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Liverpool made it three losses from four matches as goals from Chelsea's Willian and Ross Barkley eliminated them from the fifth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday night.
Both sides came into the fixture in less than ideal circumstances; the Reds' loss to Watford over the weekend marking their first defeat since January of last year, while the Blues' 2-2 draw with Bournemouth leaving them in a precarious position for the top four.
In what was an unexpected start to the game, the hosts began on the front foot and forced Adrian into many saves before deservedly going ahead when Willian struck from the edge of the box in the 13th minute.
The rest of the first half saw the two teams play with plenty of drive but a lack of real goalmouth action although the Merseysiders forced Kepa into three quickfire saves.
Chelsea continued to fashion the best chances after the restart, with Olivier Giroud and Mason Mount hitting the post, while Pedro also forced a save from Adrian late on.
The much-maligned Barkley redeemed some of his reputation when he charged at the Liverpool defence before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Adrian from 20 yards in the 64th minute. This proved to be the nail in the coffin for Liverpool, who were knocked out of the FA Cup.
Here, we shall be highlighting five factors that contributed to Liverpool's defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Also Read: Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool: 3 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis | FA Cup 2019-20
#5 The absence of key first-teamers
It is no hidden secret that Jurgen Klopp has not exactly prioritised the FA Cup in his five-year stay at Anfield, with more emphasis placed on league and continental action.
The 52-year-old has always fielded second-string squads in the past, while he made the controversial decision to absolve his entire first-team side in the 4th-round replay against Shrewsbury Town, which came during their two-week winter break.
Against Chelsea, he stuck to his script and handed a number of regulars a break, with key players like Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Joel Matip on the bench, while others like Alisson, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Trent-Alexander Arnold did not even make the matchday squad.
With the league all but wrapped up and a genuine chance for a maiden treble on offer, fans would have expected Klopp to use his first-team squad against the Blues but he failed to do so, electing to give run-ins to squad members like Divok Origi, Adam Lallana, and Takumi Minamino as well as youngsters like Curtis Jones and Neco Williams.
This decision backfired spectacularly and although he introduced Salah, Milner, and Bobby Firmino in a bid to salvage something, it was too little too late for the former Dortmund manager.
Also Read: 3 former academy players Chelsea should bring back next season
#4 Non-existent midfield
Liverpool have won praise for their industriousness in the middle of the park and while their midfielders might not be the most flamboyant or technical players, they make up for this with a gritty determination to outrun and outmuscle their opponents.
The compact midfield marshalled by Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, and Gini Wjnaldum has been a key component of Liverpool's game and this is evident in their sustained falterings in the absence of their skipper.
Against Chelsea, Klopp started with a midfield trio of youngster Curtis Jones, Fabinho, and Adam Lallana - the first time the three men were starting a match together and this much was evident from the get-go.
Curtis Jones was rewarded for his fine performances against Everton and Shrewsbury Town but he soon realised that there is a massive step up in quality when facing sides like Chelsea.
Lallana showed flashes of his brilliance but lacked the physicality and tenacity to make a telling impact in midfield, while Fabinho was significantly beneath his usual standards perhaps as a result of the unfamiliar faces beside him.
The result of this was that Liverpool lacked the usual solidity in midfield that makes them so hard to beat and Ross Barkley and Mason Mount had a field day, while Ben Gilmour effectively dictated the tempo of the game in what was a coming-of-age performance for the 18-year-old.
Perhaps the best encapsulation of the midfield paucity was in how easy it was for Barkley to run at the Liverpool defence from essentially the halfway line in the buildup to the second goal and this shocking lack of application from the middle played no small part in seeing the Reds suffer at the hands of Chelsea.
#3 Uncharacteristic defensive errors
After some assured defensive performances in the last year, doubts have started creeping into the Liverpool backline in the last few weeks and this would give fans of the Kop frightening memories of the not-too-distant past.
There have been sloppy mistakes from the Merseyside giants recently and while they might have narrowly escaped in the game against West Ham, the four goals conceded against Atletico Madrid and Watford came about from defensive gaffes.
The Reds' defence was particularly at sixes and sevens in the latter clash, with Ibrahim Sarr acting as the tormentor-in-chief to take advantage of the lapses and every single member of the starting backline made at least an error in the buildup to all three of Watford's goals.
They continued from where they left off against Chelsea and their goalkeeper had already made two saves inside the first 10 minutes of the fixture.
Adrian was, however, badly positioned and could only flap at Willian's relatively straightforward shot and this was to be far from the only defensive error on the night.
The normally reliable Virgil van Dijk was caught out of position when his misjudged header in midfield paved the way for Barkley to charge at the Liverpool goal, while a miscommunication between Williams and Milner gifted Pedro a golden opportunity that he could only shoot straight at Adrian when placed one-on-one.
With a make-or-break Champions League fixture coming up against Atletico next week, the last thing Klopp needs is an unconvincing defensive unit and Liverpool would do well to sort out their defensive lapses if the rest of their season is to be ended with a semblance of order.
#2 Disjointed performance from the Liverpool players
For all of the brilliant teamwork exhibited by the Liverpool squad throughout the season, it has taken just four days for everything to threaten a collapse.
They were uncharacteristically poor in their defeat to Watford and given how long they had gone without defeat in the Premier League, that single loss was bound to have an impact on their psyche.
Dejan Lovren admitted as much when he said the players felt like they had been 'slapped in the face' and while Jurgen Klopp gave a typical philosophical response to the defeat, the performance of his players suggested otherwise.
They were totally underwhelmed in the clash and were made to look ordinary by Chelsea, who have not exactly been turning heads with their results this season.
There was not one Liverpool player who ended this game with his head held high and it was a disjointed performance from every department of the team.
Fabinho was guilty of giving away too many passes and looked out of sync with his midfield comrades, while Divock Origi tried to do too much and ended up achieving little more than his attacking partners Sadio Mane and especially Takumi Minamino who was on the periphery of the game for 90 minutes.
In total, Liverpool had just five shots on target and of these, three came in the space of four seconds when half chances and snap shots forced Kepa into making three straightforward saves.
The clash with Chelsea gave Liverpool the opportunity to show the world that they are still united and that one loss to a relegation-threatened side cannot erase all that they have achieved but they failed to take it and questions would undoubtedly be asked of their mental fortitude in the coming days.
#1 Chelsea were more direct in their play
A key component of Chelsea's game this season has been the focus on possession play by their manager and while it has looked thrilling on occasion, the Blues have lacked the killer edge to make it count.
Against Liverpool, Frank Lampard adopted a more direct approach, seemingly asking his players to shoot at every opportunity, perhaps to take advantage of the absence of the more assured Alisson in goal.
In the first 15 minutes, they already fashioned five shots at the Liverpool goal and one of those had found the back of the net, while Adrian had been forced into saving another two.
The last time the two sides met, Chelsea had the advantage in the possession count, with 55% possession recorded, while they also outpassed the Reds by 492 (80% accuracy) to 415 (75% accuracy).
However, they abandoned this and were content to have just 41% possession this time around, while they completed just 74% of their 402 passes as against 81% of 542 managed by Liverpool.
The Chelsea players instead adopted a more direct approach, with each of their three forwards attempting at least two shots each, while even Kovacic managed two in his 40 minutes on the field.
This shift in ideology by Lampard exploited the defensive high-line by Liverpool and while the sloppiness of the Reds aided his side's cause, credit must be given to the hosts for taking the game to their rampant visitors.
