Since the 7-0 thrashing over Manchester United, Liverpool had gone on a losing streak in its next three games in all competitions, including a shocking 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth in the English Premier League, a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 and another league loss against Manchester City. Just last evening, Jürgen Klopp’s men travelled to London to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for their 28th league fixture of the season, and their winless streak was extended to four games, after Kop had to settle for a nil-nil draw against the Blues which are without a permanent manager at the moment.
Bruno Saltor’s First Game in Charge as Chelsea’s Interim Manager
Graham Potter was sacked following Chelsea’s tenth league defeat of the season, prompting 42-year-old Bruno Saltor to carry out the duty of an interim manager for the rest of the season. The former Brighton & Hove Albion player made two changes to the Chelsea squad that succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, with N’Golo Kanté starting for the home side for the first time since his long absence due to a severe hamstring injury. On the other hand, Klopp altered his squad that was run riot by Manchester City with six replacements, including three at the back.
In the 12th minute, left-back Ben Chilwell delivered a tempting cross to Kai Havertz, and the young German’s close-range effort was denied by Alisson Becker. The Blues thought they opened the score line 12 minutes later, when Reece James hit home a volley off a ricocheted ball during a corner set-piece. The replay showed that Enzo Fernández was offside prior to the right-back’s effort. It was Liverpool’s turn to make an effort on goal just before half time, when Fabinho’s right-footed strike in the penalty box was deflected by Fofana. That meant both teams were heading to the second half without a single goal.
As soon as play was resumed, the fit-again Kanté unleashed Havertz with a through ball, in which the 23-year-old converted it into the back of the net. Nevertheless, another replay denied Chelsea for the opening goal of the match, since the German handled the ball after Alisson saved his initial shot. The rest of the match was nip and tuck between Chelsea and Liverpool, with the home side having the last shot to break the deadlock. 2022 FIFA World Cup Young Player Award winner Enzo Fernández was left open in the dying moments of the match, and his shot outside the penalty box went wide, ensuring a goalless draw in this Premier League clash.
One day we’ll see a goal… 😅 pic.twitter.com/5W7GP8ebeN
— 433 (@433) April 4, 2023
Six Straight Draws Between Both Teams
Interestingly, the nil-nil draw last night was the sixth consecutive draw and the fourth straight goalless draw between the two English club football heavyweights in all competitions (Two of those matches ended in penalty shoot-outs), signaling a struggle for both sides to break down each other’s defence in this regard.
During the post-match conference, Jürgen Klopp spoke about his dissatisfaction over the poor season, stating that he would not want to go through another season like the current one again. “I wouldn’t be manager of Liverpool if I had a couple of these seasons. We have to get through it. That’s how life is. You have to fight to change your fortunes. We cannot talk about the goals we have if we don’t get points. We don’t give up, we will fight. We can talk a lot, but we have to show it. We’re fine with a point, there was a lot of good stuff. We showed a lot of fight. We have to keep going”, he said.
As for the home team’s manager, Bruno Saltor was proud of his team’s display following a difficult week due to coaching changes. “I asked the players to play with their hearts and I think we saw that. We gave everything, we created chances. We scored twice, one offside and one handball. I think it was a big performance from the boys, it’s a good start for them after some difficult, emotional days. They were able to keep themselves focused, to use their heads and their hearts as well, so credit to them” was his response.
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