A salvation of sorts for Liverpool as Philippe Coutinho provides reasons to be cheerful after Chelsea draw

Philippe Coutinho lurked in the rain, in the space five yards outside of the Chelsea penalty area, shirt out, socks only just above his calves, waiting for the time and space to paint a pattern and just occasionally he did not require an abundance of either to do so. The ball twice rolled under his studs in quick succession and flicked on with his heel down the pitch’s left perimeter around Cesar Azpilicueta.

It’s why his new five-year contract means so much here and why the choice of feature image which covered the second spread of the match programme was significant – an atmospheric shot of “Phil” under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp. He doesn’t speak so much, Jordan Henderson said of Coutinho this week, “but when he does speak it’s worth listening to and he believes we will win titles because our manager is a winner.”

It will take something far closer to perfection for that to be so and this was a night when the player did not always find it. His passes were picked out by Nemanja Matic and even Eden Hazard, the ball was caught beneath his feet when he threatened something emphatic 15 minutes in and the makings of a gorgeous, arced ball with his left outstep was gathered up by Victor Moses.

It was not exactly the Coutinho that Rafael Benitez first saw at close quarters at Internazionale, wondering why on God’s earth he was on the periphery and immediately blooding him against Werder Bremen in a European game. (When Benitez left Milan, Coutinho was consigned back into the shadows and it was one of the Spaniard’s most trusty lieutenants, incidentally, who confirmed to the Merseyside club: “Good attitude, ability. Yes, have a very good look.”)

Neither were there many players who could read the Brazilian’s mind. For all the sound and fury of the way Liverpool pressed in the early stages, orchestrated by the atmosphere this extraordinary stadium creates under lights, a Georginio Wijnaldum shot was the home side’s first half dividend. “Shout at your own players,” steamed an infuriated supporter as Klopp took it out on officials.

By then, Simon Mignolet had chosen this of all matches to organise his defence and avert his gaze from the ball as an opponent ran up to strike a goal-bound free-kick. Klopp had talked of doing “the right thing at the right moment and that was not what he had been talking about.

It is against all of that went before which the recovery we saw from Liverpool must be judged. They were helped, certainly, by the greater space that a retreating Chelsea line of five seemed to allow them as the second half wore on. But what we saw was a team that did not let Klopp down as their intensity almost inevitably began to drop.

Lallana’s distance run warrants mention because it is Coutinho who tends to takes the greater acclaim. Jordan Henderson can pass unnoticed through games, too, though his deftly clipped pass which carved out the equaliser and a tackle of impeccable, game-saving quality on substitute Pedro three minutes from time were hugely significant moments.

So was the moment when the goal yawned before Roberto Firmino. It was Coutinho who set it in train early in the second half, wriggling clear of three players to create the wide open spaces Liverpool could attack, only for his compatriot – one of the bright lights of this club’s morbid January – sky the golden chance.

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When Mark Clattenburg awarded Diego Costa a penalty for the dubious contribution of diving to ground over the boot of Joel Matip – the wrong decision – the night just seemed to be doomed. That was before Mignolet, whose howler should not disguise the quality of a season in which he has been dropped and recalled, leapt down to save. The din when that ball was squeezed out almost brought the house down and it was then that Liverpool could sense that there was something to take away.

Not the three points to conjure some latent belief that the title is still alive, perhaps, but that they had secured something that 14 opponents out of Chelsea’s last 15 had not managed and seen the job through. Sadio Mane will be back at the front of the side soon enough. Coutinho’s return to full fitness will not be far off. And these players have stared out the prospect of four successive home defeats in two weeks. Reasons to be cheerful in this part of England: a salvation of sorts.