Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea - David Luiz scores as the Blues draw at Anfield

The league leaders, Chelsea, battled out a 1-1 draw with Liverpool in a tightly contested game at Anfield, with David Luiz getting on the scoresheet for the first time since his return to the club.

With Liverpool on a three-match losing streak, Chelsea would have had high hopes that they could leave Anfield with all three points. However, the hosts had other plans and fought back from a goal down to peg back Antonio Conte’s side.

Despite a slow start, Chelsea opened the scoring in the 24^th minute when David Luiz fired in a clever free-kick. Despite the referee Mark Clattenburg having blown his whistle, Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was still organising his wall, and Luiz took advantage by side-footing the ball in off the upright from 25 yards out.

Everyone was waiting for Wilian to take the free-kick & instead David Luiz strode forward & fired it in. Brilliant! We lead on 25. #LIVCHE

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 31, 2017

Liverpool found their equaliser in the 57^th minute when Georginio Wijnaldum met James Milner’s pull-back header and nodded the ball past Thibaut Courtois from close range.

Milner was allowed to head the ball back across goal, it fell to Wijnaldum who headed in. 1-1 on 57 minutes. #LIVCHE

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 31, 2017

Chelsea then had a chance to take the lead once more when Diego Costa was tripped inside the penalty area by Joel Matip. With Eden Hazard having been subbed off just minutes beforehand, Costa stepped up to take the penalty himself, but was denied by a redeemed Mignolet.

He struck it low to Mignolet's right but the keeper went the right way. It remains 1-1 on 77. #LIVCHE

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 31, 2017

As the game neared to a close, Chelsea brought on Cesc Fàbregas in a bid to find a winner, and with the clock ticking down, Fàbregas threaded a smart ball into Pedro inside the penalty, only for Jordan Henderson to make a great last-ditch tackle to poke the ball away before the Spaniard could shoot.

Pedro would have another chance before the game was up, with N’Golo Kanté this time turning creator. The Frenchman set up the forward just outside the penalty area, with the Liverpool defenders on the back-foot, but he could only drag his whipped shot just wide of Mignolet’s goal.