Chelsea wasted a host of chances to beat Liverpool on Tuesday as the troubled Blues were held to a 0-0 draw in their first English Premier League match since mamanger Graham Potter’s sacking.
Potter was axed on Sunday after his disastrous reign climaxed with a wretched home defeat against Aston Villa.
Chelsea are seeking their third permanent manager of the campaign, with Potter hired in September last year, following Thomas Tuchel’s shock dismissal. In the meantime, Bruno Saltor, a member of Potter’s backroom staff, made his managerial debut as Chelsea’s interim boss.
Photo: AFP
Bruno managed to coax a lively performance from the team, but — as was so often the case under Potter — they paid the price for a lack of edge.
Chelsea remain 11th in the league, leaving them with an uncertain future despite the massive investment in new signings made by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly since he took over last year.
“These have been emotional days, and the players have been able to keep focused. It’s a difficult season for them. To come back from what we have had in the last few days is incredible,” Bruno said. “I have asked the players to play with their hearts, and I think we saw that on the pitch. We create chances and I think we deserved to win.”
Liverpool hardly looked much better as a third successive league game without a win damaged their faint hopes of finishing in the top four.
Eighth-placed Liverpool are seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the race to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
“I saw a lot of great challenges, people flying into tackles and that’s what we need,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said. “That’s what we have to build on it. If things don’t go your way you have to fight through this and make steps. Sometimes smaller ones, sometimes bigger ones. This was a smaller one.”
Meanwhile, Leicester City’s first game since Brendan Rodgers’ departure on Sunday ended in a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at the King Power Stadium.
Ollie Watkins put Villa ahead in the 24th minute, and although Harvey Barnes equalized after 35 minutes, Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was sent off in the 70th minute for a second booking.
Bertrand Traore’s 87th-minute curler, his first goal for Villa since 2021, added to Leicester’s misery.
Leeds Untied climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest at Elland Road.
Orel Mangala bagged his first goal in English soccer to fire Forest ahead, but Jack Harrison equalized 8 minutes later with a close-range finish after Keylor Navas spilled Marc Roca’s shot.
Luis Sinisterra put Leeds in front in first-half stoppage-time, cutting inside and curling his shot into the far corner.
Third-bottom AFC Bournemouth remain in trouble after a 2-0 home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.
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