Liverpool players Jordan Henderson and Alisson Becker were seen fighting fiercely during their team’s goalless Premier League stalemate with Chelsea on Tuesday.
Liverpool was very lucky at times as they escaped West London with a draw after being under prolonged Chelsea pressure for much of the game, with the hosts squandering plenty of decent chances. With tensions high, the game was bound to have some fights.
While it’s unknown when the altercation occurred, the Daily Mail claimed that the two clashed after the Blues came within a whisker of opening the scoring when Joao Felix missed an easy chance.
What happened between the two Liverpool players?
Chelsea, desperate for a goal, came dangerously close after a misunderstanding between Alisson and Fabinho. Captain Henderson, who is not afraid to criticize his teammates, then chimed in with his thoughts on the goalie.
His comments did not sit well with Liverpool’s number one, who answered back. The pair then clashed in the penalty box before center-back Joel Matip intervened to stop the fight.
Another incident involving Henderson happened in the first half of the same game. The midfielder yelled at Matip for not delivering the ball to him fast enough. This happened as he had gotten himself into a decent position in the right flank. Matip, on the other hand, looked calmer than the Brazilian.
Former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce appeared to think that the altercation stemmed from what occurred over the weekend. After gaining an early advantage, the Reds were defeated 4-1 by City at the Etihad on Saturday.
Henderson has no right to do this, captain or not he’s been wank all season and is treating the best GK ITW like this. pic.twitter.com/tIYEHamvUK
— 8 (@The_Gerrard_Era) April 4, 2023
As he was reporting on the game for talkSPORT, Pearce offered his explanation about what happened, “It stems from Saturday; you can see the frustration there, and on this occasion, you’re looking at such a poor miss.”
How is Liverpool’s season going so far?
Liverpool, who are hosted by league leaders Arsenal on Sunday, have had a challenging season. The team has been failing to reach the levels of performance for which they have become renowned. It has been a season marred by inconsistency, illness, and problems linked to squad instability.
Manager Jurgen Klopp, who is typically cheerful and encouraging of his players, looked depressed after the Chelsea stalemate, saying he was ‘not engaged’ in the top four debate.
Klopp said in the post game conference, “I don’t know if there’s any chance of the top four. For that to happen we must win pretty much all our games and other teams above us must lose a lot.”
Chelsea is also currently in a similar crisis. They recently fired Graham Potter from the managerial role. It was Bruno Saltor who took up a temporary position in the Liverpool game. They are now looking for alternatives such as Julian Nagelsmaan and Luis Enrique.
Liverpool next face Arsenal in the Emirates on Sunday as they look to ramp up their chances of a top four finish.
