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Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool desperately needed to put three points on the board on Sunday to keep up with runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City. Unfortunately, Chelsea’s valiant effort kept the Reds from stealing maximum points, condemning them to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
The hosts, who started the match one point ahead of Liverpool in second position, made a strong start to the game. Liverpool were forced to work hard in the early minutes, but it was the visitors who got the first clear chance of the match. After Mohamed Salah uncharacteristically missed his opportunity, Sadio Mane capitalized on Trevoh Chalobah’s scuffed clearance to put Liverpool ahead in the ninth minute.
Four minutes before the half-hour mark, Salah joined the party to put Liverpool 2-0 up. The Reds looked on course for a win until Chelsea decided to take matters into their own hands. Two quick goals before half-time from Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic leveled the scoreline, setting up an exciting second half.
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Liverpool started the second half with vigor but could not find it in themselves to apply the finishing touch. Salah and Mane came close to putting Liverpool ahead once again, but Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy was up to the task. Their efforts died down after the hour mark and they reluctantly settled for a 2-2 draw.
Here are the three Liverpool players who performed and two who failed to live up to their billing against Chelsea on Sunday.
Performed: Kostas Tsimikas
With Andrew Robertson serving his red card suspension, Kostas Tsimikas slotted into the left-back position for Liverpool against Chelsea.
Despite lacking Robertson’s experience, Tsimikas did well to hold his ground and even took the game to the Chelsea defenders whenever possible.
The Greece international made a clearance and two interceptions in addition to winning four of his five ground duels. He also completed both of his dribbles and provided one key pass over the course of the 90 minutes.
Underperformed: Jordan Henderson
Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson started in the middle of the park against Chelsea, hoping to cope up with N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic.
Unfortunately, the Englishman looked way out of his depth and saw the game pass him by.
The Chelsea duo put pressure on Henderson time and again, which saw the England international’s distribution take a nosedive. Only 31 of his 42 passes were successful, which is poor for a player of his experience.
The central midfielder also lost possession 16 times and did not create a single chance for his team.
Performed: Mohamed Salah
Premier League’s leading goalscorer Mohamed Salah was tipped to make a telling impact against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. The Egypt international started the game strongly and was regularly getting into threatening positions.
In the sixth minute, he got the chance to put Liverpool ahead after Mane played him through on goal. Chelsea shot-stopper Edouard Mendy rose to the challenge to deny Salah his 16th Premier League goal of the season.
Salah, however, was not going to stop coming at Chelsea’s goal on Sunday and eventually got his goal in the 26th minute. Played on through by Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah shifted to his left foot to find the right corner of the net.
He came close again in the 56th minute, but found a brick wall named Mendy guarding his target.
Underperformed: Diogo Jota
Considering the form he was in heading into the match, many expected Diogo Jota to find the back of the net against Chelsea. Unfortunately, he could not find his shooting boots at Stamford Bridge and cut a rather frustrating figure up top.
The Portugal international’s work rate was top-notch as always. He pressed Chelsea all night long and forced them to misplace passes. As a matter of fact, it was Jota’s cross and Chalobah’s poor clearance that led to Liverpool’s opener in the ninth minute.
After the Liverpool goal, Chelsea paid closer attention to Jota and neutralized his impact. The Portuguese only completed 11 passes, won only two of his 14 duels, and had zero shots on goal.
The former Wolves man also gave the ball away a whopping 24 times. Following his unimpressive shift, Jota was substituted with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 69th minute.
Performed: Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane has not exactly been at his best for Liverpool this season, but on Sunday he was undoubtedly their standout performer. The Senegalese was nothing short of a live wire on the pitch and pounced on every Chelsea player that stood in his way.
In the sixth minute, Mane created an opening for Salah, which could have easily led to Liverpool’s opener. Mendy’s athleticism denied the Reds their goal. Three minutes later, Mane capitalized on Chalobah’s slip-up to punish Chelsea single-handedly.
Mane also pressed relentlessly, helped out at the back, and was uncharacteristically unselfish in his play. All in all, a solid shift by the Liverpool number 10.
