In a battle between two EPL title contenders on Saturday, Liverpool and Chelsea finished 1-1 at Anfield.
The Reds had the most of the possession with 23 shots on target aimed at Mendy’s net but the visitors managed to stay undefeated despite Reece James being sent off before halftime.
The Champions League holders were perfectly organized and survived Liverpool’s attacks.
The hosts started at a high tempo but Chelsea were the team that scored the first goal.
Just before the half-hour mark, James’ corner pass found Kai Havertz whose header was beyond the reach of Alisson.
Mason Mount could have put Chelsea two goals ahead before halftime but instead, Klopp’s squad scored an equalizer.
Liverpool was awarded a penalty after Joel Matip hit the bar and James swept Sadio Mane’s shot off the goal line using his hand.
After checking the VAR, referee Anthony Taylor awarded a spot-kick for the hosts and made things even tougher for Chelsea showing James the red card.
Mohamed Salah was ice cold from the penalty spot.
Liverpool went out in the second half fully focused on scoring another one but Chelsea was up to the challenge.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel had to substitute N’Golo Kante to injury and sent in Thiago Silva and Mateo Kovacic to strengthen the team’s defense. The goalkeeper Edouard Mendy had a tough day at work but managed to save his net on multiple occasions.
“I cannot praise the team enough, I do not know if there is a harder stadium than City and Anfield to go one man down. For the last five minutes hopefully we survive and take a well-deserved point. The resilience and team-work was absolutely fantastic,” said Tuchel after the game.
Earlier on Saturday, Manchester City dismantled Arsenal winning by 5-0 and pushed the Gunners to the very bottom of the Premier League standings.
Mikel Arteta’s team has yet to score this season and there is considerable speculation that the Spanish manager will go through the exit door in the coming days.
