On a wet night at Anfield, Antonio Conte’s Chelsea put on a gritty performance to take a point from their trip to the Merseyside this weekend. A brilliant piece of innovation to catch the home side off-guard in the first half got David Luiz his first goal on his return to the Stamford Bridge as Chelsea took a first half lead in this top of the table clash. But Klopp’s Liverpool side, who lost three consecutive home games coming into this fixture, managed to pull one back through Wijnaldum, who headed past Courtois in the second half. Diego Costa missed a penalty as both sides settled for a point.
Here are the player ratings for the Blues for this game:
Thibaut Courtois (6):
Had to make a couple of saves but he dominated his box in the air to keep Liverpool’s threat in the air to a minimal, which he did to perfection.
Cesar Azpilicueta (6):
Stuck to his task well on the right side of the defense, as he kept the likes of Coutinho and Lallana away from the goal for most of the game.
David Luiz (7):
The player of the game for Chelsea, Luiz put in a solid performance at the back, bossing everything that came his way and also opened the scoring with an incredible goal at the other end on a productive night.
Gary Cahill (6):
Did what he was in the team for, as he never allowed the Liverpool players any time on the ball, helping Chelsea to a point.
Victor Moses (5):
Tried to make an impact on the game from various positions but was just not able to provide the kind of attacking outlet he usually provides.
N Golo Kante (7):
The Man of the Match for this game, Kante put in an absolutely sublime performance in the middle of the park, never giving Liverpool players time to breathe, winning the ball back on numerous occasions and running the show for his side.
Nemanja Matic (6):
Provided decent cover for his back-4 and made a couple of important interceptions that kept his side in the hunt.
Marcos Alonso (5):
A fairly quiet night for the Italian who did a decent job at the back. However, hardly provided any width in the attack when needed for his side.
Willian (6):
Tried to get behind the Liverpool back line every chance he got but did not have enough service on the night to have an effect on the game.
Eden Hazard (5):
Rendered useless for most of the game, Hazard was just not able to get into his stride on a difficult night at the Anfield.
Diego Costa (5):
Lost his battle for once with Joel Matip and though won a spot-kick off him in the second half, ended up bottling the chance of giving his side a victory.
Subs:
Pedro (6):
Made a huge difference in the second half replacing Hazard, as he acted as the driving force that got Chelsea out of their own half.
Cesc Fabregas (5):
Came in late in the game to try and steal a goal but did not get enough time to influence the game.
Michy Batshuayi (5):
Barely had a touch of the ball.