Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool: Player ratings as Blues fight back to earn draw

Chelsea came back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw against title rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

The result will please Premier League leaders Manchester City who end the weekend ten points clear of the Blues in second, while Jurgen Klopp's side are 11 points adrift with a game in hand in third.

The tone was set for a breathless game when Sadio Mane was booked for an hand into the face of Cesar Azpilicueta almost straight from kick off.

Inside the first ten minutes both sides had chances to score following defensive errors. First, Trent Alexander-Arnold fluffed a clearance, but Christian Pulisic could not capitalise on his mistake with stand-in goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher snuffing out the danger.

Minutes later Trevoh Chalobah made a mess of a clearance of his own and Sadio Mane showed no mercy, latching onto the ball before rounding Edouard Mendy and smashing home.

Just before the half-hour mark Mohamed Salah doubled his side's advantage. The forward timed his run to perfection and after being picked out by Alexander-Arnold he beat Mendy easily at his front post.

Chelsea kept battling until the break and eventually got their reward when Mateo Kovacic unleashed an unstoppable volley to cut Liverpool's lead to one.

There was another dramatic twist on the stroke of half-time when Christian Pulisic lifted a finish into the roof of the net to send Stamford Bridge into raptures.

Things were similarly entertaining in the second half with Mendy producing fine stops to deny Salah and Mane further goals before the hour, while Kelleher was also called into action, clawing away Pulisic's scrappy effort.

After a non-stop opening 60 minutes both teams ran out of steam towards the end. Chelsea were in the ascendency but could not turn their possession into goals. The closest they came was when Antonio Rudiger rose high in the box, but he could only guide his header past the post.

Here are your player ratings from west London...

Chelsea player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Edouard Mendy (GK) - 5/10 - Needed to stand his ground for Salah's goal and also rounded easily by Mane. Improved massively after the break, making a string of good saves.

Trevoh Chalobah (CB) - 4/10 - Terrible mistake in the lead up to Liverpool's first goal.

Thiago Silva (CB) - 6/10 - So classy in possession, he was never shaken by Liverpool's high press.

Antonio Rudiger (CB) - 5/10 - Always keen to engage the opposing forwards, but sometimes misjudged things.

2. Wing-back & midfielders

Cesar Azpilicueta (RWB) - 7/10 - His long passing was wild but he defended well, restricting Mane to a handful of openings.

N'Golo Kante (CM) - 8/10 - Got through a lot of vital defensive covering and ensured Milner and Henderson could not settle with his constant badgering. Set up Pulisic too.

Mateo Kovacic (CM) - 8/10 - What a finish eh? No-one was expecting that. Aside from netting a goal of the season contender, he kept Chelsea ticking over in possession and harried the opposition effectively.

Marcos Alonso (LWB) - 5/10 - Feeble defending in the lead-up to Salah's goal. Pushed forward to create some good openings but also blazed a great chance well over.

3. Forwards

Mason Mount (RF) - 5/10 - Nowhere near his best but his work rate never dipped.

Kai Havertz (ST) - 3/10 - Romelu Lukaku had more influence on the game watching on from the stands.

Christian Pulisic (LF) - 6/10 - Missed such a good early on and made several errors in the first half. Made up for that was a goal just before the break. Better in the second period but lacked a clinical edge.

4. Substitutes

Jorginho (CM) - 6/10 - Added even more control in midfield, one rare mistakes aside.

Callum Hudson-Odoi (ST) - 6/10

Liverpool player ratings

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Caoimhín Kelleher (GK) - 5/10 - Stepped in at late notice and could do little about Chelsea's goals. Composed in possession. A capable deputy for sure.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB) - 6/10 - Set up Salah with a perfectly-weighted through ball but did make a near-fatal error early on.

Virgil van Dijk (CB) - 5/10 - Needed to read the danger for Pulisic's goal quicker and get across. For once, he was not entirely comfortable.

Ibrahima Konate (CB) - 6/10 - His pace got his side out of a few tricky situations.

Kostas Tsimikas (LB) - 6/10 - Helped Liverpool continue their trademark switches of play with Andy Robertson out. Swung in a couple of good crosses and won his battles.

6. Midfielders

Jordan Henderson (CM) - 5/10 - Dragged all over the place by the Blues in the first half. Settled things down after the break.

Fabinho (CM) - 4/10 - A worryingly sluggish display. Chelsea players streamed past him regularly. Not like him at all.

James Milner (CM) - 4/10 - Again, sluggish would be the operative word, though he did make some important interventions. Some of his passes were messy and rushed too.

7. Forwards

Mohamed Salah (RF) - 8/10 - Was in full game-winning mode against his former club. The Blues were fortunate that he only scored once.

Diogo Jota (ST) - 5/10 - Full of running and forced a couple of openings for his side. Struggled to make the ball stick for most of his 68-minute spell on the pitch.

Sadio Mane (LF) - 7/10 - A couple of suspect decisions but he did score a fine goal early on.

8. Substitutes

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (CM) - 5/10 - Little impact.

Naby Keita (CM) - 5/10 - Fine.

Curtis Jones (CM) - N/A

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