Liverpool's hopes of securing a Champions League spot took a dent on Saturday after a frustrating 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Anfield, while Manchester United were held to a goalless stalemate at Sunderland.
The Reds got off to a dream start when Ryan Gravenberch fired home a sweet strike in the sixth minute, sending the home crowd into raptures. But Chelsea hit back just before halftime, with Enzo Fernandez's 35th-minute free-kick evading everyone to nestle in the bottom corner. The equalizer silenced Anfield, and the boos at full-time told the story of another lackluster performance from the defending champions.
Despite the setback, Liverpool remain in fourth place, now four points clear of sixth-placed Bournemouth. Manager Arne Slot acknowledged the growing discontent among fans but remained defiant about the future. "I do think I can regain their backing," Slot said. "Not this season, though. This season they have their opinion, and it won't change. But if we have the summer we're planning, I'm 100 percent convinced we'll be a different team next season."
For Chelsea, the point ends a run of six consecutive Premier League defeats, though they remain in ninth place and can no longer mathematically finish in the top five. Interim boss Calum McFarlane will take some encouragement from the more resilient performance as they prepare for next weekend's FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Manchester United—already assured of Champions League football after last weekend's win over Liverpool—showed little urgency in a dour 0-0 draw at Sunderland. Michael Carrick's third-placed side had little left to play for, and it showed in a match that marked the first time United failed to score in a league game since November.
Elsewhere, Bournemouth kept their stunning Champions League hopes alive with a gritty 1-0 win at Fulham. The match saw both sides reduced to 10 men after red cards to Bournemouth's Ryan Christie—for an ugly foul upgraded by VAR—and Fulham's Joachim Andersen, dismissed after another VAR intervention before halftime.