Chelsea failed to maintain their unbeaten streak in the league as Liverpool defeated them 2-1 at the Bridge. A goal from Dejan Lovren off a delightful cross from Philippe Coutinho, followed by a sumptuous strike from Jordan Henderson gave the Reds a 2-0 lead in the first half.
The home team tried to bounce back in the match but they could score only a goal, courtesy of the one and only, Diego Costa. However, the Blues failed to even or surpass the 2-goal tally of the visiting team as the team from Merseysiders ran out 2-1 winners.
Here’s how each player fared in the match.
Chelsea
Thibaut Courtois – 6/10
The Belgian shot-stopper’s start was jittery as he failed to collect a ball properly in the initial stages of the match. However, he cannot be blamed for the 2 goals his team conceded. Moreover, he made a brilliant save from an Origi header in the second half when his team were chasing the match.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 5.5/10
The Spaniard full-back tried to give his all, however, he was restricted to his defensive duties for majority of the match due to Sadio Mane’s threat. He was not able to venture forward and provide that attacking edge to the Blues which he generally does.
David Luiz – 5/10
A forgetful comeback match for the Brazilian as he failed to impose himself on the Reds’ attackers and was even nervous on the ball. He tried to move forward and contribute to the attack with his long passes and searing runs but none of them bore fruit for the home team.
Gary Cahill – 5.5/10
A slightly, very slightly better performance from his partner in crime, Luiz. His positioning was decent and kept Sturridge quiet in the first half. However, his nervous clearance led to the brilliant goal from Henderson.
Branislav Ivanovic – 5.5/10
The Serbian defender was not up to the mark and made a lot of mistakes throughout the match. While his passing was faulty at times, he was even not able to lend his team a helping hand in the attacking third. All in all, a poor performance from the full=back.
N’Golo Kante – 6/10
The former Leicester man’s performance was decent, if not good. He tried his best to limit Liverpool’s attacks and was full of running. However, like his defensive partners, he was not able to do much in the attacking half, where the Blues quite clearly lacked sharpness.
Nemanja Matic – 6.5/10
Matic was one of the better performers from the Blues. While he kept the composure in the midfield, his move resulted in the Diego Costa goal, the credit of which should undoubtedly go to the Serbian midfielder as he did all the hard work.
Eden Hazard – 5.5/10
Hazard was anonymous for most parts of the game. He did not see much of the ball, which is one of the major reasons that he was not able to create the kind of impact he would have liked to. If we neglect the last 15-20 minutes of the match, the Belgian reminded us of the 'Hazard' of 2015-16 season where he went missing for three-fourth of the season.
Oscar - 6/10
The Brazilian provided some sort of creativity when the Blues were in desperate need of it. However, none of his plays came to fruition and he was subsequently substituted for Pedro in the 84th minute to provide the home side some extra pace in the dying embers of the match.
Willian – 5/10
Undoubtedly, the best Chelsea player of last season failed to create any sort of impact in the match. While some of his ineffectiveness should be credited to Milner, the Brazilian was not even able to create decent chances from set-pieces, of which he is considered a master. Willian was taken off for Victor Moses in the 84th minute.
Diego Costa - 7/10
Costa was from his 'bad-boy' brand of play as he kept his composure and did not get into any sort of confrontations with any of the Liverpool defenders. He scored the only goal for Chelsea, early in the second half, but was deprived of quality delivery in the box.
Substitutes
Victor Moses – N/A
Moses was brought on for Willian in the 84th minute.
Cesc Fabregas – N/A
Fabregas was brought on for Matic in the 84th minute.
Pedro – N/A
Pedro was brought on for Oscar in the 84th minute of the match.
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet – 6/10
Mignolet didn’t have much to do in the match apart from some punches off Chelsea corners in the second half. Also, he cannot be held accountable for Costa's goal in the second half.
James Milner - 7/10
The versatile English player gave a commendable performance on left side of the defensive line. Apart from keeping his cool with ball on his feet, Milner was able to nullify the threat of Willian as well.
Joel Matip – 7.5/10
One of Liverpool’s latest recruits showed why Jurgen Klopp wanted him at the club. He partnered up well with Lovren and kept Chelsea's’ attacks at bay for majority of the match. However, he was not able to hold on to a clean sheet.
Dejan Lovren – 8/10
Lovren’s performance was reminiscent of his Southampton days, the reason why Liverpool bought him in the first place. He opened the scoring for Reds with a brilliant finish and then kept his composure at the back to keep the Chelsea attackers from snatching a point or even three away from the visiting team.
Nathaniel Clyne – 7/10
The former-Southampton man was defensively sound and ensured that Eden Hazard did not have a gala time on the flank. While he fulfilled his defensive duties, he did all he can to provide the impetus to the Liverpool attack.
Adam Lallana – 6.5/10
Lallana, who has been in a great form so far, was not able to replicate his performances from previous matches. However, he did enough to unsettle the Chelsea midfield and make players around him look better. He was calm and composed on the ball as well.
Philippe Coutinho – 7/10
The ‘big-match’ player as he is called fondly by the Liverpudlians, Coutinho gave a delicious cross from which Lovren opened the scoring. However, his performance deteriorated in the second half and he was taken off for Lucas Leiva in the 82nd minute.
Jordan Henderson – 8.5/10
The captain led from front as he ensured that the Reds win this crucial encounter early in the season. Apart from scoring an eye-catching, jaw-dropping ‘goal in the latter stages of first half, Hendo made sure that there is no lack of creativity and sprayed the ball around well. By far, the best player on the pitch.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 7.5/10
The former Newcastle player was full of running and saw a decent amount of ball. His composure on the ball was laudable and Reds’ fan will take a lot of heart from this performance as he will only get better as the season grows.
Daniel Sturridge – 6/10
The Englishman did not justify his place in the starting XI with a rather lackluster performance. He retained his place in the team because Firmino injured himself before the match, and Klopp was left with not many options. However, he did little good to gain the confidence of his gaffer and was taken off for Origi in the 57th minute.
Sadio Mane – 6.5/10
Mane, like Lallana, was in a great form coming into the crunch match. However, he was not able to impose himself on the match as he did not see much of the ball but he did partner up well with his fellow attackers.
Substitutes
Divock Origi – 6/10
Origi was brought on for Sturridge in 57th minute of the match. His header from about 10 yards from the goal was saved by Courtois in the latter stages of the second half.
Lucas Leiva – 5/10
Lucas came on for Coutinho in 82nd minute of the match to make Liverpool more defensively sound.
Kevin Stewart – N/A
Stewart was brought on for Wijnaldum in 90th minute of the match.
