Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool: 5 reasons why the Reds lost the game | FA Cup 2019-20 

#4 Non-existent midfield

Fabinho was uncharacteristically poor

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.

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