Chelsea would have won ‘if they had finishing boots on’

Chelsea “looked better overall” in their goalless draw against Liverpool, says former England defender Matt Upson, but ultimately neither side impressed in a “lacklustre” game.

Both Reece James and Kai Havertz had goals disallowed as Bruno Saltor oversaw his first game as interim boss at Stamford Bridge.

Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast that there were flickers of life from the Blues.

“These were two struggling teams but Chelsea had a bit more energy and purpose going forward,” he said. “They started much better and should have been one up.

“I expected them to be better than Liverpool and I thought they would win the game. If they had brought their finishing boots, they probably would.”

A huge positive for Bruno’s side was the return of N’Golo Kante to the starting line-up for the first time since August and Upson believes his quality was evident.

“He elevates everything,” he said. “He made a huge difference so it would be great for them to get him fit and see him play five or six games on the bounce.”

Did you know? Chelsea have scored 29 goals in 29 Premier League games this season, only ever netting fewer at this stage of a league campaign twice before (23 in 1921-22 and 16 in 1923-24).

More on Chelsea from 13’00 on BBC Sounds