LONDON: Chelsea were held to yet another 0-0 draw by Liverpool on Tuesday in their first match since sacking coach Graham Potter with both sides displaying the same problems that have left them miles off the pace in this season’s Premier League.

The goalless stalemate was the fourth in a row between the two teams — including last season’s FA and League Cup finals both of which Liverpool won on penalties.

Big-spending Chelsea dominated much of the Stamford Bridge encounter against a much-changed Liverpool side, who seemed visibly low on confidence following their chastening 4-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday.

Yet Chelsea spurned one opportunity after another, repeating the kind of toothless display that ended up costing Potter his job at Stamford Bridge after only 31 games in charge.

Joao Felix and Mateo Kovacic went close in the opening minutes followed by chances that went untaken by Kai Havertz in another toothless display for the Blues, who have scored only 29 times in 29 league games.

Reece James — restored to his more dangerous role as a marauding right wing-back by Chelsea’s interim head coach Bruno Saltor — and Havertz had the ball in the net either side of halftime, but both efforts were ruled out.

Liverpool sought to make Chelsea pay for their profligacy at the end of the first half with their first moments of danger, including a rasping shot by Fabinho that Blues defender Wesley Fofana deflected wide with a glanced header. Felix and Kovacic wasted further chances for Chelsea in the second half.

Eighth-placed Liverpool are seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the race to qualify for the Champions Lea­gue. Chelsea stayed stuck in 11th place.

Chelsea fans were at least able to see midfielder N’Golo Kante making his first start for the Blues since suffering a ha­m­string injury in August. They will hope he can build on his display when Chelsea meet Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals next week.

The appearance represented Kante’s third league home game under three different coaches in the same season, having begun the campaign under Thomas Tuchel and played as a substitute on Saturday against Aston Villa in Potter’s swansong.

The French World Cup winner was given a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 69th minute.

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, possibly with an eye on Sunday’s visit to Anfield by league leaders Arsenal, left several of his usual starters on the bench including Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Andy Rober­tson and Trent Alexa­nder-Arnold.

Earlier, Leicester’s first game since Brendan Rodgers’ departure on Sunday ended in a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes, led by caretaker bosses Mi­ke Stowell and Adam Sadler after Rod­gers’ exit by “mutual agreement”, have now gone seven league games without a win and sit second bottom of the table.

Ollie Watkins put Villa ahead in the 24th minute and although Harvey Barnes equalised 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, piled on the misery for Leicester.

Meanwhile, Leeds 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 football to fire Forest ahead.

But Jack Harrison equalised eight 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.

Leeds are two points clear of the relegation zone, while Forest are outside the bottom three on goal difference.

Elsewhere, third-bottom Bour­nemouth remain in deep trouble after a 2-0 home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion. Brighton took the lead in the 28th minute through teenage forward Evan Fergu­son’s audacious backheel, with Julio Enciso’s first goal for the club wrapping up the points in injury time.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2023