A fixture which pitted two Premier League heavyweights against each other ended all square, as three attacking talents were able to light up a match which ranged from sloppy to sensational.
Eden Hazard and Mohamed Salah took leading roles in this performance, before a late cameo from Willian provided what will be one of the goals of the weekend.
As the game emerged from the ice cold drizzle which surrounded the stadium, Chelsea were cagy, but looked dangerous on the counter-attack. Their back three regularly became a five as the wing-backs retreated to deal with the thrust on the Liverpool flanks, provided by Salah and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The home side pressed high, which can be both a strength and a weakness, and on this occasion it allowed more chances for the opposition than they created for themselves. Hazard warmed up on this cold Merseyside evening by pinging one at compatriot Simon Mignolet, who saved at his near post. Moments later, the Chelsea attacker danced around Jordan Henderson before sliding a ball through to Danny Drinkwater. Had it fallen to a seasoned striker the net will have bulged, but the midfielder found himself, and his shot, smothered by Simon Mignolet. Penalty shouts were tame, and a goal kick was rightly given.
This encouraged Antonio Conte’s side to partake in some high pressing of their own. They are happy to camp in their own half when needed, but on sensing blood they hung around the opposition area in the hope of an error. Davide Zappacosta tested Mignolet again, and minutes later a goalmouth scramble was eventually cleared by Liverpool at the umpteenth attempt.
Despite their defensive structure, Chelsea were causing numerous problems in attack through the lively Hazard. But a player who has stood out similarly for Liverpool throughout this season was able to step up towards the end of the first half and remind his side that they should be taking the initiative on home turf. Salah turned Gary Cahill and launched a shot towards Thibaut Courtois’ goal, but it flew just wide of the far post.
The temperature dropped further and, perhaps in an attempt by the players to keep warm, the second half started in an end-to-end fashion. Despite this there were relatively few clear chances, save for one opportunity which fell to an unsuspecting Alvaro Morata who was hit by the ball before it bounced wide, rather than striking the ball deliberately.
The game changer was likely to come from one of Hazard or Salah, and it just had to be the latter, scoring against his old club. He’d had the beating of Cahill all game, but here he was finally given some help in the creation of a chance rather than having to do it all himself. Coutinho carried the ball across the edge of the area from the left before poking it to Oxlade-Chamberlain in traffic. Tiemoue Bakayoko helped it on as he tried to intercept the pass, before the Englishman found Salah in a great attacking position. The winger disappointed most of Anfield by not celebrating the goal, but the home fans made sure they did enough cheering of their own to make up for it.
Straight after the goal the Egyptian was moved into a central area as a disappointed Daniel Sturridge was replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum. He played excellently as the centre forward, holding the ball up against bigger opponents before giving them the runaround. Even Cesar Azpilicueta, one of the outstanding defenders in the Premier League was having trouble containing him.
But just as Liverpool appeared to be in the driving seat, the equaliser came out of nowhere. Substitute Willian looked to have no options out on the right, and as the ball left his boot he merely looked to have mis-hit a cross. Then Mignolet started backtracking frantically and the Brazilian’s idea became clear. The 'keeper skimmed the ball with his glove but couldn’t stop it dipping into the far corner.
The Salah versus Hazard show had been interrupted by a piece of Brazilian magic which saw this absorbing game end in a draw.
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