Kai Havertz had a goal disallowed for offside as Chelsea produced one of the goalless football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. After Kai Havertz’s early goal was disallowed for offside, the game stalled out. After joining Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk, Mykhailo Mudryk made an impression off the bench and had several chances to celebrate the occasion with a goal. But in the middle of the table, the two teams are still tied on points. Graham Potter’s team is currently on a run of six games away from home without a win in the tournament, while Jurgen Klopp’s team must be satisfied with breaking their two-game losing streak in the Premier League.
Havertz thought he had scored from a corner, but the replays clearly revealed he was offside after Thiago Silva hit the post with his initial attempt. It was a nearly dramatic start. If the Brazilian had scored, his effort would have been sanctioned. With Liverpool having trouble defending against set pieces, that goal that was disallowed served as a portent of things to come. Benoit Badiashile came close to scoring soon after the half-hour mark, but Alisson made a close-range stop to preserve the score.
Liverpool appeared uneasy and wasted a lot of opportunities to attack. While the always dependable Mohamed Salah either miskicked wildly or curled the ball over tamely when in his preferred area, Cody Gakpo, who is still seeking his first goal for the club, blazed over twice. It was a messy affair, with a misplaced pass here and a ball controlled poorly there. Given the caliber of the players, it was unexpected, yet possibly expected given the two clubs’ recent performances. Midtable, lacking confidence, with everything appearing to be a struggle.
The atmosphere was substantially altered by Mudryk’s flips, tricks, and deliberate passing. As a result of his outpacing James Milner, Klopp was forced to quickly send on Trent Alexander-Arnold, but even Mudryk was unable to make the breakthrough, missing two good opportunities on the angle. Potter will look at the positives from that and pray that the new signing may spur even more progress. In his 1000th game as a manager, Klopp is still looking for a solution. Neither team is performing at a level that would threaten the top four.
Thiago Silva won the award despite there not being much of a race for player of the game because he worked harder than anyone else to keep Anfield clean. Silva was as composed as ever despite playing with an inexperienced center-back partner in Badiashile. He was exposed one-on-one against Darwin Nunez at one point in the second half. The home audience was enthusiastic, but the elderly maestro recognized the threat.
“Our first and second halves both got off to a good start. Despite our strong spells, we were unable to continue. We must be prepared for baby steps, and this is just one. a clean sheet against Chelsea despite the fact that we didn’t create many chances and they did as well,” Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp said. “In the second half, we defended with fervor and obvious organization, but we were too deep at times. In the end, since you have to agree to these actions, I’m fine with a score of 0-0. On it, we can construct. Both teams were quite competitive.”
“The performance, in my opinion, was strong. I’m pleased with the team, the spirit, and the work we put into it. It is never easy at Anfield. We now have a clear slate and can proceed,” Chelsea head coach Graham Potter said. “We did okay in the first half but were unfortunate not to score. What is, is what is. They had a strong start to the second half, but we made a few adjustments, took back control, and created a few opportunities. Despite the fact that we needed three points, the day was mostly nice.”
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