Chelsea vs Liverpool: Three lessons learnt in encouraging draw
By Tan Yi Hao
An injury-stricken Chelsea took on Liverpool at home having had its preparations for the game completely overshadowed by recently released comments from Romelu Lukaku in an interview done three weeks prior. With the Belgian consequentially dropped, Thomas Tuchel’s players displayed massive character and put in a mightily impressive performance to drive home the point that no one is bigger than the collective.
Here are the lessons learnt from the Blues’ encouraging draw with the visiting Reds:
1. Great characters back Thomas Tuchel
Despite a strong start to the game, Chelsea quickly found itself 2-0 down 25 minutes into the contest as a result of individual errors and playing with a high line against Liverpool’s marauding forwards. To make matters worse, Christian Pulisic was guilty of missing a golden opportunity nine minutes into the match with the score still level at 0-0. Moreover, Sadio Mane should arguably have been sent off even prior to that for a reckless elbow into the face of Cesar Azpilicueta less than a minute into the top three clash. Nothing was going the Blues’ way in the game, and coupled with the speculation surrounding the club due to Lukaku’s ill-advised remarks, the team could have very easily capitulated and rolled over to accept defeat.
Instead, Tuchel’s players rallied around each other and rode out a difficult period in the match. Their persistence would pay off when Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic both struck in quick succession just before the half ended to draw the scores level.
The character and commitment from the players at a time when Tuchel is coming under increasing pressure to keep Chelsea afloat in the title race is fantastic to witness. Where Lukaku’s influence within the squad could have proven divisive, the Blues’ emphatic response to Liverpool going 2-0 up against the run of play is evidence that the players are still very much on board with the manager. With so many difficult matches coming up in January, a united squad is exactly what is needed for Tuchel to navigate his team out onto the other side.