Chelsea travelled to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool who celebrated his 1000th game as a manager. It was a special occasion in the English top flight as it staged it’s 50,000th fixture. However with no end product in the final third, both the teams justified their place on the points table.
Even though CFC failed to take all the three points home, Graham Potter will definitely be the happier of the two managers as his side is beginning to look more convincing with every passing game. The new signings have already started to make an impact and with Chelsea knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round itself, Potter will have enough time to get back to the drawing board and integrate the new additions appropriately.
Chelsea were comprehensibly the dominant side in the first half with Kai Havertz placing the ball in the back of the net within the first few minutes of the game itself. However, VAR was called into play and the goal was disallowed. The Blues continued to play well and challenge the rickety Liverpool backline without reward. The German’s words definitely had an impact as the Reds gained complete control in the early stages of the second half. Anyway it only lasted until the 22 year old Ukraine international stepped onto the field. From there on both the sides had fair chances to win the game but neither side were successful in doing so.
In spite of a very persuasive performance overall where majority of the Blues looked sharp, there were three players who influenced the game the most.
1. Thiago Silva, Chelsea
We’ve reached a point where we need to stop considering Silva’s performances in such categories as for him its a routine. O Monstro yet again was the heart of the Blues defence and his influence on the young frenchman has helped the duo to now keep consecutive clean sheets. The ageless defender yet again came very close to getting his name on the scoresheet only for the goal post to deny him. Considering the Brazil international’s consistency at the highest level amongst this hapless CFC side, he can now arguably be called the best defender in the world.
2. Hakim Ziyech
This is not the first time the west Londoners have planned on offloading the Morocco star and he’s subsequently stepped up. Ziyech has by far been the best attacker since returning from a very successful World Cup campaign. Often tagged as a ‘lazy’ player, Ziyech has proved the entire fanbase wrong by his work rate in the last few games. He has been creating multiple chances, tracking back and working very hard for the team.
Especially in the absence of Reece James, the Moroccan has been pivotal in preventing the opposition in exploiting the right flank. His diagonal passes helped Chelsea play with a more direct approach and almost break the dead lock. He certainly could have been a bit more selfless on a few occasions in the second half, but overall Ziyech’s performance deserves every inch of praise.
3. Mykhailo Mudryk
Mykhailo Mudryk made his much awaited debut. The younger winger stepped onto the field with no play since November and all the pressure in the world due to his hefty price tag. To everyone’s surprise, the Ukraine international had multiple legends talking about him after his electric performance. Mudryk completed more dribbles than any other player on the pitch within 35 minutes. He truly transformed the game after coming on. Ever since Eden Hazard departed to the Spanish giants, the Blues’ supporters having been craving for the sight of a similar player. Mudryk proved that he has not only got pace, but great technical ability which could fill in the void in the Chelsea attack.
After already hitting rock bottom this season, the future for Chelsea Football Club looks very bright. The new signings have looked promising, and with the return of the unavailable players, CFC could look like a completely different side in these last few months. Potter now has enough time to prepare before the Blues host local rivals Fulham next month where Chelsea need to start recreating the win streak we created under Conte and it could see us back into contention for UCL football next season.