhaylo Mudryk made his debut in the 55th minute and nearly got his Chelsea career off to the perfect start. The Ukrainian winger drove through the Reds' defense in the 65th minute but could only send his shot into the side netting.

Klopp's men could have taken the lead in the 81st minute when second-half substitutes Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold linked up. The Uruguayan striker's wayward cross-shot fell into the right-back's path, but he fired over the bar. It told the story of a woeful attacking performance from both sides.

Chelsea are stepping up their efforts to extend Mount's stay amid interest from Liverpool

Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing Mount in the summer, with the English attacker having 18 months left on his contract. The Blues are yet to meet his wage demands. Klopp's side are rebuilding their midfield and may move for Mount if his contractual situation at Stamford Bridge continues to be uncertain, per the Guardian.

Mount is among the lowest earners at the west London outfit, sitting on £75,000 per week. The Englishman wants the club to show they value him and Chelsea are prepared to offer him a sizeable offer.

He has scored three goals and contributed six assists in 26 games across competitions, and has also attracted Juventus' interest. It will be intriguing to see if Mount is still awaiting a new deal by the time the summer arrives.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

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A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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