On Sunday, Liverpool travelled to Stamford Bridge knowing that their top four chances were all but over. A win would have kept them mathematically alive, but essentially all that was at stake was pride. Chelsea, too, had nothing to play for, although for much more desirable reasons: they have already won the league. This was evident in how the game panned out – the hosts barely got out of first gear, and Liverpool’s introduction of promising youngsters Jerome Sinclair and Jordon Ibe into the fray had a definite exhibition match sort of feel about it.
Still, there was nothing friendly about the game’s opening exchanges. Perhaps instructed by Mourinho not to lift off, Chelsea were quick to mark their territory with a couple of ferocious challenges early on. Fabregas should probably have seen red for a nasty challenge on Sterling, and then should certainly have been off for a second yellow just minutes later after holding Sterling back. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a Chelsea midfielder making his first Premier League start, also showed his willingness to go in for some robust challenges. The style of play was less PL champions and more Stoke circa 2011, and the opening goal had a similar feel about it. Fabregas whipped in a corner, and Terry, having lost Lambert, headed home past Mignolet. Hardly a vintage strike, but one that meant Liverpool were behind after all of five minutes.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
From here on in, the Reds managed to up their game. The absence of Matic combined with the general end-of-season apathy of the hosts meant that there was space to be used in midfield, which Lallana and Coutinho utilised effectively. Several times attacks nearly came to something, but the final ball was lacking. Sterling had his best game for a while (perhaps showing off for potential new employers?), showing his ability to run at defenders and beat them. However, his end product was lacking – he dragged wide from good positions on a couple of occasions. In the end though, it was not a piece of intricate build-up that led to the equaliser. Like Chelsea’s goal, it came from a set piece. Lallana won a free kick on the edge of the box, and the subsequent delivery picked out Gerrard, who had been left unmarked at the far post. He guided the ball into the corner with his head, meaning the two teams went in level.
Liverpool were the better of the two sides for much of the second half, but still failed to properly test Courtois. This highlighted the need for additions to the squad in the summer – both the final ball and the clinical striker to be on the end of it are lacking, and if we are to replicate the title challenge of last season then we sorely need them. A defensive midfielder is also a must-buy: for the twenty minutes or so mid-way through the second half that Chelsea bothered to put in a performance, they cruised effortlessly through the midfield multiple times. Not since Mascherano have we had a competent defensive midfielder capable of shielding the defence enough to allow the other midfielders to get forward and help in attack.
At the end of the day a draw against the champions isn’t a bad result, but the game highlighted just as many problems as it did strengths. It would be easy to praise the team, but the truth is that had Chelsea even been close to their best then they would have walked this match. Still, it did show the positives within our squad, and hopefully a few astute additions in the summer will be enough to get us back challenging for silverware next time out.
[Starbox]