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When Liverpool welcomed Chelsea to the Anfield on Sunday, the Merseyside team had dropped down to second place in the league. Manchester City's win away at Crystal Palace propelled the reigning champions to the top of the table. With 5 games left to play, City were a point ahead of Liverpool and also had a goal difference of 64 compared to Liverpool's 55.
As such, Klopp knew that the only way he could pile the pressure on City was with a win against Chelsea. However, it was not going to be easy. The Blues were themselves fighting for the Champions League spots and were unsettled at 4th before the game. A win for Sarri would strengthen their position and give them a huge advantage in securing Champions League football next season.
Klopp named his team accordingly, going with Alisson at goal and Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk and Robertson as the back four. The midfield comprised of Henderson, Fabinho and Keita, while the familiar front three of Salah, Firmino and Mane continued to lead the charge.
Liverpool started the game on a ferocious pace and came close to scoring on two occasions. Chelsea held on and even carved out a few chances of their own. But in the 51st minute, Mane gave the home side the lead. 2 minutes later, Salah scored the second of the game and sealed three points for Liverpool.
Klopp will be extremely happy with his team's overall performance, but he will be extra pleased with the performance of these 5 men, who won Liverpool the game.
#5 Jordan Henderson
The Liverpool Skipper had a lot of pressure on his mind, as he drilled his team and kept them charged up throughout the evening. Henderson made important decisions in the middle of the park and was always around to help Fabinho deal with the Chelsea attack. With the ball at his feet, the Englishman was precise with his passes and continuously sprayed long balls to put pressure on the Chelsea backline.
Henderson was full of running and worked selflessly hard to ensure Liverpool maintained the momentum. And he also gave his team the break through when he ghosted into the box in the 51st minute and sent in an intelligent chip to find Mane, who scored.
When he was replaced by Milner in the 77th minute, Henderson had played an important role to ensure Liverpool won the game.
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#4 Fabinho
The Brazilian started as the holding midfielder and did not have much to do at the start of the game. That was because Liverpool pressed Chelsea back to their box and did not allow the away side to get a grip on the game. However, every time Chelsea tried to break forward on the counter, the Brazilian was there to nip them in the bud.
Fabinho kept things simple in the middle, he did not over complicate the play and did not hold on to the ball longer than was required. This helped Liverpool keep up the tempo throughout the game. The Brazilian anchored the midfield well and provided the base for the attacking players to take the game forward. He kept the ball moving, switched play and kept bringing the wings into the game.
The Brazilian was also clever with his positioning and it helped him deal with the speed and trickery of Hazard. Fabinho provided adequate cover for his defense and helped Liverpool win the game.
#3 Firmino
The Brazilian was intelligent as ever and worked extremely hard to put Chelsea on a lot of pressure. His movement and runs gave both Luiz and Rudiger, and later Christensen, a lot of headache. The Brazilian’s presence was exactly what Liverpool needed on the night and he was integral to Liverpool’s success on the field against Chelsea.
Firmino was extremely strong on the ball and did not allow either of the Chelsea center backs to bully him. He timed his runs to perfection and drew the attention of the defense, allowing Salah and Mane to operate with extended freedom. Firmino was also good with his final balls and quite often tried to play his attacking partners in.
But even without the ball, the Brazilian was extremely busy. He pressed the Chelsea team, won the ball back higher up on the pitch and even resorted to tackling to win possession. Even though he did not score, his overall performance helped Liverpool win the game.
#2 Mohamed Salah
They say the best of players only need a moment to leave their mark on the game. Even when they are not having the best of games, these world-class talents can turn the whole world upside down with one swing of the boot, one twist, and a turn. That is what makes them special and on Sunday evening, Mohamed Salah seized his moment and gave the game one of its most iconic moments.
The Egyptian had a chance early on to score, but could only aim his shot straight at the keeper. He then escaped a booking when he dived under pressure from Luiz, hoping to earn a penalty. It was just not happening for Salah, who had looked lively but missed the final zing. And then, two minutes after Liverpool had taken the lead, things fell into place.
It was van Dijk’s long ball which found the Egyptian in space on the right flank. Salah turned inside and aimed a ferocious shot, from outside the box, towards Kepa’s goal. The shot was hit with such accuracy that it denied the Spanish goalkeeper any chance and swerved into the far corner. Salah scored Liverpool’s second and won them the game.
#1 Sadio Mane
The Senegalese has been the star of Klopp’s Liverpool of late, even as Mohamed Salah struggled to find his pace. Mane always had the ingredients to become a continuous goal threat, but of late, he has improved his finishing and become an indispensable part of Liverpool. Against a resolute Chelsea side, the challengers needed Mane to rescue them.
After a draining first half where Liverpool tried everything but failed to find the all-important goal, Anfield could sense worries creeping into the home team. Mane had been exceptional since the start of the game, he had pressed, he had found the spaces in the sides and he had threatened Azpilicueta continuously. It seemed destined that the Senegalese would come to Liverpool’s rescue again and in the 51st minute, that was exactly what happened.
After a brilliant Liverpool move, Henderson sent in a beautiful chip to the far post, where Mane had positioned himself, in space and ready to pounce. As the ball reached him, the Senegalese powered in his header and gave his team the lead. It helped the home team to settle down and ultimately helped them win the game. Mane’s man of the man performance helped Klopp return to the top of the table and keep the pressure on Manchester City.
