Chelsea frustrate Liverpool after James red card
By Joseph Ayinde
Ten-man Chelsea held on to deny Liverpool a win that would have taken them top of the Premier League in a dramatic 1-1 draw at Anfield.
Kai Havertz’s looping header from Reece James’ corner gave Chelsea the lead on 22 minutes.
But the match turned in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, when James handled Sadio Mane’s close-range shot on the goalline.
The Chelsea defender was sent off and Mohamed Salah converted the resulting penalty for his 99th Premier League goal.
Liverpool applied pressure in the second half, with Edouard Mendy denying Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Andrew Robertson.
Chelsea looked to stun Liverpool on rare breaks and the closest they came was when Romelu Lukaku’s close-range shot was blocked by Joel Matip.
Both teams have seven points, Chelsea in second, a place above Liverpool.
