Match Report: Same Old Story, Chelsea Liverpool battle to scoreless draw… again

For the fourth straight time across all competitions, Liverpool and Chelsea battled to a scoreless draw. The latest example came Tuesday evening when the match at Stamford Bridge failed to produce a goal. Stats back up the fact that this match was a nip-and-tuck affair as neither team had a discernible edge in the stats. Possession was split 51-49 in the Reds’ favour while Chelsea held a 12-7 lead on shots.

First Half

Ibrahima Konaté came up with a big block off the line in the 5th minute to keep the match scoreless. Alisson also made a strong save in the 12th minute. Both sides had trouble holding onto the ball in the final third as nice runs were either disrupted by players slipping or either defensive clearances.

Chelsea earned a corner kick in the 24th and the ball found the back of the net but the goal was disallowed due to an offside. Most of the rest of the half was underwhelming by both sides. Liverpool earned a corner in the 40th minute, but it was wasted. Joe Gomez forced a save in first-half stoppage time, but the game entered halftime still at 0-0.

Second Half

Mateo Kovacic missed a golden opportunity in the early moments of the second half, but he put the chance well over the bar. Kai Havartz appeared to have scored in the 50th minute, but, once again, VAR showed the ball deflected off his arm into the goal. That resulted in a handball and the goal being disallowed.

Darwin Núñez stung the gloves of the Chelsea keeper with a long-range shot at the hour mark and a corner in the 70th. Neither team generated many chances the rest of the way until Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández put a shot over the bar in stoppage time. That miss sealed the fate of both teams as they had to share the points in the 0-0 draw.

An Exercise In Futility

Thanks to the fourth straight goalless draw, it has now been over 6 hours of real-time (including extra time) since either Chelsea or Liverpool have scored against one another. The last time either side scored in the fixture was a 2-2 draw in January of 2022.

The Bright Side

Even though the Reds would have liked to come away with all 3 points, the draw produced several positives for the club. It stopped a three-match Premier League losing streak for the Reds, the longest of the Jürgen Klopp era and Alisson garnered his 11th clean sheet of the season. It also keeps Liverpool within striking distance of a Champions League or Europa League spot for next season with 43 points.

VAR Is The Star

You can’t give Player of the Game to a replay system, but if you could, VAR deserves it for this match. It upheld an offside call in the first half and erased a given goal in the second half, thanks to a handball. If not for that latter decision, Liverpool would have lost the game. 

LFC Globe Verdict

There is never a sure thing in football, but Liverpool and Chelsea playing to a draw is about as close as you can get. Yes, the clubs have not scored in four straight matches, but it has been more than 2 years since this fixture has produced a winner in normal time (March 4th, 2021). It looked as if both teams were tentative, not wanting to make the mistake that would cost their side the match. Hopefully, Liverpool is more aggressive when they host Arsenal at Anfield on April 9th.

Man Of The Match & What’s Next

As stated above, I wish I could give the Man Of The Match Award to VAR, but since I can’t, the next choice is Konaté. He made a huge clearance off the line early and put in a proper shift on the back line the rest of the way.

What’s Next

Liverpool face a tough test when they host league-leading Arsenal on Easter Sunday, April 9th. Kickoff is set for 16:30 BST. A list of Liverpool FC streams is available so fans around the world can follow the action. 

Goals

Liverpool

• None

Chelsea

• None

Substitutions

Liverpool

1. Mohamed Salah for Roberto Firmino 65’
2. Andy Robertson for Kostas Tsimikas 66’
3. Cody Gakpo for Curtis Jones 79’
4. James Milner for Darwin Núñez 79’

Chelsea

1. Connor Gallagher for N’golo Kante 69’
2. Mykhailo Mudryk for Ben Chilwell ‘78
3. Raheem Sterling for Joao Felix ‘85