Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
There was disappointment at Anfield as Liverpool drew 1-1 with visiting Chelsea who ended their six-game losing streak.
Liverpool got off to the perfect start when Ryan Gravenbirch volleyed the ball into the net from distance but the mood soon soured as Arne Slott’s side surrendered the initiative. Chelsea’s leveler seemed long in coming through Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick.
Wesley Fofana got the slightest of touches and Chelsea, led by interim head coach Callum McFarlane, then grew in confidence. Giorgi Mamardashvili saved from Fernandez. Chelsea finished the first half with 16 touches in Liverpool’s four boxes.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Clinton Morrison has had his say on Cole Palmer’s disallowed goal against Liverpool
The right side of Liverpool’s defense was an obvious weakness, with Curtis Jones struggling to deal with Mark Cucurella’s movement and the Reds were lucky that the full-back strayed offside to set up a disallowed goal for Cole Palmer.
A Jones header was ruled out at the other end and the mood was cut short when the Kop called for Rio Ngumoha to be taken off. Liverpool then hit the frame of goal twice through Dominik Soboszlai and Virgil van Dijk but could not find a winner.
The draw sees Liverpool in fourth place as they inch closer to Champions League qualification – but the slot is still under pressure. Chelsea are in ninth place with a lot of work to do to qualify for any European competition through their Premier League position.
Chelsea’s free-kick goes into the bottom corner to level the scores against Liverpool
Turn on the mood slot
Liverpool fans are renowned for their loyal support so it was a strange afternoon to be at Anfield and witness such discontent. The tension was there from midway through the first half as Chelsea began to take control of the ball and Liverpool’s pressing was absent.
This briefly blossomed in the second half, particularly when popular youngster Ngumoha was withdrawn in favor of Alexander Issac. Slott probably wouldn’t consider it a controversial call but it shows how tempers have soured with supporters.
There were more boos the entire time. Slot and above will look to finish safely in the Champions League with Liverpool this season and continue their rebuild next term. But if this fan sentiment carries over to the new season, is it realistic?
Slott’s ‘Sick and Tired’
Clinton Morrison I see Football Saturday for Sky Sports:
“When you lead at Anfield, and you’re up against a struggling Chelsea team, you should go on and win. But after scoring, they just sat back.
“Some of Slott’s replacements weren’t good enough. I’m a bit sick and tired of him. He’ll make excuses and blame somebody instead of (showing) himself. He’s the manager and he should be fixing the problem. But right now, he’s not doing that.”
