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A goal from Mason Mount on the brink of half-time was enough for Chelsea to secure a historic 1-0 win over Liverpool away from home. The win on Thursday takes Thomas Tuchel's side back into the top four of the Premier League.
Chelsea handed Liverpool a fifth consecutive loss at Anfield and have now moved four points ahead of the defending champions in the league.
It was a sensational performance from the Blues, who handled the game with excellent application. They worked their way around Liverpool's feared press, carved openings through long balls and defended well at the back-end.
Despite all the probing, the Reds only managed a solitary shot on target against Chelsea. The Blues have only conceded two goals since Thomas Tuchel joined the west London giants.
On that note, we list five major talking points from Chelsea's vital win over Liverpool at Anfield.
#1 Compressed midfield on both sides chokes both teams
The start of the game was excellent in terms of the tactical setup of both teams. While Liverpool maintained their usual high line with a higher degree of press, Chelsea crowded areas around Roberto Firmino to deny dangerous transitions.
The decision to deploy Timo Werner as Chelsea's lone forward upfront was clearly to test their defense with a ball over the top. In fact, as both teams continued to press for an opening with slick passing across the pitch, it was the pass from a deep, wide area to the channel that opened the game up early on.
There were passes to Antonio Rudiger's zone, where Mohamed Salah ran across to receive long balls. The winger also released Mane, sending him through on goal in between the Chelsea center-halves. Much to his agony, the Senegalese could not sort his feet out and release the shot.
The likes of Curtis Jones and N'Golo Kante often broke the opposition's play, causing the game to break multiple times with shorter spells of possession for either outfit.
#2 Mason Mount's goal exposes Liverpool's high backline
Chelsea were extremely unlucky to have been denied a spectacular goal from Timo Werner when the forward was unleashed beyond the Liverpool back three by Jorginho's ball over the top.
He did extremely well to run ahead of the Red shirts, chipping the ball over Alisson Becker and then winning the race against Ozan Kabak to tap home what would have been a well-taken first goal.
However, it was not to be for the striker, who has hit the post more times than any other Chelsea player this term, as he was denied by a VAR intervention for offside.
On the cusp of half-time, Mount was similarly released by N'Golo Kante down the left flank. It was simply Eden Hazard-esque from the midfielder, who cut inside and then curled an inch-perfect effort to put Chelsea in front.
What was remarkable to see was the way Chelsea played one-touch football in midfield, giving themselves a chance to have time for the pass and then playing over the heads of Liverpool's central defenders.
This inflicted doubt upon Liverpool's defenders and ultimately proved to be the key that unlocked Jurgen Klopp's defensive setup.
#3 Liverpool immediately overcommit bodies in the second half
As you'd expect from a team that has accumulated over 95 points in each of the last two seasons, Liverpool came flying out of the blocks in the second half.
They completely pushed Ben Chilwell and Reece James behind, while also forcing Kante and Jorginho to cover for the forwards who were deployed to load a counter-attack. The overload of midfielders led to an increase in space for Firmino, who enjoyed more chances down the bylines and whipped crosses in.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson fizzed balls across the face of goal, with Liverpool also coming extremely close after the hour-mark during a series of bombarded crosses from either side.
They committed four players just beside Chelsea's first line of defense. This offered the visitors a chance to clear their lines, with Werner and Hakim Ziyech lined up against the opposition center-backs.
#4 Chelsea's defensive solidity thwarts Liverpool
Chelsea's defenders were right on top of their stride. They were on their toes, superior in the air and were clear-cut favorites whenever challenged by a fluent Liverpool forward line.
It was focused team work from the midfielders and wing-backs, but Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger put forth a collective and complete display at the back.
They were brilliant with their communication and measured with their approach. The way they won possession back for the side and maintained composure while playing out from the back was stupendous. Christensen, in particular, was solid at the heart of defense, finishing the game with over 93% accurate passes and a total of six interceptions.
#5 Jorginho exemplified Thomas Tuchel's idea of 'player characteristics'
“For me he is a double-six because we can use his energy, his range in his game, his ability to recover the ball. For me he is a guy who is a big, big helper for everybody, with the mentality of a water-carrier – but at the same time a world-class player who played a crucial role in the World Cup win for France."
These were the words of Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, who explained his idea of having Kante in a double pivot. In his interviews, the German has highlighted that his management team opted for a back three behind a 'double six' due to the characteristics of the Chelsea personnel in midfield.
While working as a pair, Jorghino and Mateo Kovacic offer accuracy combined with guile. With Kante and Kovacic, there's blistering energy in possession and potent ball-carrying ability to break rigid midfield setups.
There were questions raised about Jorginho and Kante in this system, but the duo completely outplayed their counterparts. The latter was at his intelligent best, sensing threats, closing down little gaps and robbing the ball off Liverpool players.
Tuchel demanded speed when he chose his starting XI. Jorghinho's quick-thinking and first-time passes to Kante or into Werner's path underpinned the manager's idea.
With the most tackles and interceptions made by any Chelsea player, Jorginho proved why it was yet another tactical masterclass in selection from Tuchel. It's definitely not just the Chelsea defense that has been pivotal to their sumptuous defensive record under the German.
