Liverpool booed after draw with Chelsea
Chelsea halted a six-game losing run in the Premier League by battling to a 1-1 draw with Liverpool in front of a disgruntled Anfield crowd.
Arne Slot saw his decision to substitute teenage winger Rio Ngumoha booed by the home fans as Liverpool missed a chance to all but secure UEFA Champions League qualification.
It could still be assured of a top-five finish by the time it visits Aston Villa next weekend, but it was another frustrating result for the 2024-2025 champion against a much-improved Chelsea side.
Liverpool was without Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, but still started quickly and hit the front in the sixth minute, with Ryan Gravenberch curling past Filip Jorgensen after being fed by Ngumoha.
Virgil van Dijk then steered over from a great position before Chelsea started to control proceedings, with Marc Cucurella's drive tipped away by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
The Blues drew level 10 minutes before half-time as Enzo Fernandez's deep free-kick travelled all the way through the Liverpool area and bounced in off the post, with the Argentinean awarded the goal despite Wesley Fofana claiming a touch.
Chelsea then thought it was in front five minutes into the second half, but Cole Palmer's close-range finish was ruled out for an offside against Cucurella in the build-up.
Liverpool had a goal of its own chalked off soon after, with Curtis Jones's finish counting for nothing because of an offside against Cody Gakpo, who had nodded the ball back into the danger zone.
Dominik Szoboszlai was thwarted by a flying Jorgensen save before firing another long-range effort against the post, either side of Ngumoha's contentious withdrawal in favour of Alexander Isak, and Van Dijk's header rattled the crossbar in Liverpool's last real chance.
More boos greeted the final whistle with Slot remaining under pressure, while Chelsea failed to bolster its hopes of gatecrashing the top six, which could still bring UEFA Champions League qualification if Aston Villa wins the UEFA Europa League and finishes fifth.
Slot said he understood why his side was booed at full-time.
"That's probably got something to do with us not winning," he said.
"It completely makes sense people are disappointed if Liverpool don't win.
"We started off really well and got a big chance from a set-piece which was close to making it 2-0.
"Unfortunately, like last week, we conceded a set-piece. It was such a sloppy goal. The second half, I saw a completely different intensity. We went close a few times.”
Slot also ommented on his decision to substitute Ngumoha midway through the second half.
"He [Ngumoha] was having problems with his muscles and when I asked him, he said he was not sure that he could continue," Slot revealed.
“I knew this would be the reaction because he is such a good player. So often in football, people don't know everything.
“I am the manager and I need to make decisions. Knowing why makes it make more sense for people."
