Liverpool were forced to settle for a point in their goalless draw with Chelsea on Tuesday night.
The Reds failed to find the back of the net, but still managed to earn a draw with the Londoners in their Premier League clash. The result leaves Liverpool in eighth place in the table and seven points adrift of the top four with a game in hand.
Jurgen Klopp made six changes to the team that lost to Manchester City three days earlier, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold dropping out of the team. Liverpool will now prepare to face league leaders Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.
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Plenty of national media outlets were in attendance to watch Liverpool's draw with Chelsea. Here is a round-up of what they had to say.
Ian Ladyman, via the Mail Online
“Change in the dug out for Chelsea and changes on the field for Liverpool. But still nothing changes. Chelsea still can’t score goals while Liverpool cannot rediscover the art of controlling football matches.
“So a 0-0 that saw Chelsea play the better football and create the better chances in the wake of Graham Potter’s sacking was a 0-0 nevertheless, the fourth in a row between these two clubs. Liverpool made six changes as they sought to avoid a fourth successive defeat in Premier League and Champions League and at least Jurgen Klopp’s team managed that.
“Liverpool, though, remain way off it. Since their 7-0 dismantling of Manchester United a month ago, Liverpool have scored a solitary goal and, apart from a flurry from nowhere at the end of the first half, they never looked like adding to that here. So these are dark times for Liverpool and it’s not about to get easier. On Sunday they have Arsenal at home.”
Jacob Steinberg, via Mail Online
“It was hardly an occasion to rival some of the classic encounters between these bitter rivals, especially with Bruno Saltor doing his best to step into the void left by Graham Potter’s departure, although in the end it was difficult not to feel that it was not Chelsea’s interim head coach who was having trouble recognising his own team.
“Bruno – more bewildered than anyone that he was chosen to hold the fort until Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali can convince Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino or Luis Enrique to take over – could hold his head up high. Whether the Spaniard is still here by the time Chelsea visit Real Madrid next week remains to be seen, but at least his players listened to him. At least there was no mutiny, on or off the pitch.
“The applause at the end was respectful enough and, while another draw keeps Chelsea in the bottom half, victory would have been theirs if they had anyone capable of putting the ball in the back of the net by legal means.
“Liverpool were lucky. Jürgen Klopp had tried some shock therapy, dropping some of his biggest players, but his side’s identity has disappeared. Ultimately these sloppy, stodgy away performances from Liverpool are no longer a surprise and, with the gap to fourth place now seven points, it is going to take something special for them to qualify for the Champions League.”
Henry Winter, via The Times
“The final whistle was an act of mercy by Anthony Taylor. He ended Kai Havertz’s painful attempt to grasp the concept of offside. He released fans from captivity into the night, hurrying for the comfort of home, the joys of late-night motorway roadworks north or a hostelry to blank out memories of these listless, scoreless, shapeless 90 minutes.
“A meeting that used to mean so much felt almost meaningless, certainly passionless. Neither side can realistically gain Champions League qualification unless Liverpool go on a winning spree or Chelsea win this season’s competition. It felt tired, a Bridge too far.
“This used to be a fixture full of significance at the top of the Premier League. This used to be a collision of in-form heavyweights, a confrontation to quicken the pulse and the step en route to the ground. Not last night.
“These were two teams, once great, now mid-table, struggling for belief and for a passing move of any length or note. This was the fourth stalemate on the spin between the sides, but there were thrilling moments in the previous three meetings, drama on two occasions at Wembley, some terrific football, and a real competitive edge. This had little.
“One particular period that scarred the first half will stalk the sleep of those who looked on aghast at good players showing bad control. They kept gifting possession to the opposition: Ibrahima Konaté to Enzo Fernández, Joel Matip to Reece James, Mateo Kovacic to Joel Matip, then James to Kostas Tsimikas.”
Mark Jones via The Mirror
“Chelsea and Liverpool continued to underwhelm as their seasons were largely summed up by a fourth successive goalless draw between them.
“In their first match since Sunday's sacking of Graham Potter, Chelsea started much the better against a Liverpool side showing six changes from Saturday's loss to Manchester City, with Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz both going close before Reece James had a goal ruled out for offside.
“Liverpool took a while to show any real attacking intent, although Fabinho struck a deflected effort just wide before Joe Gomez tested Kepa Arrizabalaga from distance.
“Kovacic blazed a glorious chance over the bar in the second period, before Havertz had a goal ruled out for handball.”
Paul Gorst, via Liverpool Echo
“It's now 465 minutes since there was a goal in a Liverpool fixture with Chelsea and another goalless affair here at Stamford Bridge was quite fitting for two teams who are now little more than midtable fodder.
“Perceptions can be deceiving at times in football but this 0-0 draw was exactly what it looked like: Eighth and 11th scrapping it out to no avail.
“These two giants of the Premier League instead looked like punch-drunk heavyweights stumbling around in desperate search of a knockout blow that never came close to landing.
“For years now, these clubs have represented the yin and the yang of footballing philosophies at the cutting edge of the English game. In the red corner, Liverpool's success has been built on the continuity of a manager who is now the longest serving in the Premier League, a squad that has been purpose built to stay together and peak as a collective and a studious footballing operations team off the pitch who have proven themselves as some of the smartest in the business.”
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