Chelsea had a great start to the game and had the ball in the back of the net after just a few minutes from a corner, but VAR were able to find a tiny offside, spotting Kai Havertz’s left foot in front of the ball as Thiago Silva . was about to shoot. Havertz was given no advantage and the infraction could only be spotted under microscopic examination, but by the letter of the law he was offside and VAR unfortunately does not follow the spirit of the law.
We handled that disappointment pretty well and although the game was far from high quality, we generated some decent opportunities. Mason Mount squandered a clear chance to shoot while others like Kai Havertz and Benoit Badiashile squandered presentable chances from a really poor set piece defended by Liverpool.
On the other side, Liverpool posed little danger, but that all changed quite quickly in the second half, when the home side came out with much more intent and intensity. Chelsea survived this period thanks in part to Thiago Silva blocking the line.
Mudryk made his debut 10 minutes into the half and took him less than 10 minutes to create our best chance of the half, with some delightful touches in the area in tight spaces. Unfortunately, his shot hit the side netting just outside the near post. A slightly less delightful touch then saw him lose a near-perfect classic Ziyech cross, before the game turned into a nervy 15-20 minute finale.
Yet neither side was able to find the quality required for a breakthrough and so the spoils were split, perhaps appropriately.
Carefree.
- Chelsea in a back-four, but with Cucurella more advanced on the left and Chalobah staying at home on the right.
- Hope the Chalobah blow is nothing serious
- Congratulations on #500, DAVE!
- Five consecutive draws against Liverpool in all competitions.
- Chelsea remain 10th.
- Next: two-week break, then Fulham at home
- KTBFFH
PLAYER EVALUATIONS: