The majority of the CFC supporters seemed to be relieved after the much awaited Graham Potter sack hoping to end the misery and start moving up the table. Chelsea’s new Interim Head Coach Bruno Saltor led the Blues who hosted Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, a fixture that was expected to be a tightly contested affair.
The Reds came into this game struggling to avoid defeat, losing their last three games which include a 4-1 beating at the Etihad Stadium on the weekend and an elimination from the Champions League by the defending champions Real Madrid who are now drawn against Chelsea in the Quarter Finals of the competition. On the other hand, Potter’s side begun to pick up form and secure consecutive victories. However his failure to keep it up and poor decisions cost him his job.
The Seagulls legend tweaked the setup a bit and made two changes from the starting XI Potter chose on the weekend with Wesley Fofana and N’Golo Kante replacing Ruben Loftus-cheek and Mykhailo Mudryk. As for Liverpool, Klopp made six changes to the side that was fielded on the weekend against Manchester City.
There hasn't been a goal between Chelsea and Liverpool in the last 420 minutes of football between the two sides.
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) April 4, 2023
The last goal was scored by Christian Pulisic on January 2nd 2022. 🥱
Not for the first time this season have Chelsea dominated a game by such huge margins and still failed to secure three points. Poor decision making and finishing in the final third have robbed the west Londoners of two more points. The Chels’ faithful were hoping to at least qualify for the Europa league but with every passing game, the odds of making it only worsen. And the only hope of playing in Europe next season will be winning the Champions league this season which is obviously impossible to imagine with such results on a regular basis.
Chelsea player ratings vs Liverpool
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 7
The Chelsea no. 1 was tested by a few long range efforts which he dealt with very well. He kept his calm throughout the game and kept a well deserved clean sheet.
Wesley Fofana – 7
Fofana put on a convincing display, making great use of his pace to negate any threat that Darwin Nunez possessed. He also made a few crucial tackles which could’ve taken the game away from Chelsea. His four tackles and six duels won were the joint-most in the game.
Kalidou Koulibaly – 7.5
The Senegalese skipper took control and covered up for any mistakes made by his colleagues in midfield or the left side of the defence. He has been and continued to be one of the most reliable options in this squad especially in the absence of the veteran Thiago Silva.
Marc Cucurella – 6
The Spaniard made some key tackles and interceptions, but he also left the defence exposed on multiple occasions with his poor awareness and positioning and was lucky to have Koulibaly and Fofana cover for him.
Reece James – 7
After a string of injuries and then the following concerns, the Chels’ faithful finally got a few glimpses of the quality this man possesses. He did strike the ball well keeping it low to ensure that it hits the back of the net, but was unlucky to have his goal disallowed.
Enzo Fernandez – 7
For Fernandez, it was business as usual. The Argentine did well to retain possession and find those wide players who couldn’t make it count. He completed the most passes, had the most touches and also won possession 12 times which was the joint-most.
Mateo Kovacic – 4.5
The Croatian International had a poor outing altogether. He had two clear chances offered on the platter to him but he failed to score and could’ve done a lot better with his passing too.
N’Golo Kante – 8.5
After seven long months, Kante returns to the Starting XI. And the French International didn’t take long to settle in and gain match sharpness gradually. Kante hit the ground running straight away and was by far the best player on the pitch, winning the ball back and switching the play immediately. If his teammates were a tad bit clinical, he would’ve come off with a minimum of three assists.
Ben Chilwell – 4
Ben Chilwell, who usually is one of the better players in this squad was surprisingly quiet today. Except for complaining every now and then, the Englishman was not to be seen and struggled to make any impact on the game which is why he was eventually replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk.
Kai Havertz – 1.5
The German simply cannot be excused this time around. His sluggish performances have been overlooked enough already and with the squad size available to our disposal, Havertz clearly doesn’t deserves to make the matchday squad.
He was poor all around, lazy off the ball and clueless on the ball. He was set up by James, Chilwell, Felix, Kante and Fernandez, and not surprising many, he managed to miss all of those chances. What infuriates the CFC supporters all the more is his effort, and such body language should not be tolerated at a club like Chels‘.
Joao Felix – 6.5
Felix looked lively throughout and made a couple of threatening runs wriggling through the Liverpool defence. However the lack of end product didn’t help the scoreboard.
Substitutions:
Conor Gallagher – 6
The hard working midfielder replaced N’Golo Kante on 69′ and as usual worked relentlessly until the full time whistle was blown.
Mykhailo Mudryk – 6.5
Mudryk replaced Ben Chilwell in the 78th minute and was involved heavily in his 15 minute cameo. He looked comfortable on the ball and created chances which obviously weren’t converted.
Raheem Sterling – N/A
Sterling replaced the Portuguese International in the 85th minute of the game but it was too late for him to make a considerable impact on the game.