In the end, Chelsea clung on for a brave point. Emiliano Martinez made an important late save. They survived a barrage of set-pieces. And when Cole Palmer stood over a free-kick 30 yards from goal, with the last kick of the game, he pumped it into the stands just to be safe. A draw against a team who were, for much of the afternoon, top of the league? You have to take it.
Of course that wasn’t quite the mood at Stamford Bridge when the final whistle blew on this 2-2 draw. A volley of boos rang out and it was hard to know exactly who they were for. The players, perhaps, who were collectively disconnected and at times individually calamitous. The referee, Farai Hallam, who at one point intercepted a Chelsea counterattack with his feet and picked up the ball with his hands, like a schoolteacher at the end of break time. Chelsea were exasperated when he waved away several handball shouts.
