Match reportLiverpool play out Premier League draw with Chelsea

The two teams were unable to be separated in the capital, with the hosts seeing a 51st-minute Kai Havertz strike ruled out by VAR.

The Reds went close through Joe Gomez and Fabinho in the first period, but returned to Merseyside with a battling point.

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Team news

Gomez, Joel Matip and Kostas Tsimikas moved into the back four, while Curtis Jones was handed a berth in midfield.

Roberto Firmino and Darwin Nunez were also restored in attack, with six changes in total.

Liverpool: Alisson, Gomez, Matip, Konate, Tsimikas (Robertson, 65), Fabinho, Henderson, Jones (Gakpo, 79), Jota, Nunez (Milner, 79), Firmino (Salah, 65).

Unused subs: Kelleher, Carvalho, Arthur, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold.

First half

Chelsea began the night on the front foot, with Matip first intervening to halt Joao Felix amid a swift counter-attack.

Ibrahima Konate then cleared a Mateo Kovacic effort from underneath the crossbar, before Alisson Becker dived at the feet of Havertz to thwart a close-range opportunity.

The hosts had the ball in the net after the 20-minute mark through a low Reece James strike, though an offside flag denied the full-back following the earlier corner.

Nunez threatened from distance at the opposite end for the Reds, with Kepa Arrizabalaga forced to gather at the second attempt.

Liverpool finished the opening period dominating possession as Diogo Jota, Fabinho and Gomez were denied in their advances to break the deadlock.

Gomez tested the reflexes of the Chelsea stopper from outside the area, while Fabinho saw a firmly struck half-volley headed clear by retreating defender Wesley Fofana.

Second half

Chelsea again started on the front foot as Kovacic lifted a shot over the bar from inside the area.

A short while later, Havertz thought he had opened the scoring for the hosts just six minutes after the interval.

The Blues forward sprinted through on goal and saw a low effort cannon back onto himself from Alisson's legs and fall into the net.

The effort, though, was ruled out by VAR upon review after it struck an arm before evading the Reds defence to find the empty goal.

Both teams continued to battle to open the scoring as the half progressed, though were unable to work an all-important moment, leaving the points shared.

Attendance: 40,093