Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Liverpool: No One Happy With Anfield Outcome

A 1–1 draw left both sides in limbo but at least it brought an end to Chelsea’s miserable run.

Enzo Fernández (top) scored the equalizer in odd circumstances. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Chelsea overcame yet another early deficit to emerge with a 1–1 draw from Saturday’s trip to Liverpool but may come to rue the failure to collect all three points.

“We need to improve,” Blues interim boss Calum McFarlane publicly declared after Chelsea extended their losing streak to six consecutive Premier League matches against Nottingham Forest earlier this week. Ryan Gravenberch’s early goal threatened to deepen that rut but the visitors forced their way back into a battle between two flawed opponents.

The nature of Chelsea’s equalizer was fortunate, Enzo Fernández’s cross from a free kick snuck inside the bottom corner, but it was deserved based upon the swing in first-half momentum. Cole Palmer had a potential winner shortly after the restart ruled out by a narrow offside yet there would be no decisive goal for either side.

While Chelsea’s quest for Champions League qualification is not quite over—and Liverpool’s remains unsealed—it was a result which suited neither party.

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The Problem That Won’t Go Away

There were highs and lows for Chelsea on Saturday. | PETER POWELL/AFP/Getty Images

After shipping the first of three Nottingham Forest goals after 83 seconds on Monday afternoon, João Pedro lamented a common theme for Chelsea. “This is the Premier League,” he fretted, “if you concede very early, it’s difficult to come back. Everyone needs to look at themselves, me included, to find a way to do better. I feel sorry for the fans.” Those that traveled to Anfield were subjected to another early concession.

Gravenberch needed six minutes to bend the ball beyond Filip Jörgensen after Chelsea failed to keep switched on from the second phase of a set piece. It represented the ninth goal Chelsea have conceded in the opening 10 minutes of Premier League matches this season, an unwanted tally which only relegated and manager-less Burnley have been able to exceed.

Falling behind so early, so frequently is never a recipe for long-lasting success, yet it wasn’t a decisive blow on Saturday. The Blues wobbled in the 10 minutes after tumbling behind but everyone was soon reminded that this iteration of Liverpool are as fragile as the capital club. The Anfield crowd was audibly dismayed at the home side's timid retreat onto the edge of their own area which invited Chelsea into a position of authority that they couldn’t help but assume.

Fernández fortuitously found an equalizer which could very well have been the winning goal had he and his teammates not fallen asleep at the start of yet another game.

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Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Liverpool (4-3-3)

João Pedro led the line on Saturday. | Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Filip Jörgensen—6.6: Could perhaps have gotten a glove to Gravenberch’s excellent strike which brushed his fingertips but made up for that setback with a number of important subsequent stops.

RB: Malo Gusto—6.7: Engaged in a really intriguing back-and-forth with young Rio Ngumoha as both players enjoyed several mini-wins and losses.

CB: Wesley Fofana—6.8: The Frenchman’s best contribution to the contest was a decided lack of impact—which said everything about his performance. By swinging at fresh air rather than making contact with Fernández’s cross, he inadvertently deceived Giorgi Mamardashvili.

CB: Levi Colwill—7.3: On his first Premier League start of the season after a grueling rehabilitation from a torn ACL in the summer, there was some expected rust, yet Colwill performed admirably overall.

LB: Jorrel Hato—7.2: Given precious few issues by the erratic Jeremie Frimpong.

CM: Enzo Fernández—7.0: Afforded most license of the midfield three to roam, drifting laterally and bursting vertically behind Liverpool’s backline.

CM: Moisés Caicedo—7.8: Such were the defensive duties of Chelsea’s deepest midfielder, Caicedo often found himself operating as a fifth defender in the visitors’ backline while also finding time to leap forward. A perennial presence across all three thirds.

CM: Andrey Santos—6.4: Always seemed one too many strides away from the red shirt he was supposed to be marking.

RW: Cole Palmer—6.6: Floated around the pitch with more menace than material impact.

ST: João Pedro—6.9: The sharpest thorn in the side of Liverpool’s backline did most of his work creating space and chances for his teammates.

LW: Marc Cucurella—6.6: Shunted up the pitch to compensate for an attacking injury crisis, Cucurella took very well to his new role. It turns out that the fullback can transplant his unique brand of bothering to any part of the pitch, needling Curtis Jones and Ibrahima Konaté just as much as he would any winger.

SUB: Reece James (63’ for Santos)—7.1: Failed to leave a real imprint on the contest.

Subs not used: Gaga Slonina (GK), Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Mathis Eboué, Roméo Lavia, Liam Delap, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen.

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What These Ratings Tell Us

Chelsea no longer insist upon huddling around the ball. | PETER POWELL/AFP/Getty Images

• Chelsea tried to mark Liverpool man-to-man all over the pitch, turning the game into a series of individual duels. This approach highlights the weaknesses of an unconfident side—which is why it backfired across the opening exchanges, as the nervy visitors were knocked off their stuttering stride by Gravenberch’s early opener—but can empower a team on the front foot, which was the position taken by the Blues, who grew into the game.
• The lack of a single senior winger in Chelsea’s starting XI should have theoretically hampered McFarlane’s side, yet Cucurella provided an injection of penetration which none of Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens or Estêvão have been able to consistently provide.

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The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Comeback

• Chelsea have conceded at least once in their last 14 Premier League games. The last time they went longer without keeping a clean sheet was 1991 (17-match stretch).
• The mutual mediocrity was palpable. This was a game of many touches in both penalty boxes (47 combined) yet surprisingly few clear-cut sights of goal (neither team managed more than 0.51 xG). Both backlines were porous enough to allow their opponents into the danger zones yet neither set of forwards had the subtlety or quality to take advantage of this advanced positioning.

Statistic	Liverpool	Chelsea
Possession	48%	52%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.51	0.47
Total Shots	8	6
Shots on Target	3	3
Big Chances	1	1
Passing Accuracy	84%	86%
Fouls Committed	2	4
Corners	5	2

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