Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea: Willian lobs Simon Mignolet with audacious effort to cancel out Mohamed Salah's opener as the spoils are shared at Anfield

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It became the duel of the one who got away and the one who chose to stay. Liverpool and Chelsea contested the points at Anfield on Saturday but it was hard to turn the eye away from the two outstanding performers in Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard.

Hazard, the one who stayed, dominated the first half, bewitching Liverpool and threatening to lead Chelsea to victory. Salah, the player sold by Chelsea in 2016 after two years away on loan, had his moment in the second half, adding to his burgeoning reputation.

And he looked to have won Liverpool the game with his calm 65th- minute strike which was the zenith of another fine display. It wasn't to be. The Premier League champions would get a little lucky on 85 minutes when a Willian cross looped over Simon Mignolet. 

Willian pulls Chelsea back into the tie with an audacious long-range effort which lobs goalkeeper Simon Mignolet

Mignolet is left helpess as he arches through the air in vain as Willian's effort heads towards the top corner

Antonio Conte punches the air and lets out a roar of celebration after his side pulled a goal back at Anfield

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah keeps his composure to evade the Chelsea defence and slot home the opening goal of the game

Cesar Azpilicueta tries in vain to slide in and tackle Salah as the Egyptian fires his effort into the bottom corner

The man of the moment refused to celebrate against his former team after putting Liverpool ahead at Anfield

Adam Lallana enters the game late on to replace Philippe Coutinho and make his first appearance of the season

MATCH FACTS, LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 6; Gomez 6, Matip 7, Klavan 5, Moreno 6; Milner 6, Henderson 6, Coutinho 7 (Lallana 6 88min); Salah 8, Sturridge 5 (Wijnaldum 6 66min), Oxlade-Chamberlain 6 (Mane 88min)

SUBS UNUSED: Karius, Firmino, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold

GOALS: Salah 65

CHELSEA (3-5-1-1): Courtois 6; Azpilicueta 7, Christensen 6, Cahill 5; Zappacosta 5 (Willian 7 82min), Kante 7, Bakayoko 5 (Pedro 5 76min), Drinkwater 6 (Fabregas 7 74min), Alonso 5; Hazard 8; Morata 7

SUBS UNUSED: Caballero, Rudiger, Moses, David Luiz

REFEREE: Michael Oliver

ATTENDANCE: 53,225

Ratings by Timothy Abraham 

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Mo Salah opened the scoring following an assist from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. For more stats and facts, visit our exclusive MATCH ZONE service by clicking here.

 

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But you could argue that Chelsea had earned that. Excellent in the first half, when Hazard was exquisite, they played their part in an absorbing encounter which entertained throughout. Both teams had delightful moments and both demonstrated the weaknesses which will, in all probability leave them short of a League title this season.

By this afternoon they could be 14 points and 11 points respectively behind Manchester City, after 13 games played. But neither should be discouraged by the point, even though Liverpool will feel an important victory was wrested away from them and Jurgen Klopp acknowledged as much.

'In our situation, if we and the other clubs would really think about Manchester City we would be all really crazy,' he said. 'How could we get Manchester City? I didn't think a second about Man City. What I thought was that we really should have won. And then we would have three points more.

'The position is still OK but we have to improve. We can do better but the boys did well. A lot of things could have happened. The boys did really well so I am happy about that but not happy about the result. Most parts of the game were good but it doesn't feel like that.' 

Thibaut Courtois looks on after fumbling Daniel Sturridge's crossed attempt and stubbing the ball behind for a corner

Sturridge challenges Marcos Alonso in the air as Liverpool look to turn on the pressure in the second half

Jordan Henderson sports the rainbow-coloured captain's armband in support of the Stonewall initiative for LGBT inclusion

Former Chelsea man Salah curls an effort on target in the first half as Andreas Christensen tries to intercept

Salah smiles in frustration after seeing his attempt on goal go narrowly wide of the target

A tense Klopp watches on from his technical area as both teams exchange blows in the first half at Anfield

Alberto Moreno launches himself through the air in attempt to win the header, despite being one of the smallest on the pitch

Antonio Conte, whose team endured a midweek Champions League trip to Azerbaijan, saw it somewhat differently.

'Liverpool was lucky to score and then to draw,' he said. He was closer to the mark when he added: 'I think we played in a really good way. We had a tactical play. We must be pleased for the game after a long travel and no rest for my players.

