A Gravenberch stunner was not enough as Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick earned the Blues a point at Anfield and left the Reds needing maximum points from their final two games
There are afternoons at Anfield that feel like missed opportunities long before the final whistle blows, and Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea was firmly in that category. Liverpool started brilliantly, went ahead inside six minutes through a Ryan Gravenberch thunderbolt that had the ground rocking, and then proceeded to allow a Chelsea side that had lost six consecutive Premier League matches to find their footing, their confidence and ultimately their equaliser. By the time the final whistle sounded, it was difficult to escape the feeling that two precious points had slipped away at the worst possible time.
Ryan Gravenberch’s brilliant strike in the sixth minute locked in the early Liverpool lead and the noise that greeted it suggested a straightforward afternoon was in prospect. Anfield was bouncing, the sun was shining, and Chelsea looked exactly like what they were: a team in freefall, arriving at one of England’s most intimidating grounds without a win in six. Everything pointed towards Liverpool taking control and pressing home their advantage in a manner befitting a side desperately chasing Champions League qualification.
But football, as it has reminded Liverpool repeatedly this season, rarely follows the script. It looked as if Chelsea were in for another long day at the office, but bizarrely, Liverpool stepped off and allowed their visitors to grow into the game. The tempo dropped. The urgency that had characterised the opening exchanges evaporated. And Chelsea, given the time and space to breathe and build, gradually began to find their way back into the contest.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, back between the sticks after recovering from a knee injury, was called into action to save from Marc Cucurella as Chelsea found joy from through-balls down the left time and again. The Georgian made the stops when required, but he could do nothing about what arrived in the 35th minute. Enzo Fernandez hit a low delivery from a free-kick towards the far post, only Chelsea players reacted, and the confusion allowed the ball to go all the way in. It was a goal that owed as much to Liverpool’s passivity as it did to Chelsea’s quality, and the home dressing room at half-time will have been a sombre place.
Second Half – Chelsea
The second half brought renewed energy and a series of moments that should, on any other day, have delivered the winning goal Liverpool so desperately needed. Chelsea thought they had gone ahead early in the second half as Cole Palmer scored after a goalmouth scramble, but Cucurella had been offside in the build-up. Liverpool were equally frustrated moments later when Curtis Jones nodded in from Gakpo’s header across goal, but the Dutchman had been just beyond the last defender when Szoboszlai’s cross came in. Two goals disallowed, two moments of collective frustration that drained the energy from the stands.
The woodwork became Liverpool’s most reliable opponent as the game wore on. Szoboszlai smacked the left-hand post in the 71st minute as Liverpool came within inches of retaking the lead, before Virgil van Dijk‘s header from a corner crashed against the crossbar in the closing stages. Post, bar, offside flag. Liverpool had everything against them on an afternoon when the football gods offered nothing in return.
The statistics underline the extent of the underperformance. Liverpool only recorded 0.51 expected goals, their lowest in a Premier League home game since March 2021, which was also against Chelsea. For a team needing to win to move decisively towards Champions League safety, that figure is alarming. Creating so little against a team that had conceded freely in recent weeks speaks to a creative bluntness that Arne Slot will need to address urgently in the coming days.
For Chelsea, the point was a minor lifeline and a significant psychological boost. Chelsea brought an end to their six-game losing streak in the Premier League, though they also owed plenty to yet another insipid performance from Liverpool. Interim head coach Calum McFarlane will take the point with relief, but his side’s defensive frailties remain deeply concerning with their own European ambitions hanging in the balance.
The wider context of the result is what makes it sting most for Liverpool. Unless they get a favour from Fulham when they host Bournemouth, Liverpool still need three points from their last two games to secure their place in next season’s Champions League. Those two games are against Aston Villa and Brentford, neither of which will be a formality. Villa have their own agenda, sitting in the top half with pride and a Europa League final to prepare for. Brentford, on the final day, will be competing for their own survival or European ambitions.
The message from the Chelsea result is brutally simple. Liverpool have spent large portions of this season making difficult situations out of manageable ones, and Saturday was another example of that troubling tendency. The talent in Arne Slot’s squad is not in question. The consistency with which they apply it certainly is.
Two games remain. Two opportunities to make it right. The Champions League is still there to be secured, and Liverpool’s players know it. After Saturday, however, there will be a cold, hard reckoning in the dressing room about what it actually takes to close out a season under pressure. The final two weeks of this campaign will define a great deal about how the 2025/26 season is ultimately judged and, more importantly, what kind of club Liverpool intend to be in 2026/27.
Anfield will be ready. The only question now is whether this squad can rise to the moment when it matters most.
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The Liverpool FC Times Team
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