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Liverpool continued their perfect start to the Premier League season in the most arduous circumstances at Stamford Bridge, as they pipped Chelsea by 2-1 to go five points clear at the top of the table.
They have swept five teams aside already, but it wasn't plain sailing for Jurgen Klopp's men against the Blues.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino gave the Reds a two-goal cushion inside the first half, but Chelsea, despite losing two of their players due to injury and seeing a goal ruled out due to VAR, fought back valiantly and pushed the visitors to their maximum limits.
Nonetheless, Liverpool ensured a 15th straight win in the Premier League, and on that note, we analyze the major talking points from the enthralling contest.
#5 Lampard reverts to the 4-3-3 as big names return
Frank Lampard, struck with a selection headache more often than not this term due to the unavailability of a majority of his players, headed into this high-voltage encounter with a few setbacks too.
Mason Mount got his ankle stabbed by the studs of Francis Coquelin in midweek, a moment that ended his game against Valencia. He was in a race against time to make it to the team sheet for this one but his announcement in the starting XI raised quite a few eyebrows. Chelsea fans however, seldom cared.
N'Golo Kante was doubtful too, especially after Lampard pronounced that he needed more match fitness. Perhaps, the Blues boss played a double bluff by starting the Frenchman alongside Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.
Kepa Arrizabalaga started in goal with Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori at the heart of the defence. The latter now, has probably leapfrogged Kurt Zouma in the pecking order.
Cesar Azpilicueta manned the right back spot with Emerson getting the nod over Marcos Alonso down the left-hand side of the back four, much to the delight of majority of the Chelsea supporters.
Willian was once again preferred over Pedro and Christian Pulisic. And, Tammy Abraham led the attack.
More significantly, much like how he matched Wolves' shape with a 3-4-2-1, Lampard mirrored Liverpool's configuration with a traditional 4-3-3.
#4 VAR governs the momentum of the game again as Reds score two
The visitors looked the sharper side in terms of precision and craft early on, although there was not much to separate the two. The likes of Mohamed Salah, Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino were however, finding passes against the Chelsea press with comparative ease.
The Liverpool pressure paid off in the 14th minute as Salah and Alexander-Arnold completed a brilliantly worked free-kick. The latter rocketed one into the right top corner, leaving Kepa with absolutely no chance.
The Blues responded with purpose, running at pace in the final third and winning three corners in quick succession. The ball on one occasion, ricochet off a few red shirts before falling kindly for Cesar Azpilicueta, who slotted in the first goal to claw his side back.
VAR intervened, much like it has done this season, to deny the hosts a quintessential leveller due to Mount bring positioned in an offside zone.
Yesterday, Serge Aurier netted a second goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Leicester that was denied. Soon after his goal was disallowed, his opposite number Ricardo nestled home to make it 1-1, before James Maddison eventually turned it all around to hand the Foxes a sensational victory.
Not for the first time therefore, VAR has broken the momentum of various sides.
Consequentially, Roberto Firmino capitalized on poor zonal defending to head the second for Liverpool, just after the league leaders were in the hindsight of parity.
#3 Marcos Alonso exemplifies why Blues cannot afford any more injuries
In the simplest of terms, Lampard has not been helped by repeated injuries in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge. Constant chopping and changing of his side has perhaps, not gone too well for his side's momentum.
He was forced to make a couple of changes even before half time. Emerson, who had just returned to the starting XI, was replaced by Alonso after a quarter of an hour. Further, Kurt Zouma came in for Andreas Christensen.
Now, time and time again, we've seen Alonso commit horrendous errors defensively. Chelsea should have learnt their lessons while knocking down set pieces, but alas, the Spaniard was again the guilty party.
Robertson played in a delightful cross but the sturdier Chelsea defense should have thwarted it all day long. Instead, Firmino's intelligence meant that he freed himself up in a pocket of space. Alonso stood watching while the Liverpool #9 broke ahead and netted a second.
#2 Liverpool nearly succumb to Chelsea pressure as Kante halves the deficit
Chelsea clearly started the second half with far more conviction and most significantly, a direct approach. Lampard and co. committed more bodies in the press, sometimes even throwing on eight players in the attacking third.
Liverpool meanwhile, let their foot off the pedal in what should have been a comfortable rearguard approach. Jurgen Klopp pointed out the same too, urging his front three to work harder off the ball and maintain a robust first line of defense.
The likes of Azpilicueta and Alonso marauded forward a little more as a result, much higher in terms of their heat maps during the second phase of the game. Chelsea whipped in almost twice as many crosses as they did in the first half.
In contrast to Liverpool's five, Chelsea launched 10 efforts on goal. Indeed, the second of the 10 shots on target resulted in a goal.
Kante drove forward with the ball, turned and beat a couple of challenges before drilling a sublime strike into the top corner.
Chelsea definitely deserved the first goal and perhaps, another for their inspirational second half display.
As for Liverpool, they nearly succumbed to the Blues' wave of attacks, an aspect embodied by the way they conceded, where no one lunged into a tackle or got close to Kante.
#1 Liverpool are starting to grind out points like champions
Boy, Chelsea drew Liverpool close like none other. Before they arrived at Stamford Bridge, Klopp's men had brushed aside five teams in as many games to imperiously stand put at the pinnacle of the Premier League table.
Thus, a lot for the rest of the league relied on the Blues' display against the Reds and they made the pacesetters sweat till the very end.
Chances and positives flew like clockwork in the home side's favor who could have and should have netted another. Tammy Abraham scuffed a few efforts, while Michy Batshuayi found himself at the nucleus of the six-yard box, devoid of any red shirts. Yet, he failed to direct his header on target.
Alonso, who constantly supplied quality crosses into the box, along with Willian and Azpilicueta, found Mount free off space down the left as well. However, the youngster ballooned his short to the second tier of the Shed.
Liverpool were made to look slightly ordinary by the hosts, who had almost 70% of the ball in the last 25 minutes or so. The Reds were made to stretch every muscle of theirs as Chelsea took them on till the very last minute. Yet, the visitors somehow managed to come away with three points.
After all, this is how champions play. In the toughest of conditions such as Stamford Bridge, against a side that was probably en route to its brightest spell of play all season, they did remarkably well to facile a stellar win.
The rest remains the headline, as Liverpool reconstructed a five-point lead at the top of the table.
