{"id":4474,"date":"2022-01-02T15:03:57","date_gmt":"2022-01-02T20:03:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2022\/01\/02\/four-things-we-learned-from-chelseas-draw-with-liverpool\/"},"modified":"2022-01-02T15:03:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T20:03:57","slug":"four-things-we-learned-from-chelseas-draw-with-liverpool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2022\/01\/02\/four-things-we-learned-from-chelseas-draw-with-liverpool\/","title":{"rendered":"Four things we learned from Chelsea\u2019s draw with Liverpool"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<h2>Chelsea vs Liverpool<\/h2>\n<p>The weekend\u2019s marquee Premier League tie played out a short time ago.<\/p>\n<p>Said clash would see Chelsea and Liverpool faced off at Stamford Bridge, in a tie neither outfit could really afford to lose.<\/p>\n<p>Neither team was at full strength on the day. Chelsea were without the services of key men such as Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Romelu Lukaku and Andreas Christensen.<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool, meanwhile, have suffered a second covid outbreak, which saw Alisson, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino out of the Chelsea tie.<\/p>\n<p>It would be Liverpool who took the lead on the day just nine minutes into the game, when Sadio Mane capitalised on a poor Trevoh Chalobah header before rounding Edouard Mendy and making it 1-0.<\/p>\n<p>Mohamed Salah then doubled their advantage 26 minutes in with a lovely finish before Mateo Kovacic pulled one back after 41 minutes with a superb volley from a Caoimhin Kelleher clearance.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The start of Chelsea\u2019s fightback\u2026?<\/p>\n<p>Kovacic got their first goal of the match with an absolute stunner! ? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EvhnFEnTHF\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/EvhnFEnTHF<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SkySportsPL\/status\/1477691039389528077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 2, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nThen, right on the stroke of half-time, Christian Pulisic completed Chelsea\u2019s mini-comeback.<\/p>\n<p>The Blues, however, could not go on and find a winner despite dominating much of the second half, with the final whistle blowing with the score at 2-2.<\/p>\n<p>Here are four things <strong>101<\/strong> learned from the game.<\/p>\n<h2>Romelu Lukaku decision proves costly?<\/h2>\n<p>The major talking point heading into the game was, of course, the Romelu Lukaku interview.<\/p>\n<p>Following that interview, Tuchel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.101greatgoals.com\/news\/chelsea-squads-reaction-to-tuchels-handling-of-romelu-lukaku-situation-revealed\/\">opted<\/a> to omit the Belgian from the matchday squad vs Liverpool.<\/p>\n<p>Given the importance of this tie for Chelsea in their PL title hunt, it was a decision that the German no doubt did not take lightly.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Here\u2019s how we\u2019ll line up today! ?<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ParimatchGlobal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"content_clickout\" data-segment='{\"brand_id\":1420480,\"brand_title\":\"Parimatch\"}'>@ParimatchGlobal<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CheLiv?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CheLiv<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kykD7JnV0B\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/kykD7JnV0B<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChelseaFC\/status\/1477663473102434306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 2, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>And, after Chelsea failed to win the game, a case could certainly be made that Tuchel\u2019s decision proved costly as, though the Londoners threatened for much of the second 45, they failed to get a winner.<\/p>\n<p>Would Lukaku\u2019s presence have changed this?<\/p>\n<h2>English duo a big miss<\/h2>\n<p>The fact Chelsea scored two goals vs Liverpool suggests that they did not have to much of an issue creating chances on the day.<\/p>\n<p>However, over the course of the 90 minutes, the Blues actually did not create that much with one of their goals, of course, simply a moment of brilliance that Kovacic would likely fail to recreate if given the chance to do so.<\/p>\n<p>There were large spells in the second 45 when Chelsea had Liverpool penned back, looking to find a winner.<\/p>\n<p>The west London outfit, though, struggled to do so. A key part of this, you would have thought, was the fact Chelsea had to be without both Ben Chilwell and Reece James.<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea were already having to deal with Chilwell\u2019s long-term absence. But with James also out on Sunday, Chelsea\u2019s creativity was pretty non-existent throughout much of the game.<\/p>\n<p>It may seem odd, but the majority of Chelsea\u2019s attacking threat comes from their wing-backs and, if both James and Chilwell are out, that is decreased massively.<\/p>\n<p>Should Chelsea look for some fresh wing-backs in the winter window?<\/p>\n<h2>Chelsea out of title race?<\/h2>\n<p>Chelsea headed into Sunday\u2019s game a full 11 points adrift of Manchester City with no games in hand (Liverpool have one game in hand).<\/p>\n<p>As a result, given the form of Man City and the fact they are the top-three side least affected by the AFCON this year, Chelsea really could not afford to lose on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>This is because it would be hard to see the Blues overturning an 11-point deficit in 17 games, whilst also losing Edouard Mendy for around a month going forward.<\/p>\n<p>That deficit has now been reduced to 10, but it still seems unlikely that the Blues can make up that in the final 17 games of the campaign, simply because of how impressive Man City continue to be.<\/p>\n<h2>Mohamed Salah will be a huge miss for Liverpool<\/h2>\n<p>It might be pretty obvious at this point, but Sunday\u2019s game once again showcased what a huge player Mohamed Salah is for Liverpool and what a miss he will be this month.<\/p>\n<p>After the Chelsea game, Mohamed Salah is set to jet off to Cameron for the AFCON, which goes on until the 6<sup>th<\/sup> of February.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, Liverpool are set to be without Salah for a good few games, including their League Cup semi-final ties with Arsenal.<\/p>\n<p>But, as shown once again vs Chelsea, the Egyptian is Liverpool\u2019s MVP and can come up with a moment of magic out of nowhere.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The best in the world\u2026?<\/p>\n<p>Mohamed Salah does it again as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a> extend their lead against Chelsea! ? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mbuKlRoxpj\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/mbuKlRoxpj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SkySportsPL\/status\/1477686190136516613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 2, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nWill Liverpool be able to coupe without their star man for around a month?<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.101greatgoals.com\/premier-league-betting-tips\/manchester-united-vs-wolverhampton-wanderers-betting-tips-premier-league-preview\/\">Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers betting tips: Premier League preview, predictions and odds<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a style=\"font-weight: inherit;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.101greatgoals.com\/premier-league-live-streaming\/manchester-united-vs-wolverhampton-wanderers-live-streaming-watch-premier-league-online\/\">Manchester United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers live streaming: Watch Premier League online<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chelsea vs Liverpool The weekend\u2019s marquee Premier League tie played out a short time ago. Said clash would see Chelsea and Liverpool faced off at Stamford Bridge, in a tie neither outfit could really afford to lose. Neither team was at full strength on the day. Chelsea were without the services of key men such [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,7],"tags":[13,14],"class_list":["post-4474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-football","category-sport","tag-football","tag-soccer","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4474\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}