Chelsea arrived at Anfield on their worst losing streak since 1993, when they dropped six straight matches under Glenn Hoddle, looking every bit the shambles their league position suggested.
Supporters boarding the morning train from London Euston could be forgiven for dreading another heavy defeat.
Yet rookie boss Calum McFarlane departed Merseyside with a hard-earned draw and, more crucially, a display full of character that should fuel belief ahead of next Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Ryan Gravenberch gave Liverpool an early advantage, smashing a fierce drive from the edge of the box inside six minutes for his first Premier League goal of 2026.
For a brief spell the home side looked transformed, but the spark quickly faded.
After just 15 minutes they slipped back into the passive, stodgy, vulnerable and toothless style that has plagued them all season, allowing Chelsea to grow into the contest.
The visitors equalised on 35 minutes when Enzo Fernandez’s curling free-kick-cum-cross sailed through a crowded penalty area, evading everyone including goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
It was Liverpool’s 18th goal conceded from a set-piece this campaign — the worst such record in the club’s history — and the goal had been building after the hosts inexplicably invited pressure.
Away supporters responded with a chant to the effect of “How bad must you be — we’ve just scored,” perfectly capturing the mood around a Liverpool team that still has not mathematically secured Champions League football next term and continues to astonish with its fragility week after week.
Once a fortress, Anfield has become a theatre of nerves.
Fans, clearly weary of Arne Slot’s slow, methodical approach, could be heard jeering Ibrahima Konate’s backward pass and groaning every time players checked inside instead of driving forward.
The heavy-metal intensity of the Jurgen Klopp era feels a distant memory.
The draw left Liverpool in the top five despite a wretched campaign, while Chelsea sat ninth.
For the visitors, another defeat would have dumped them into the bottom half, yet they head into the cup final with renewed hope after a league season that has otherwise been an embarrassment.
The atmosphere inside the stadium remained strangely flat, bearing no resemblance to the electric tension of the Champions League semi-final these sides contested exactly 21 years earlier, settled by Luis Garcia’s infamous “ghost goal.”
Cody Gakpo, leading the line because of injuries, did not touch the ball until the 40th minute, underlining Liverpool’s lack of threat once they dropped off.
Minutes after the restart both teams had goals ruled out for marginal offside calls.
Moises Caicedo threaded an inch-perfect pass to Marc Cucurella, who was fractionally ahead when he laid the ball on for Cole Palmer.
At the opposite end, Dominik Szoboszlai picked out Gakpo unmarked, only for Curtis Jones to be flagged offside after finishing the move.
In each case the assistant referees were spot-on, yet both sets of players could feel slightly aggrieved by the razor-thin margins.
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