There was frustration at Anfield as Liverpool drew 1-1 with a visiting Chelsea side who ended their six-game losing streak.
Liverpool had the perfect start when Ryan Gravenberch curled the ball high into the net from distance but the mood soon soured as Arne Slot's side surrendered the initiative. Chelsea's leveller looked likely long before it came via Enzo Fernandez's free-kick.
Wesley Fofana got the slightest of touches and Chelsea, led by interim head coach Calum McFarlane, grew in confidence thereafter. Giorgi Mamardashvili saved from Fernandez. Chelsea finished the first half with 16 touches in the box to Liverpool's four.
The right side of Liverpool's defence was an obvious weakness, Curtis Jones struggling to cope with Marc Cucurella's movement, and the Reds were fortunate that the full-back strayed offside in the build-up to fashioning a disallowed goal for Cole Palmer.
Jones had a header ruled out at the other end and the mood was summed up when the Kop booed the call to take off Rio Ngumoha. Liverpool did then hit the frame of the goal twice through Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk but couldn't find a winner.
The draw sees Liverpool stay fourth as they edge closer to Champions League qualification - but with Slot still under pressure. Chelsea remain ninth with lots of work still to do to qualify for any European competition through their Premier League position.
Liverpool fans are famed for their loyal support so this was a strange afternoon to be at Anfield and witness such discontent. There was agitation from midway through the first half as Chelsea began to take control of the ball and the Liverpool pressing was absent.
It briefly boiled over in the second half, particularly when the popular youngster Ngumoha was withdrawn in favour of Alexander Isak. Slot would probably not regard it as a contentious call but it shows how the mood has soured with supporters.
There were more boos at full-time. Slot and those above him will just want this season to end with Liverpool safely in the Champions League and looking ahead to continuing their rebuild next term. But is that realistic if this fan feeling carries into the new season?
Clinton Morrison watching on Soccer Saturday for Your Site:
"When you take the lead at Anfield, and you are against a struggling Chelsea team, you should go on and win. But after scoring the goal, they just sat back.
"Some of Slot's substitutions were nowhere near good enough. I'm a bit sick and tired of him. He'll make excuses and blame someone instead of looking [at] himself. He is the manager and he should be solving the problem. But at the moment, he isn't."
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch speaking to TNT Sports:
"We need them behind us, I think what they do is - OK, we don't win, but I think we don't really deserve this.
"I think fans have to be behind us like 90 minutes, because when I think it was the second half, when they went behind us, we pressed them really, so we need it, so hopefully the next few games they won't do the same."
Liverpool boss Arne Slot speaking in the press conference:
"[Ngumoha] had a cramp perhaps three minutes before that and then I had contact with him and he said that it wasn't an option [to continue]."
"It makes complete sense if you take a player off who is playing well, [has] an assist, that people don't expect you to take that player off, which wasn't my intention to do.
"He's a good player, but I don't think he's at the level yet to play at 60 or 50 percent to then make a difference. But maybe the fans have a different opinion. They think that he would have been able to play at this level at 50 percent or 60 or whatever percentage, but not being fit enough anymore to sprint and to make your actions.
"So, yeah, if you don't know that and you feel like, 'Why did you take him off?' then I understand that reaction. I knew at the moment his number went up that would have been the reaction. But that's not the reason then not to do it and keep a player within the team that tells me he cannot continue.
"And [the booing] after the game, I think it also makes sense because I don't think this club should be happy with a 1-1 result against Chelsea.
"We always aim for a win, and then if we don't win then we're disappointed, and especially in a season where we haven't won a lot or not as much as people expect us to do. It's just building up frustration, and that came out probably after half-time."
