Mudryk debuts as Chelsea cage Liverpool in Premier League clash

Liverpool and Chelsea played out a goalless draw as the recent struggles of both teams were laid bare on a cold afternoon at Anfield.

Kai Havertz had an early goal disallowed for offside but the game failed to ignite thereafter. Mykhailo Mudryk did impress for Chelsea off the bench following his move from Shakhtar Donetsk and had a number of opportunities to mark the occasion with a goal.

But the two teams remain locked level on points in midtable. Jurgen Klopp’s side have to settle for ending their two-game losing streak in the Premier League, while Graham Potter’s side are now on a run of six matches away from home without a win in the competition.

It was almost a dramatic start when Havertz thought he had scored following a corner but the replays showed he was clearly offside when Thiago Silva struck the post with the initial attempt. The Brazilian’s effort would have been allowed if he had found the net.

That disallowed goal proved a sign of things to come with Liverpool struggling to deal with the set-pieces. 

It was a feature of the game with Benoit Badiashile almost opening the scoring just after the half-hour mark only for Alisson to save from close range.

Liverpool looked nervous and they were wasteful in attack too. Cody Gakpo, still searching for his first goal for the club, blazed over twice, while the usually reliable Mohamed Salah either miskicked wildly or curled the ball over tamely when in his favourite zone.

It was an error-strewn affair, a stray pass here, a ball miscontrolled there. It was surprising given the quality of the players but perhaps to be expected given the form of the two teams. Languishing in midtable, confidence is clearly lacking, everything looks a struggle.

Mudryk changed the mood somewhat, all flicks, tricks and purposeful passing. He skinned James Milner for pace, forcing Klopp to swiftly send for Trent Alexander-Arnold, but even Mudryk did not bring the breakthrough, wasting two good chances on the angle.

Potter will take the positives from that and hope the new signing can be a catalyst for further improvement. Klopp, in his 1000th game in management, is still searching for something that works. Neither side are showing the form needed to trouble the top four.

Sky Sports