A revival of form was due on course when Liverpool FC found the back of the net twice in quick succession to hand ten-man Chelsea a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Match Proceedings
Liverpool FC kicked off the proceedings in only their second game of the 2020-21 Premier League season and looked threatening from the get-go. An error by under-fire Chelsea shot-stopper Kepa allowed Mohammad Salah to lay off a pass for Roberto Firmino for a clear goalscoring opportunity, however, Andreas Christensen was there to prevent the Liverpool FC forward from giving his side the lead.
But just before the first-half came to a close, a majestic pass by Jordan Henderson found Sadio Mane breaking past the Chelsea defensive line before being rugby tackled by Christensen. The Danish international was shown the red card by the match referee following a thorough VAR check and the hosts were left with only ten men on the pitch.
The commencement of the second half was made even more exciting for the Liverpool FC supporters as summer signing Thiago Alcantara took the place of Henderson on the pitch. And a breakthrough soon happened when a fantastic piece of linkup play between Firmino and Salah led to the former making a pinpoint delivery into the box for the lurking Sadio Mane whose perfectly timed header flew past Kepa to give Jurgen Klopp’s side the lead.
Merely minutes after Mane’s opening goal for the Premier League champions, a horror show of goalkeeping awareness by Kepa allowed the Liverpool FC attacker to close down the Chelsea No.1’s attempt to play out the ball. Mane calmly tucked the ball past Kepa into an empty net to double the advantage for the visitors.
Debutant Thiago was found responsible for shoving Timo Werner in the penalty box which meant that the Blues got a spot-kick and a chance to reduce a two-goal deficit with still some time to go before the final whistle. Up stepped Jorginho to take the penalty, a player who had not missed his last 16 attempts from 12 yards out in the Chelsea shirt.
However, Alisson proved much more than a match for the Italian midfielder and made a fine diving stop to his left to deny Jorginho from pulling one back for Frank Lampard’s side.
The game soon came to a close and Jurgen Klopp’s men recorded their second straight win of the new league campaign. Facing Chelsea away from home was never going to be an easy task for the Reds, however, Liverpool FC came out on top with a fantastic display and would be hopeful of many such performances in the 36 games still left to play in the Premier League.
MATCH STATS
SCORE: 0-2
Possession: Chelsea FC- 38% Liverpool FC- 62%
Yellow Cards: Chelsea FC- 0 Liverpool FC- 0
Shots: Chelsea FC- 5 Liverpool FC- 18
Offsides: Chelsea FC- 1 Liverpool FC- 1
MAN OF THE MATCH- FABINHO
Much was made about the fact that Fabinho started the game at centre-back, due to the absence of first-team duo Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, however, the Brazilian was a stupendous performer over the course of the 90 minutes at West London and deservedly took home the man of the match.
Fabinho’s fantastic positioning and well-timed tackles ensured that new Chelsea signing Timo Werner did not have the tiniest of chances to trouble Alisson in goal. The German forward was kept in check by the Reds’ backline, which soared to a brilliant level of display against the Blues as compared to their below-par showing at home when facing Leeds United.
SOME POSITIVES FOR LIVERPOOL TO PONDER OVER
Fabinho’s fantastic performance at the heart of the defence alongside Van Dijk was a crucial factor behind Liverpool FC maintaining a clean sheet against a robust Chelsea attack, their first in six games. Jurgen Klopp will now be wondering whether it would be advisable for him to dip into the transfer market and sign a new centre-back or allow Fabinho to be accustomed to the role.
Thiago’s debut was, by all means, a superb display in the centre of the park for the Spanish playmaker. Clocking just 45 minutes on his first appearance in the Liverpool FC shirt, the ex-Bayern Munich star’s passing was a joy to behold as was his ability to switch the intensity of the play with his nifty runs.
