Chelsea’s draw with Liverpool sad to watch as both teams well off it

Not even a ghost of a goal looked on the cards in 90 nervy minutes at Stamford Bridge as both these clubs seem locked in their respective ruts. Jose Mourinho and Chelsea fans still go on about Luis Garcia’s famous 2005 effort for Liverpool that may not have crossed the line after all. By contrast, this encounter will soon be forgotten.

In so many ways it is sad just to watch these teams go up against each other wracked with such an air of uncertainty. From those famous Champions League semi-final bust-ups to more recent encounters when Premier League titles have been at stake, this has always been a match anticipated as eagerly by the players as it is the fans.

But as the game got going, it all felt so low key. Two out-of-sorts teams feeling each other out while rival fans watched on through their fingers. Five successive draws coming into this clash is a testament to how tight these battles are, but always because attacking guile was met by a well-organised defence as two gladiatorial combatants cancelled each other out.

Never because neither side looked nearly incapable of getting the ball in the back of the net. And it all seemed to have its root in the respective managers. Jurgen Klopp all but admitted that he could easily be managerial victim No 13 were it not for his previous success at Anfield.

His unexpected attempt to reignite that Liverpool fire after it was extinguished so emphatically by Manchester City had been to make six changes and leave Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson on the bench. At the same time, much had been made of the fact that Chelsea’s interim head coach had never picked a team in his life.

As with many beginners, he seemed to be doing it by numbers. Three centre-backs, three central midfielders – four if you count Frank Lampard sat not-quite-anonymously at the back of the stands. At least, unlike in Graham Potter’s last game there, two recognisable wing-backs – Ruben Loftus-Cheek was back on the bench.

Most damning of all was that there was the usual zero recognisable strikers. And boy, that showed. With the quick turnover ball generated by the excellent N’Golo Kante on his return, Chelsea carved open Liverpool more often than they might have expected in the opening half-hour in particular.

But Havertz missed badly twice and Kovacic was just as wasteful and when Reece James did show them how it was done, it was ruled out for a narrow offside decision. Liverpool’s best spell was just before the break and while their finishing was more accurate, it lacked the necessary venom – Kepa Arrizabalaga and Wes Fofana denying Joe Gomez and Fabinho respectively.

Then just two minutes after the restart Kovacic was again through on goal but his attempt to curl the ball elegantly into the top corner missed by a mile. All too soon, it was Havertz’s turn for a clear run at goal and the only way he could get it in the net was by shooting straight at Alisson and then forearming the rebound back past him. VAR was having none of it.

And so it continued. Salah came on, as did Raheem Sterling for Chelsea against his former club. But neither side – in keeping with their seasons – could find a winner. All of which left a very ordinary goalless draw between two very ordinary teams locked for a while longer at least in those damning mid-table doldrums.

Liverpool’s failure to get more than a draw leaves them seven points adrift of Manchester United in the battle for fourth having played a game extra. Chelsea interim manager Bruno Saltor will see it more as a point gained to settle the ship in his first ever match in charge of a team just 48 hours after the sacking of Graham Potter.

But it also means that the Blues look increasingly likely to miss out on European football altogether despite the £600million investment of their new owners led by Todd Boehly.