Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool: Havertz and James have goals ruled out in draw
Bruno’s Chelsea reign kicks off as Potter’s ended with Blues drawing a blank in Liverpool stalemate despite dominating, as Kovacic misses two big chances with Havertz effort ruled out
- Chelsea controlled large periods of the match but failed to make their overall domination count on Tuesday
- Reece James’ first half goal was ruled out after Enzo Fernandez was offside in the build up after a corner
- Kai Havertz saw his effort at the start of the half also disallowed after he handled the ball in his finish
Change in the dug out for Chelsea and changes on the field for Liverpool. But still nothing changes. Chelsea still can’t score goals while Liverpool cannot rediscover the art of controlling football matches.
So a 0-0 that saw Chelsea play the better football and create the better chances in the wake of Graham Potter’s sacking was a 0-0 nevertheless, the fourth in a row between these two clubs. Liverpool made six changes as they sought to avoid a fourth successive defeat in Premier League and Champions League and at least Jurgen Klopp’s team managed that.
Liverpool, though, remain way off it. Since their 7-0 dismantling of Manchester United a month ago, Liverpool have scored a solitary goal and, apart from a flurry from nowhere at the end of the first half, they never looked like adding to that here. So these are dark times for Liverpool and it’s not about to get easier. On Sunday they have Arsenal at home.
As for Chelsea, theirs is a squad full of talent and potential but lacks a solitary fundamental, goals. Potter’s last game in charge was Saturday’s 2-0 defeat here to Aston Villa. They had 23 shots that day at a stadium that has witnessed fewer Premier League goals than any other this season. On this occasion it was not quite that but the pattern remains. It was just twelve shots this time but they had some good chances all the same and just couldn’t take them. Chief culprit was the German Kai Havertz but he was not alone.
Chelsea at least are not entering spring with a dead season on their hands. Next week they will be in Spain to play Real Madrid in the last eight of the Champions League. They may even have a new full-time manager by then.
Chelsea players appeal to referee Anthony Taylor on a night where they saw two goals ruled out in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool
Kai Havertz found the net for Chelsea at the start of the second half but his goal was ruled out for handball (above)
Mateo Kovacic missed an excellent chance to score at the start of the second half after blasting over the crossbar
Liverpool? Klopp will soldier on, trying to find a way to relight the fires of last season. At the moment the very height of his team’s ambitions would appear to be to finish above Brighton.
Liverpool didn’t lose, though, and they probably should have done. They were outplayed and outrun in midfield. For Chelsea the returned to fitness N’Golo Kante and the formidable Croatian Mateo Kovacic were far superior to any of Liverpool’s midfield three of Fabinho, Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson. Of those three visiting players only Henderson emerged with any credit at all.
For much of the game the Liverpool captain cut a visibly and volubly irritated figure and that is totally understandable. Henderson must recall the days not long ago when he and his team-mates chased and passed opposition teams off the field and out of the contest. Now all Liverpool’s midfield seems to do is run and more often than not it’s without the ball.
Of the six changes made by Klopp here only one was forced. Central defender Virgil van Dijk was unwell. As for Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson, they were just dropped or rested. Call it what you will, it means the same.
Chelsea have problems of their own but clearly sensed weakness in their opponents. Their wing-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James gave them regular overloads and they should have profited from them.
In the opening six minutes, Chelsea could have scored twice. They probably should have. Joao Felix ran free but was robbed by Joel Matip and Havertz could only hack at the dropping ball. Then Alisson pushed the ball away from Kovacic and was grateful that Ibrahima Konate could clear the same player’s follow up from the line.
Alisson was on it again 12 minutes later, blocking a Havertz shot from six yards after a Chilwell cross found his team-mate free. Reece James volleyed in from a corner in the 24th minute but Enzo Fernandez was called offside by VAR and then Kante played Havertz through down the left only for the shot to be snatched, hurried and, as a result, well off target.
Liverpool tried frantically to stem the flow but could not. By the 30 minute mark, they had not touched the ball in the Chelsea penalty area. When they did, they almost scored.
Mohamed Salah was surprisingly dropped before coming on as a second half substitute to try and boost the Reds’ attack
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp (left) greets Chelsea interim boss Bruno Saltor ahead of the game at Stamford Bridge
Reece James saw his first half volley ruled out by VAR after Enzo Fernandez (right) was ruled offside in the build up
MATCH FACTS AND PLAYER RATINGS
CHELSEA (3-4-2-1): Arrizabalaga 6; Fofana 6, Koulibaly 6, Cucurella 6; James 6.5, Fernandez 6, Kante 7 (Gallagher 68min 6), Chilwell 7 (Mudryk 77, 6); Havertz 6, Kovacic 8; Joao Felix 6 (Sterling 85).
Booked: Kovacic.
Manager: Bruno Saltor 6.5.
LIVERPOOL: (4-3-3) Alisson 7.5; Gomez 6, Konate 6.5, Matip 6, Tsimikas 5.5 (Robertson 64, 6); Jones 5.5 (Milner 79, 6), Fabinho 5.5, Henderson 6; Jota 6, Firmino 6 (Gakpo 79, 6), Nunez 6 (Salah 64, 6).
Booked: Tsimikas, Jones, Fabinho.
Manager: Jurgen Klopp 6.
Referee: Anthony Taylor 6.
Attendance: 40,093.
Chelsea created excellent chances and were largely the better team but couldn’t grab a goal – graphic from Sofascore
Had Potter still been in charge, maybe they would have. He never did get much luck. Joe Gomez’s range finder from 20 yards was pushed over by Chelsea keeper Kepa in the 45th minute and then, from the corner, Fabinho seemed to have scored only for Wesley Fofana to head clear from almost on the goal line.
It was a sudden shift through the gears by Liverpool but didn’t last. Straight from the start of the second half, they threw open their doors again. First Kante played Kovacic through and he lifted the ball over. Then Havertz ran clear and seemed to have scored when his shot was blocked by Alisson, struck him on what appeared to be the midriff and bounced back in to the goal.
It appeared to be a quite appropriate goal for a player out of form but as Stamford Bridge celebrated VAR changed the story again. The ball had not hit Havertz’s stomach but his arm. Not allowed. No goal.
So that was pretty much that. The goal was not to come for Chelsea, no matter how they pushed and no matter how stand-in coach Bruno tried to change things with substitutions.
Liverpool were not exactly hanging on by the end. It was not a game like that. But nor were they fully engaged in trying to tilt the scales their own way. Liverpool remain lost in the fog. Chelsea, meanwhile, will win some games if they could only find the ghost of Didier Drogba hidden somewhere under the stairs.
Joao Felix looked lively for Chelsea and saw an early chance following a counter attack snuffed out by the Reds
Mateo Kovacic takes the ball past Liverpool keeper Alisson before seeing his shot cleared by Ibrahima Konate (5)
Liverpool’s Joel Matip slips while trying to win the ball off Chelsea’s Joao Felix during the first half in Tuesday night’s action
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