'I was very happy to see a great reaction of my players, with the way they fight and don't accept a bad result. We tried also to win the game, so I think we must be pleased, despite the draw.'

Conte had fielded as solid a midfield as is possible in Danny Drinkwater, N'Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko, with their jaunt to Baku meaning they had come here first and foremost to be hard to beat.

However, because of one man's dominance, it didn't turn out that way in the first half. Hazard has been unplayable of late. In the opening exchanges he consistently befuddled James Milner and Jordan Henderson. Deft touches would leave the Englishmen looking foolish, which they aren't; Hazard is simply too good for most players when in this mood.

'Wow!' was Klopp's reaction to the Belgian. 'Not too bad, to be honest. It was not the most thankful job to defend him alone.' 

James Milner tracks back into his own half to muscle in on Hazard and thwart the Belgian's run at goal

The mercurial playmaker is seized upon by Henderson and Coutinho as Liverpool look to mark him out of the game

Antonio Conte raged from the touchline and was as animated as ever while shouting commands to his players

Conte grabs the attention of Hazard after the winger wins a Chelsea throw-in at the byline

Oxlade-Chamberlain skips past N'Golo Kante on a rare start in the red shirt of Liverpool at Anfield

Moreno is clattered by Danny Drinkwater after the Chelsea midfielder mistimes his attempt to win the ball

Individual moments stood out, like when, with a simple roll of the shoulders and swift switch of his centre of gravity, he eased away from Henderson in the 10th minute before embarking on a dribble which took him past four players.

Or the moment on 18 minutes when Drinkwater dropped a lofted ball, which is his trademark pass, into his path. Hazard saw it coming over his shoulder and brought it down dead with his foot as if were using the palm of his hand.

He then played in Drinkwater on 23 minutes and Mignolet had to rush from his line to smother the chance. Moments later Hazard played the pass which provided a shooting chance for Davide Zappacosta, which Mignolet parried away.

It wasn't until the 41st minute that Liverpool created a moment of genuine danger, Salah slithering away to unleash a shot just wide of Thibaut Courtois' post.

Liverpool, with Daniel Sturridge, preferred to Roberto Firmino and troubling his former club, responded well after the break though Hazard continued to threaten and twice Zappacosta almost found Alvaro Morata. 

Mignolet looks to command his back line by feeding information to his defenders while the ball is in play

Moreno collects the ball and releases a quick pass under the pressure of the incoming Kante

Liverpool fans proudly hold aloft shirts in the crowd, paying tribute to club legends Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher

Coutinho jumps on the shoulders of the talisman while assist-provider Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joins the party

Salah holds his hands up after scoring his 10th Premier League goal of the season while behind him Chelsea look dejected

But Chelsea were beginning to tire and Liverpool took the lead on 65 minutes. Philippe Coutinho grasped the ball and surged goal-wards. Chelsea, who until this point had been so solid with Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen excellent, took a step back.

Coutinho slipped the ball into the box and Bakayoko made the fatal error, mis-controlling and allowing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to get the merest of touches to deliver it into the path of Salah. Eight yards out, a point to prove and in outstanding form, the Egyptian showed perfect poise as he struck it low past Courtois. He declined to celebrate, presumably in deference to the horrific terrorist attack in his home country on Friday.

On came Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and then Willian, with Marcos Alonso volleying a super chance high over the bar on 83 minutes.

Klopp would argue that the ref prevented him making his own crucial substitution just before the equaliser. It came from Willian, who had been on the pitch for just three minutes. Cutting inside the Brazilian lifted a cross goalwards, the ball looping high and closer to goal than he intended and catching out Mignolet, dipping under the crossbar.

Salah almost had the last word with an added-time strike which Courtois did well to push away. But by then, Chelsea had made their point and refused to yield.

Jurgen Klopp punches the air in celebration as the stands erupt with joy - meanwhile Conte cuts a forlorn figure

Klopp's delight soon turned to disappointment, though, with second-half substitute Willian scoring with a fortunate goal 

The Brazilian playmaker celebrates with Spanish defender Alonso after seeing his cross hit the back of the net on Saturday 

Brazilian opponents Roberto Firmino and David Luiz greet each other in the warm-up before taking their places on the bench

The stage was set as Anfield as dark wintery skies loomed over the brightly flood-lit turf in the hours prior to kick-off