Not only were there magnificent individual goals from Mohamed Salah and Mateo Kovacic, there was some inspired goalkeeping from Liverpool stand-in Caoimhin Kelleher and Chelsea number one Edouard Mendy as well.
And while the return of a single point apiece did little for either side's pursuit of leaders Manchester City, both bosses said it was a spectacle to behold.
"A brilliant match of football, everybody not in the stadium missed something," Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel told Sky Sports.
"We turned it around, we were close to winning it. To coach in that game was high level - it was on the edge and could have gone either way. A good Sunday afternoon and new year."
Liverpool were forced into changes by Covid - not least the absence of manager Jurgen Klopp, leaving his assistant Pep Lijnders in charge for a match he will likely never forget.
"It's never boring with us, eh? Never," Lijnders told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"We're really proud of the boys because they made a proper football match. We could have made a lot of excuses but we didn't, we attacked the game.
"There was incredible intensity from the start with both teams. Overall, for the public it must have been an unbelievable game."
Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness, in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports, agreed, saying: "What an advert for the Premier League. Two top teams, relentless and never stopped. A fabulous game of football and some fantastic goals."
While Mane's opener sprang from an error by Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah, the remaining three goals were all about attacking quality as Salah glided effortlessly past Marcos Alonso to double the Reds' lead before Kovacic's stunning first-time volley from 20 yards and a cool Pulisic strike.
"Nice goals, no? The first one [Kovacic] was absolutely brilliant but also the second was difficult," smiled Tuchel.
Lijnders admitted there was little Liverpool could do for either Chelsea strike, shrugging: "Two incredible goals. You always try to put organisation in place to stop these situations but two incredible goals."
Salah's strike, meanwhile, drew high praise from BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Karen Carney, who said: "That is absolutely ridiculous. Ruthless. The only other player I've seen do that drop of the shoulder as good as that is Lionel Messi."
While the second half bore almost as many opportunities as the first period, goalkeepers were on top with Mendy superbly denying Salah's 35-yard chip as well as foiling Mane, while Reds understudy Kelleher, who had earlier made a smart stop from Pulisic, again thwarted the USA forward with an instinctive save from a close-range header.
It was only 23-year-old Republic of Ireland stopper Kelleher's fourth Premier League start and his performance, along with that of his Chelsea counterpart, drew praise from Reds defender Virgil van Dijk.
"I am a big fan of him [Kelleher], he is a fantastic goalkeeper, he is learning from the best in my opinion in Alisson, his presence is good, he is confident on the ball. And Mendy had a fantastic game, too," the Netherlands centre-back said.
Credits: BBC SPORTS