Liverpool score two at Anfield to beat Chelsea and reclaim top spot
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Liverpool welcomed Chelsea to the Anfield knowing City had won their fixture against Crystal Palace with a 3-1 win and the onus was now on them to find the 3 points. A lot of talk around this fixture has been about how Chelsea had upset Liverpool in 2014 and swinging the title race in favour of Manchester City with a 2-0 win and if the West London side could repeat that feat 5 years later. Chelsea’s manager Mauricio Sarri made a tweak to his starting XI by opting to start Eden Hazard up-front.
Both teams played the game with high energy and pressed the opposition. Keita from the left hand side launched a cross towards the box that missed Henderson but came to an unmarked Salah whose shot was comfortably saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga. Hazard looked dangerous and Chelsea’s star attacker dribbled past Matip, cut back inside and then outside before firing a shot straight at Alisson.
Fabinho lofted the ball into the box towards Salah who headed it back towards the Liverpool captain Henderson. The Englishman’s shot was deflected out by David Luiz for a corner. A few minutes later, the Brazilian defender launched his countryman Willian through on goal with Van Dijk rushing back. Willian stopped and looked for support which was barely existent. He manged to cut towards his right and get past Van Dijk but his shot was off-target. Chelsea were starting to ask questions of Van Dijk and the Liverpool defence.
The front three of Liverpool combined with striker Firmino pass to Salah on the right. The Egyptian passed it to the centre where Mane was lurking and the Senegalese attacker took a first time shot that missed the target by a few yards. Cesar Azpilicueta picked up a yellow card for fouling Mane who was bursting with pace down the left side. Trent Alexander Arnold’s freekick reached the extended legs of Firmino. Kepa made a fantastic save with his feet reacting quickly but the flag was raised for offside. The first finished goalless with both sides registering just one shot on target.
Liverpool started the second half brightly. In the 50th minute, Salah played a one-two with Firmino and then passed the ball to Henderson inside the box. The Liverpool captain lobbed the ball to the far post and Mane headed it in to score Liverpool’s opening goal in the game.Two minutes and 22 seconds later, Salah went past Emerson and scored a stunning goal to the top left corner from 25 yards from goal. Kepa Arrizabalaga had no chance but it looked like he was slightly off-position.
Liverpool were cruising and Firmino took an ambitious shot from range that missed the target by a couple of yards. Sarri brought in Huguain for Hudson-Odai to instigate a come back. Hazard came back to life and Chelsea had two huge chances in quick succession. Emerson’s through-ball reached the Belgian captain whose shot struck the left post and came out. A minute later, Willian’s cross should have been buried by Hazard but his shot only brought out a routine save from Alisson.
Sarri sent Barkley in for Ruben Loftus-cheek as Chelsea were still trying to find their first goal. Jurgen Klopp responded by sending in Milner for Henderson who had picked up knock. As the game was heading towards the end, Mane pressurized Kepa Arrizabalaga who fell over trying to clear the ball but the ball rolled out for a goal kick.
Chelsea were lacklustre in the second half and Liverpool were clinical. On another day, Chelsea could have had a couple but this was not the day. Hazard couldn’t bring his A-game when his club needed him. Liverpool were deserved winners over the course of 90 minutes. They had more of the ball, created more chances and more importantly, scored two good goals. Liverpool reclaim the lead at the top but Man City have a game in hand. However, this was Liverpool’s last fixture against a top six side and they have come out of it with 3 huge points.
LosMejor's Editorial Team includes a team of experts who cover the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. The Editorial team is headed by Deepak Selvan.
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