The 1000th game in management for Jurgen Klopp ended in a draw, as neither Liverpool nor Chelsea could take advantage of each other's recent misfortunes.
Neither team was able to deliver any significant moments of excellence in the final third and as a result, Liverpool are still looking for their first league win of the season, while Chelsea have only won one of their previous five top-flight games.
Here are three things we learnt as Liverpool and Chelsea shared the spoils after an unexciting midday encounter:
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Chelsea signings impressed
Mykhailo Mudryk’s debut for Chelsea impressed pundits and fans alike, altering the speed of the game, but overall could not make too much of an impact.
Liverpool indicated weakness on their right side, with experienced James Milner coming in for Trent Alexander Arnold. Graham Potter could see this weakness and sent on the Ukrainian to invoke a sense of pressure.
Mudryk got the best of Milner and the Liverpool defence several times, even leading to the experienced right-back putting him on the floor, after the winger used his blistering pace to beat him.
It is unfortunate that Mudryk did not start the match, but Potter knows how important saving the new signing will be for their future run of games, as he stated post-match: "He's not played football for a while, he's been on a mid-season break. We had to manage his minutes, but you can see his quality."
Chelsea matched the outrageous asking price fromShaktar Donetsk of €100m for Mudryk on an eight-year deal, the second Ukrainian to join the club after Andriy Shevchenko.
The player no doubt has some weight on his shoulders after being part of a bitter transfer debate between two London rivals, but he impressed on his debut and will hopefully improve this Chelsea side.
The new inclusion of defender Benoît Badiashile also created a good impression among the Chelsea backline, creating a chance he should have scored from with a first-half header that was saved by Liverpool keeper Alisson, and defended well despite the threat of Mohammed Salah.
Hopefully, this should be a start for a prospective partnership with senior defender Thiago Silva.
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Liverpool signings still need time
It has been hard to gauge the true effectiveness of the new signings that Liverpool have brought in - specifically Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, who haven't fully adapted to the Premier League.
Both players featured against Chelsea, and proved ineffective, with Gakpo stifling a chance early in the first half and then having a relatively quiet game.
Gakpo has only transferred from PSV Eindhoven at the start of January and has been rushed into the starting eleven due to injuries to Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, so still has time to show his potential and should not be written off just yet.
Fellow forward Nunez has come under plenty of fire after his transfer, but he has slightly worked out for the Reds, scoring five and assisting two in 14 appearances. Albeit, he has been guilty of missing several big opportunities.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp still has faith in the Uruguayan, stating that: “he missed chances like crazy in training - but in these moments, as long as the strikers get chances, that is good. [...] It is easy to enjoy his game. He is a real handful. He is undefendable in moments.”
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Both clubs are in periods of transition
This a small step in the right direction for Liverpool, but they lack depth and good-quality midfielders. Not many Premier League teams are capable of continuous domination several seasons in a row, as we are seeing with Manchester City, who have slipped a couple of times, allowing Arsenal to lengthen the gap at the top of the table.
Chelsea are also under heavy casualties due to injury and will be a different team when they have their players back to their best. The Blues have the highest injury count in the league and can field a full unavailable XI after Joao Felix was suspended against Fulham.
With the return of several injured players in the coming months to both clubs, it may help them recuperate their losses and gain vital points late into the season. However, this may be too far from both of their reaches, as this draw leaves both clubs very far from the top four, which could result in a twelve-point gap after Sunday’s fixtures.
