Chelsea, Liverpool draw 0-0 again to underline sharp decline

LONDON: Another 0-0 stalemate between Chelsea and Liverpool. Another match highlighting the sharp decline of two of England’s top teams who, at this rate, are unlikely to be playing in the Champions League next season.

Chelsea were playing their first game since the firing of Graham Potter on Sunday but little was different under his interim replacement, Bruno Saltor.

Indeed, there was something very familiar about the teams serving up a goalless draw. That has been the score in this fixture in their last four meetings — both Premier League matches this season and both domestic cup finals last season, which were ultimately won by Liverpool via penalty shootouts.

The top four, and qualification for the Champions League, is looking increasingly unlikely for both teams.

Liverpool, who ran Manchester City so close for the title last season, are in eighth place and seven points off fourth-place Tottenham. Chelsea, on the back of spending $630 million in the last two transfer windows, are four points further back in 11th place.

NO CHANGE

Firing its coach didn’t have an instant effect on Leicester, either.

A 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa dropped Leicester into next-to-last place and means the team has lost six of its last seven league games, drawing the other one.

Following the departure of Brendan Rodgers on Sunday, first-team coaches Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell were put in interim control of Leicester but they weren’t able to fix a leaky defense that has now conceded 51 goals in 29 games.

Bertrand Traore came off the bench to score Villa’s winner in the 87th minute, with Leicester down to 10 men by that time after Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall collected a second booking in the 70th.

Harvey Barnes had earlier canceled