Former Chelsea Star Mohamed Salah Scores as Blues, Liverpool Play Out 1-1 Draw

Former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah scored for Liverpool against the Premier League champions on Saturday, but the Blues salvaged a point at Anfield thanks to a goal by Willian.

Salah struck in the second half, continuing his fantastic start to the season—he has 10 goals in the league already. The Reds couldn't maintain their advantage, however, as Willian tied things late.

Here's a look at the teamsheet, via James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:

The match had an even start, with both teams pushing the pace but struggling to find openings. Salah tried his luck with an ambitious strike, but his shot cleared the crossbar.

Liverpool gradually took control of proceedings, and James Milner perhaps should have done better with his effort from around the box, aiming wide. Football writer Karl Matchett couldn't help himself:

Eden Hazard put compatriot Simon Mignolet to work with a fine strike, and Danny Drinkwater wasted a good chance under pressure from the Belgian as the Blues started to find their footing. Marcos Alonso went close, but his free-kick curled wide of the post.

Salah was the main danger man for the hosts, while Alonso and Davide Zappacosta caused all kinds of problems for the visitors. The Egyptian perhaps should have scored shortly before half-time, but after a duel with Gary Cahill, he shot the ball just wide of goal.

Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard noted Salah and Hazard had quite the impact on the defences:

Hazard made contact with Philippe Coutinho inside the box late in the half, but to the disbelief of the home fans, the Reds were not awarded a penalty.

Thibaut Courtois almost handed the hosts the advantage early in the first half when he fumbled a cross, but he watched the ball go out for a corner rather than into his own net. Chelsea fans did not enjoy the moment one bit:

On the other end of the pitch, Cahill made contact with a corner but couldn't get his header on target.

There were more penalty appeals after a chipped ball into the box bounced off Cahill's arm, but again, referee Michael Oliver was unmoved. Alvaro Morata and Daniel Sturridge had minor chances before Salah finally opened the scoring after 65 minutes.

The former Roma man, who made 13 appearances for Chelsea in 2014 and 2015, was on the end of a fine passing move and slid the ball past Courtois.

Per Football365, his impact has been enormous this season:

Chelsea tried to answer by peppering the box with crosses, but their high press played right into Liverpool's athletic advantage.

Manager Antonio Conte introduced Pedro and Cesc Fabregas in an attempt to turn the situation around, but the Reds continued to create chances. Georginio Wijnaldum had all kinds of space to shoot, but Cahill made a key block, with Anfield again screaming for a penalty after the ball seemed to come off his arm.

Alonso also wasted a golden opportunity, firing over from a great position, before Willian struck back, with Hazard providing the Brazilian with an assist. Willian's finish appeared somewhere between a cross and shot, and analyst Gary Lineker thought he got a tad lucky:

Liverpool pushed back up the pitch, and Salah nearly found a late winner. Courtois got down quickly to make a key save, however, and save his team a point.