Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool: Henderson stunner wins it
Liverpool’s dominant display in the first half made all the difference in this mammoth contest. The Liverpool players showed tremendous energy to take control of the game early on.
Antonio Conte’s game plan to soak Liverpool’s pressure and attack on the counter backfired. The Reds were really effective in midfield and didn’t give N’Golo Kanté and group any real chance to get on the ball.
The victory takes Liverpool to 10 points – level with Chelsea, who suffered their first defeat of the season.
Careless Defending By Chelsea
The first goal scored by Liverpool could have been avoided. Branislav Ivanovic who was captian for the night gave away a needless foul. This was followed by a lack of marking in the 6-yard box which lead to the goal.
Coutinho’s cross opened up the Chelsea defence. Dejan Lovren was left completely unmarked and made no mistake in putting the ball in the back of the net.
David Luiz put up a decent performance on his second debut for the Blues, but should have done better in organising the Chelsea defence given his experience.
Henderson’s Masterclass In Midfield
Jordan Henderson has had his fair share of criticism recently. He hasn’t been the same player ever since his foot injury. But his recent outings have been quite remarkable.
His dynamism in midfield kept Kanté out for most parts of the game. There were doubts regarding his capability of playing as a defensive midfielder. But his recent performances in that role have been nothing short of brilliant.
Henderson scored a screamer from long range, which turned out to be the winner. The goal capped off a wonderful captain’s performance.
The Klopp Effect
Klopp got his tactics spot on once again at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool started the game with positive intent in the first half and showed terrific tenacity all around the park. They completely nullified Chelsea’s midfield with quick passing and took full control of the game.
The second half was a slightly different story. Liverpool showed fine game management to retain their lead. Chelsea were coming at Liverpool during the latter parts of the game but Klopp’s men kept their cool and saw off the match.
Jürgen Klopp will be very satisfied with his team’s start to the season. Wins against Arsenal, Leicester City, Chelsea and a draw at Tottenham is a fine start to the campaign.
Matip And Lovren Magnificent
Diego Costa has been one of the in-form players this season. Matip and Lovren were fantastic in defence. They completely isolated the Chelsea striker from the game.
The two centre-backs didn’t give Costa any space to work around. Apart from the one mistake by Matip, where he went down easily instead of staying on his feet, leading to Costa’s goal, the Liverpool defenders put up a faultless performance.
Man Of The Match
Jordan Henderson was instrumental in Liverpool’s win today. Not only did he score the winning goal, he also kept the likes of Kante and Matic out of the game and dictated the play in midfield.
Goals: Costa 62’; Lovren 17’, Henderson 36’
Image Courtesy: Sky Sports, Standard.Co.Uk