Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has insisted his players are heavily fatigued following the Blues most recent 1-1 draw with Brighton yesterday evening.
The result ensured Chelsea remain in third position in the Premier League, missing a golden chance to go back above the Reds in 2nd.
With Liverpool now having two games in hand over Tuchel's side, Jurgen Klopp's men could now go 7 points clear of the European Champions, should they collect maximum points.
Hakim Ziyech had opening the scoring on the South coast before Adam Webster headed home to ensure a share of the spoils.
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Speaking to Sky Sports following his sides 1-1 draw last night, Tuchel began : "I have already answered this question a hundred times.
''If you look at our situation of long-term injuries, of key players injured, and of Covid and you look at our schedule you will have the answer.
"We are mentally tired and physically tired, you can see it in our performance, it's as easy as that. We need to recharge the batteries, we need to reconnect.''
The 48-year old continued: ''We were a bit lucky to be 1-0 ahead and you can take advantage to score a second one, but we struggled to show the quality.
"We know the reasons behind it and we demand a lot from us. But it's not the moment to be too harsh on the team."
