Liverpool grinded out a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge in a nail-biting encounter which lived up to its big-name billing.
An entertaining first half saw Liverpool take the lead thanks to a perfectly worked free-kick routine from Trent Alexander Arnold before Azpilicueta’s goal was cancelled out by VAR. The Reds capitalized on this straight away and Roberto Firmino gave them a healthy 2-0 lead at the break.
Lampard’s Blue army came out all guns blazing in the second half though and were rewarded when Kante scored a beautiful solo goal. They fought hard in the last quarter of the match but were unable to get the equaliser and Liverpool maintained their 100% start.
Big game Bobby
Roberto Firmino proved once again why he’s known as a big-game player. While the deadly duo of Salah and Mane steal the accolades more often than not, Bobby Firmino goes about his job week in week out and another great performance from the Brazilian was topped off with a great headed goal.
This game again showed that very few strikers in world football are as selfless as Firmino. Dropping back, pressing high up the field and always creating chances for Salah and Mane, he is nothing short of a world-class player. Klopp would be more than happy with the shift the Brazilian put in once again.
Kante effect
The return of N’golo Kante for the Blues was much needed as he proved in the game. His relentless tackling and impeccable positioning created quite a few problems for the Liverpool midfield and attack. It was more than apparent what Chelsea had been missing in the middle of the park in these past few weeks while the little Frenchman sat out due to injury.
Since last season under Sarri, Kante has showed time and again that he is more than capable in the attacking third as well. This was further proved when he scored a wonderful solo goal, finishing like a top striker on Sunday. His return will definitely add a big boost to Lampard and his men.
Chelsea’s defensive worries
Every week we talk about how Chelsea’s lack of communication at the back has cost them quite a few goals already this season. While the Blues looked much more solid at the back against the table toppers, they were rather unfortunate to lose Emerson and Christensen to injuries forcing two changes in the first half.
Having said that, there’s still a lot of work to be done at the back but with youngsters like Tomori stepping up, it can be done sooner rather than later. Marcos Alonso, while a threat going forward is prone to making defensive errors and with Emerson out, this could be a worry for Frank Lampard. Rudiger has not recovered yet as well and with Christensen injured, Zouma might have to fill in which could be a worry as he’s been below average in most of the games he’s started this season.
Liverpool full-backs shine
Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold have been absolute revelations for Klopp on the left and right flank respectively. The young full-backs constantly bomb forward, taking advantage of open spaces left by opponent wingers and put in lethal crosses time and time again. Alexander Arnold adds more to this by being a set-piece specialist as shown by the wonder goal against Chelsea.
The two youngsters are the perfect examples of modern-day full-backs, who are asked to attack as much as defend. Klopp has been instrumental in developing both of them and will be hoping that they stay fit as they form an integral part of the Liverpool cog.
A revitalized Chelsea
While the Blues might have succumbed to a defeat, they will be more than happy with their second-half performance. They were inarguably the better side in the second half constantly causing issues for the Liverpool defence and came close to scoring on more than one occasion.
This kind of performance would have filled Lampard with confidence as it is no easy task going up against an in form table-topping Liverpool. Their response to a 2-0 deficit was what any manager would want from his players. With a wonderful patch of fixtures coming up for Chelsea, the manager will be confident of getting maximum points.
Up next
There is midweek Carabao Cup action for both teams, after which Chelsea welcome Brighton at home while Liverpool travel to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United.
