Chelsea's caretaker boss Calum McFarlane couldn't hide his satisfaction after his side battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Anfield on Saturday. Coming off the back of six consecutive league defeats—including a humbling home loss to an understrength Nottingham Forest just days earlier—the mood around Stamford Bridge was understandably gloomy heading into this clash with Liverpool.

When the Reds struck early, McFarlane might have feared the worst. But what he saw instead was a team showing real character, fighting back to earn a valuable point. More importantly, the result gives Chelsea a timely boost ahead of next weekend's FA Cup final at Wembley, with several key players getting crucial minutes as they return from injury.

"It's a good point, a good performance," McFarlane told the BBC's Match of the Day. "I thought it was a game that could have gone either way. We had moments where we could have won the game, which is disappointing not to do that, but you come here and play against a really good side. Much improved performance in every aspect, so we are pleased."

The caretaker boss was particularly impressed with how his team responded after going behind. "I thought we were finding the spare man in midfield a lot, which gave us a lot of control in their half. We scored the goal, finished the half really well. Enzo has a big chance to maybe go 2-1 up. Cucurella gets in behind two or three times. We just don't quite connect the cross. I was really pleased with how we ended the first half."

Defensively, McFarlane praised his side's resilience. "There are moments you have to defend and you have to show your quality individually and collectively. As a whole, the effort, commitment and desire to defend our box when we needed to was really good."

Two players who stood out were Levi Colwill and Reece James, both of whom delivered standout displays. "I thought they were both exceptional today," McFarlane added. "Levi's played his first 90 minutes in a very, very long time. I thought he was the best player on the pitch."

With momentum building and key players returning to fitness, Chelsea head into the FA Cup final with renewed belief—and their fans will be hoping this spirited Anfield performance is a sign of things to come.