Chelsea and Kai Havertz frustrated as shaky Liverpool cling on for stalemate

It was hardly an occasion to rival some of the classic encounters between these bitter rivals, especially with Bruno Saltor doing his best to step into the void left by Graham Potter’s departure, although in the end it was difficult not to conclude that it was not Chelsea’s interim head coach who was having trouble recognising his own team.

Bruno, more bewildered than anyone that he was chosen to hold the fort until Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali can convince Julian Nagelsmann, Mauricio Pochettino or Luis Enrique to take over, could hold his head up high. Whether the Spaniard is still in charge by the time Chelsea visit Real Madrid next week remains to be seen, but at least his players showed some pride. Was it perfect? No. But Bruno got his tactics right and, while another draw keeps Chelsea in the bottom half, victory would have been theirs if they had anyone capable of putting the ball in the back of the net by legal means.

Liverpool were lucky. Jürgen Klopp had tried some shock therapy, dropping some of his biggest stars, but his side’s identity has disappeared. The intensity of old is gone. It was another stodgy, sloppy Liverpool performance and, with the gap to the top four at seven points, it looks increasingly unlikely they will qualify for the Champions League now.

The latest big idea from those in charge of Chelsea was to place their faith in a man who has never picked a side before. Bruno had found himself in an unenviable position, left to pick up the pieces after Potter’s departure, although he was determined to stay professional. After all this was a chance for the 42-year-old to display his coaching credentials and, while his long-term future is likely to be tied to Potter, there was at least one positive: