ANFIELD — This was not so much a game of football but a prize-fight, relentless and bare-knuckled. When the final whistle sounded and the two teams collapsed into an exhausted heap, Chelsea could claim to have won on points.
Following Reece James’s dismissal, they had held out for 45 minutes and had kept Liverpool at bay reasonably comfortably.
Chelsea are something of a bogey side for Liverpool – this was the eighth time in 10 matches they had come away from Anfield unbeaten and Jurgen Klopp would have reckoned this an opportunity squandered.
The contest turned in first-half stoppage time. Liverpool had been horribly wasteful in front of goal and as James cleared Sadio Mané’s drive off the line it appeared another opportunity had slipped away.
After being harangued by the Liverpool players, led by Jordan Henderson, the referee, Anthony Taylor, consulted the pitch-side monitor and returned to dismiss James and award a penalty for handball which Mo Salah converted in some style.
This time Taylor was besieged by footballers in blue shirts who knew the decision had irrevocably altered a contest they would have backed themselves to win.
The ball had struck James’s thigh and then deflected on to the defender’s forearm. It was a penalty but many thought the red card an unnecessary double punishment.
Thomas Tuchel said nothing to the referee as the teams left the pitch but the Chelsea manager carried out some drastic surgery during the interval.
Kai Havertz, whose beautifully-directed back header had given Chelsea the lead and control of the evening, was replaced by Thiago Silva. N’golo Kanté, usually irreplaceable but hurt during an intense first half, made way for Mateo Kovacic.
Anfield, which at times had been intensely loud, now resembled a bear pit. Tuchel was preparing his team for a siege. With five defenders lined up on the 18-yard line, it arrived in the shape of Diogo Jota heading over.
A drive from Jordan Henderson skimmed Edouard Mendy’s post. Fabinho’s shot from distance was pushed away while Andrew Robertson’s was saved two-handed.
And yet once the waves of red shirts had subsided, Chelsea seemed to have the same control in defence than they had exerted going forward before the dismissal.
In this Romelu Lukaku was key. In the first half, the Belgian had been involved in an absorbing Low Countries contest with Virgil van Dijk and put Mason Mount clear on goal when brilliantly turning Fabinho.
With Chelsea reduced to 10 men, Lukaku used up time and space and provided a constant threat that Liverpool might still lose this game.
Midway through the first half, that had seemed the likeliest outcome. The match was wired from the start. Even in August, this looked a pivotal match and no player had time to think or measure a pass.
The breakthrough came through two men who would not see the second half. Chelsea won a corner which James took and Havertz deflected over Alisson Becker’s despairing, extended arm.
Liverpool protested because there was some doubt whether the ball had come off Trent Alexander-Arnold for the corner. It was nothing compared to the furore that accompanied the equaliser.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2WAwA2g
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