Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea: Ryan Gravenbirch put the hosts ahead early on, but Enzo Fernandes equalized for the Blues before the break.
Arne Slott was booed by Liverpool fans during the draw with Chelsea (Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
Chelsea finally ended their losing streak as the Blues drew against Anfield, much to the dismay of Liverpool fans.
The Cops made their voices heard in the second half when the Reds were unable to beat Chelsea, when Arne Slott brought on Alexander Isak for Rio Ngmoha.
Ryan Gravenbirch put the hosts ahead in great fashion early on, curling Filip Jorgensen into Chelsea’s goal from the edge of the box.
However, Enzo Fernandes’ cross, which may or may not have been touched by Wesley Fofana on the way, gave Chelsea an equalizer before half-time.
The Blues had a goal ruled out for offside in the second half, but the match ended in a draw and there were even louder boos from the home supporters. Here are five stories from Anfield.
1. Please use this as a reference.
Grabenwerch curls past Jorgensen in the Chelsea goal (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Liverpool took the lead after just five minutes, but it was born out of strange circumstances. Dominik Szoboszlai took the free kick 40 yards from goal.
His ferocious power was taken seriously by Chelsea, who ultimately formed a wall to block the Hungarian’s ambitious efforts.
However, as the ball slipped out to the right, Ryan Gravenbirch gathered the ball on the edge of the area and fired a magnificent shot past Filip Jorgensen and into the Chelsea goal.
It was an eye-catching blow, but the Swede will be disappointed when he sees the replay. Grabenwerch made a good catch, but it wasn’t near the corner so Jorgensen could have crossed it.
2. Fofana’s golden touch…or was it?
Fofana barely reacts to Fernandes’ cross (Image: Chelsea FC, Getty Images)
Chelsea got stronger as the first half progressed and it was well worth the effort to equalize. Enzo Fernandes’ free-kick came from the right, and although there was no doubt it was a cross, it appeared to slide into goal to restore parity.
But Wesley Fofana swung his leg through and ran off as if he had scored the equalizer, but in celebration he made it clear to Fernandes that the goal was his.
However, television forensic analysis appears to indicate that while the goal is still attributed to Fernandes, Fofana did take a touch before the ball settled in the bottom corner.
The Argentine was a key figure in Chelsea’s fightback in the first period and could have put the Blues ahead soon after. He shook the Liverpool defense between Curtis Jones and Ibrahima Konate, but his powerful shot was saved by Giorgi Mamadashvili.
3. Blues’ VAR disaster
Palmer thought he had Chelsea in front (Image: Chelsea FC, Getty Images)
Chelsea thought they had taken the lead early in the second half, but VAR intervened for a last-minute offside decision.
Marc Cucurella, a constant threat on the Blues’ left flank, put a cross into the middle that Virgil van Dijk deflected and found Giorgi Mamadashvili to score.
The ball flew to Cole Palmer, who couldn’t miss it from close range as the Chelsea fans behind the goal celebrated.
However, despite the lack of a flag, VAR ruled Cucurella was offside on his first pass. With semi-automatic technology, his shoulder appeared slightly in front of the deepest defender, Curtis Jones.
4. The cup lets your opinion be heard.
Isaac replaces Ngmoha
It’s safe to say that the number of discerning voices towards Arne Slott has grown throughout the campaign at Anfield, and they made that feeling clear in the second half.
The Dutchman decided to leave out the lively Rio Ngmoha for Alexander Isak in the 67th minute, prompting loud boos from inside the Kop and other home areas. And the boos were undeniably loud.
Ngmoha had already established himself as a fan favorite at Anfield with his enthusiastic performances despite his young age, and Reds fans would have probably thought Kodi Gakpo would have been a better candidate to be his last replacement.
5. Two sides at a crossroads
Chelsea interim manager Callum McFarlane (Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
It’s not far-fetched to think we could see new faces in the dugouts of both of these teams in August.
This was unthinkable when Arne Slott led Liverpool to the league title last year, but the result leaves them a whopping 17 points clear of pacesetters Arsenal, who also have a game in hand.
Liverpool should remain in the Champions League, but the same cannot be said for Chelsea. They sit in ninth place, nine points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with their remaining games in the top flight this weekend.
Even sixth place is starting to look like a fantasy, and if Villa win the Europa League and maintain their current league position, they could be good enough to break into Europe’s top table.
But caretaker manager Callum McFarlane is looking forward to next week’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive daily Mirror Football content. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
