Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick earned Chelsea a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, ending the visitors’ six-match losing streak in the Premier League and earning agent Calum MacFarlane a first point.
Liverpool remained fourth in the table with 59 points from 36 games, a step closer to qualifying for the Champions League, while Chelsea are in ninth place with 49 points from the same number of games.
Liverpool took the lead with a stunning strike from the edge of the box from Ryan Gravenberch, but Chelsea improved on their recent lackluster performance and equalized when Fernandez’s set-piece eluded everyone and curled into the bottom corner.
Efforts from both sides were rightly ruled out for offside, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk hitting the woodwork for Liverpool as they pushed for a late winner.
“I think today’s effort was really good,” Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella told TNT Sports. “I don’t think these were probably our best moments, but we showed that when we play together we have a good level.
“Hopefully we can gain some confidence from this game because we have a huge game next week (against Manchester City in the FA Cup final).
«We are not happy because we wanted the three points, but we are happy that we showed that we are a very good team if we make the effort and fight together. Hopefully we can learn from this game and play well in the last few games.»
Also read | Can Chelsea still qualify for the Champions League next season?
ANGRY FOR FINAL
There were boos in the air from the Anfield faithful at full-time, but also midway through the second half when manager Arne Slot dropped the lively 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha and replaced him with Alexander Isak.
Liverpool took the lead after six minutes thanks to a fantastic strike from Gravenberch, who cut inside from the left and curled his shot into the net.
Chelsea took control and equalized after 35 minutes. Fernandez turned in a low free-kick from the right and the ball ended up in the far corner of the net, Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili looked put off by a fresh air shot from Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana as he went for the ball.
The home side looked vulnerable at the back and Chelsea thought they were ahead early in the second period when Cole Palmer’s strike was disallowed due to Marc Cucurella’s offside in the build-up.
It was Liverpool’s turn to be disappointed by the offside flag after Cody Gakpo made a mistake setting up Curtis Jones for a header that was disallowed.
Szoboszlai hit the base of the post with a low shot and Van Dijk the crossbar with a header from a corner as neither side could find a winner.
Published on May 9, 2026
