Potter on Liverpool draw, Mudryk debut, Silva impact and Chelsea’s top four chances

Graham Potter was pleased with Chelsea’s performance against Liverpool despite being held to a 0-0 draw at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

Kai Havertz thought he had the opener after three minutes when he fired in after three minutes from close range, but the German was ruled out for being offside in the build up when Thiago Silva’s effort cannoned back off the post.

Despite several other chances, Chelsea were unable to find the elusive goal and headed back to the capital with a point, claiming their second consecutive clean sheet in the process.

Chelsea have been hit by injuries this season but welcomed six new arrivals to the club so far this month. It has given the squad a boost and the win over the Eagles last weekend has been a confidence booster.

It wasn’t meant to be for Chelsea on Merseyside, however Potter has taken the positives from the stalemate.

Here is what the Chelsea head coach had to say post-match at Anfield.

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Liverpool draw

“Performance was good, happy with the team and the energy. Happy with a lot, obviously we wanted to win, but it’s a clean sheet. We move forward.

“First half we were decent. Little bit unlucky not to get the goal. Throughout, we had good energy. They started the second half well. Overall, positive day apart from that we wanted the three points.”

Thiago Silva

“He’s got a football brain that is pretty much above everybody. He understands the game and he’s played for so long at the highest level. The players he’s played with, the players he’s played against, his references are so strong that he can help the team and individuals.

“He’s got Benoit (Badiashile) next to him, just his second game in the Premier League, and I’m sure he benefits from playing alongside Thiago. Everyone benefits from him. He is a leader on the pitch, leader off the pitch, a really important player.”

Mykhailo Mudryk

“He’s not played football for a while, so we had to manage his minutes. You can see his quality. He had a good impact.”

Mudryk and Joao Felix impacts

“They are top players. Sometimes as coaches, we can think we turn these guys into top players, but they are top players. Joao and Mudryk, they understand the game and football.

“Then it’s just about helping them, fine-tuning it a little bit, the more we can get them into better situations the better it is for us and them. The signs are positive.”

Top four chances

“Rather they worry about in four or five months’ time, we’ve got to focus on the next day’s training and the next match. Liverpool have suffered as well but if you look at how many players we’ve had missing for a significant period of time, it’s into double figures. So that will affect any team in the Premier League.

“We also have to understand the transition we’ve all been through and all that brings. I think the way the team stuck together through a period where there was a lot of criticism, noise, pressure, we stayed together and kept trying to improve.

“Then you get yourself to a situation where some injured players are coming back, we’ve made signings that freshen the group up, and then there is more competition in the team. This is what you need at Chelsea.”