LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Anfield to merely inch toward Champions League qualification on Saturday as the visitors snapped their six-game Premier League losing streak.
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Enzo Fernandez's bouncing free kick found its way into the net in the 36th minute to equalize for Chelsea after Ryan Gravenberch's early goal.
Arne Slot's team heard boos at the final whistle after another inconsistent performance — the type that has marked their season as defending Premier League champions.
Fourth-place Liverpool is still on course to secure Champions League qualification, which it can achieve with a victory in its next game — at Aston Villa next Friday.
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Gravenberch opened the scoring by curling a shot into the top right corner from just outside the area in the sixth minute.
Fernandez equalized with a long-range free kick in the 36th. He curled a bouncing strike into the area, off the far post and into the net. Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili stood frozen in anticipation of Wesley Fofana's attempt to redirect the ball but the Chelsea defender missed it. The ball then bounced, hit the post, and went in.
Liverpool went close in the 79th minute when Virgil van Dijk's header hit the bar. Eight minutes earlier, Dominik Szoboszlai hit the post with a shot from outside the area.
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