A late strike from Daniel Sturridge salvaged a point for Liverpool in their 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Eden Hazard gave the hosts the lead on Saturday with a fine finish in the 25th minute.
It looked like the Blues would hold out for the win but Sturridge came off the bench to score a brilliant equaliser in the thrilling encounter.
Here, we rate the performances of the Chelsea players.
STARTING XI
Kepa Arrizabalaga – Commanded his box well and made a few routine saves but his save to deny Sadio Mane low to his right was world class. 7
Cesar Azpilicueta – He lacked composure on the ball and was caught out by Liverpool’s closing down, giving the ball away cheaply. 4
Antonio Rudiger – Made a crucial clearance off the line to deny Mohamed Salah. Kept the ball well and dominated in the air. 7
David Luiz – Played a sensational long ball forward to set Willian clean through in the first half and, like his central defensive partner, made a great clearance off the line in the second to deny Roberto Firmino. 8
Marcos Alonso – A different kind of good performance from the attacking left-back as he was focused on defending, keeping close tabs on Salah and making several clearances in the process. 6
N’Golo Kante – Set Hazard clean through with a quick release in the second half. Was on hand to sweep up at the back on a couple of occasions as well. 7
Jorginho – His passing wasn’t quite flawless against an energetic Liverpool side but he largely held his own and directed the team’s play. 6
Mateo Kovacic – Possibly his best performance yet in a Chelsea shirt. Linked up with Hazard well, especially when he played a delicious through pass for the Belgian’s goal. 7
Willian – Should’ve given the hosts an early but for a good save by Alisson. Made plenty of forward runs but Andrew Robertson was much tighter to him after that early chance. 5
Olivier Giroud – Was anonymous in his 65-minute display. Only had 18 touches and when he did get the ball, his usually excellent link-up play deserted him. 4
Eden Hazard – A simply elite finish from a top quality player to break the deadlock. Always buzzing around the final third, pulling the strings in attack. Should’ve had a second but was denied by Alisson one-on-one. 8
SUBS
Alvaro Morata – Came on for Giroud and was a slight improvement, having a couple of shots late on. 5
Victor Moses – Had a half chance at the death and provided more pace in attack for the Blues to counter with. 5
Ross Barkley – Came on for Kovacic in the closing stages and won a free-kick in stoppage time. N/A
