I wonder what the boredom death count was after the match. Liverpool and Chelsea once again played to a 0-0 draw, though this game had none of the cup or league-winning ramifications around it as both these teams currently sit midtable.
Man, these two teams really have fallen off the face of the earth.
In what had to be the most boring English club game of 2023 thus far, Liverpool and Chelsea played to their fourth consecutive goalless draw as despite the numerous roster and managerial changes both sides faced, neither could prove they deserved a Top-4 spot.
I don’t want to sound overdramatic, but I think this result has knocked both Chelsea and Liverpool out of the Top-4 race as these two sides simply aren’t consistent enough to earn a Champions League place next season.
Sure, Liverpool “controlled” (I use that word in its loosest sense) more of the game than Chelsea as the Reds had 51% possession, 536 passes (20 more than Chelsea’s 513), 5 corners (2 more than Chelsea), and 4 shots on target (one more than Chelsea), but they couldn’t generate a good shot if their lives depended on it.
If one was to pick a winner SOLELY on stats, then Liverpool would have come out victorious in this game. Yet, that doesn’t tell the whole story as even though Chelsea strangely sat back and gave up possession at home to a weakened Liverpool side, the Blues managed to put the ball in the back of the net twice.
Of course, in classic Chelsea fashion, both goals were called back for the first (Reece James’ goal) being offside and the second (Kai Havertz’s goal) a handball, but that doesn’t negate the point that Chelsea were able to at least score two disallowed goals. Liverpool could have been playing another four hours against 11 scarecrows and they still wouldn’t have even gotten the ball in the back of the net.
You’d honestly think that a former Champions League, FA Cup, and Premier League-winning team with Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, and Cody Gakpo in its attacking lineup would manage AT LEAST a decent chance on goal. The only half-decent look was Fabinho’s blocked effort in front of goal by Wesley Fofana…which would have been saved by Kepa if Fofana didn’t block it.
The point is that both teams were woefully bad, and showed how undeserving they are of a Champions League spot.
Seriously, if the Liverpool and Chelsea of last season were playing against one another in this situation, one of these teams would have gone on to win this game and secured an unlikely Top-4 berth. In fact, both teams have done so in the past as Liverpool did it in the 2021-22 season by winning their last 5 games in a row, while Chelsea did it the year before as they secured victory over Wolves to supplant Leicester City in the Champions League.
However, there’s a greater likelihood of these two finishing below the Top-5 as they’re both at least seven points back of 5th place Manchester United having played at least one game more. Obviously, I’m not taking Chelsea to even finish within the Top-8 as they’re currently seven points behind 6th place Brighton having played TWO MORE games than the Seagulls, while they also are currently in the midst of a 3-game winless streak.
To finish in the Champions League spots, they’d have to win their next four games to go one point above Tottenham’s current 50-point mark, pray a Newcastle (3rd: 50 PTS), Spurs (4th: 50 PTS), and Man United (5th: 50 PTS) all lose their next four games, and then earn more points in their last five games than those three teams in their, respective, last 9-11 matches (Spurs have played two more games than Newcastle and Man Utd).
So, in other words, it’s not happening.
As for Liverpool, they have an easier path to the Top-4 as they’re only seven points behind 4th place Spurs, but they now have played a game more than Tottenham. In truth, there’s really no major mathematical obstacles Liverpool will need to overcome to surpass Spurs, Newcastle, and United as they just need to win at least 70-80% or so of their final 10 games as all three of those teams will drop points before the season ends.
However, this Liverpool side is not consistent enough to go on an 8-game winning streak, so I think their chances of making up ground are all but gone.
What a crazy Premier League season this has been!
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