Enzo Fernandez cancelled out Ryan Gravenberch's early strike at a restless Anfield as Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw by a Chelsea side whose run of six consecutive Premier League defeats finally came to an end. The point edged Liverpool closer to securing Champions League football for next season, but it did little to lift a frustrated home crowd.
The result means Liverpool remain in fourth place, seven points clear of sixth-placed Bournemouth, while Chelsea stay ninth with plenty of work still to do to qualify for any European competition through their league position. For Chelsea, under interim head coach Calum McFarlane, the draw at least meant they avoided a club record-equalling seventh straight defeat and a run that would have been their worst since 1952.
A Bright Start Quickly Soured
Liverpool, without the ill Florian Wirtz, who was absent with a stomach bug, made the perfect start. In only the sixth minute Dominik Szoboszlai smashed a free-kick into the wall, Rio Ngumoha teed up the rebound, and Gravenberch curled the ball high into the net from the edge of the penalty area. It was Gravenberch's first league goal since December and only the fourth time Liverpool had scored in the opening 15 minutes of a league fixture all season.