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Chelsea's defeat in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup made it two losses in two matches as Chelsea manager for Frank Lampard, as with the scoreline reading 2-2 in the leadup to the penalties, Tammy Abraham's miss in the decisive spot-kick proved costly for the Londoners as Liverpool lifted the title in the end.
Despite coming in as underdogs, Chelsea gave a good account of themselves and can consider themselves unlucky to have lost to Liverpool, as they were more than a decent match for their more favored opponents.
The Blues hit the post on two occasions, and showed great determination and grit to match The Reds stride for stride, and coming off the back of their disastrous 4-0 defeat to Manchester United over the weekend, Lampard would have been very impressed with his side's response.
Even in defeat, many Chelsea players impressed, and in this piece, we shall be highlighting five Chelsea players who impressed the most.
#5 Matteo Kovacic
Over the 120 minutes against Liverpool, Chelsea were arguably the better side in the middle of the park, and a large reason for this was the industriousness of Matteo Kovacic.
The Croatian international spent last season on loan from Real Madrid, and impressed significantly so it came as no surprise when Chelsea made the decision to make his move permanent, signing him for a sum of £45m.
Against Liverpool, Kovacic was started in a midfield three alongside Jorginho and N'golo Kante, and he discharged his duties effectively, hassling the Liverpool midfielders, while also contributing significantly to Chelsea's attacking output.
He was substituted for Ross Barkley 11 minutes into extra time, but with Chelsea having an intense competition for midfield places, Kovacic did his chances of a starting spot a world of good with his pristine display against Liverpool.
#4 Kepa Arrizabalaga
Kepa Arrizabalaga earned a tag of the world's most expensive goalkeeper in history when Chelsea paid the full figure of his release clause placed at £71.6m to sign him from Athletic Bilbao.
The 24-year-old had a solid if unspectacular debut season, with the highlight of his campaign being his infamous refusal to come off in the final of the League Cup after Sarri, going against manager Maurizio Sarri's instructions against Manchester City.
His second Premier League season got off to the worst possible start, as he was in goal when Manchester United put four past him. However, against Liverpool, the Spanish international showed why Chelsea made him the most expensive keeper of all time, pulling off a number of saves to keep his side in the match.
In total, Kepa made nine saves across the 120 minutes, with the picks of the bunch coming in the 75th minute when he displayed great reflexes to make an impressive double save to deny Mohamed Salah and then Virgil Van Dijk from point blank range to keep the scores level.
In the ensuing penalty shootout, the Spanish international also followed three of Liverpool's five spotkiccks, and got his hand on two only for him to see the ball slowly creep past him into the goal.
#3 Pedro Rodriguez
Pedro Rodriguez is one of the veterans in the current Chelsea squad, having been with the Premier League side since signing from Barcelona in 2015. Despite having won many trophies at both club and international level and being one of the most decorated players of his generation, Pedro still has a lot of detractors, with many criticizing his decision making and inaccuracy in the final third.
However, beyond this, the 32-year-old is a consummate professional who can always be counted on to give his best at all times. Against Liverpool, Pedro started from the onset, playing through the 120 minutes, and was arguably Chelsea's best attacker on the night.
Though he still showed signs of the hassled play for which he receives constant flak, the Spanish international also showed great determination to the Chelsea cause on the night, and was full of running for the entirety of the match.
He fashioned a number of chances for himself and his teammates, while he also showed a willingness to track back and help out with defending.
#2 Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic is the only new player at Chelsea this season, with his transfer from Borussia Dortmund having been completed in January before the club were dealt with their transfer ban.
Having started on the bench against Manchester United, the United States international was thrust on from the start, and he starred, putting the Liverpool defense on the backfoot, with his direct running and vibrancy causing multiple problems for Jurgen Klopp's men.
Pulisic set Olivier Giroud up for Chelsea's opener, laying on a sublime pass for the Frenchman to bury into the net, while he also fashioned out a number of other chances for his teammates and put the ball into the back of the net only for it to be correctly ruled out for offside.
He left the field on 74 minutes for Mason Mount, and moving ahead, the 20-year-old would play a crucial role for Chelsea.
#1 N'golo Kante
Are there any words still left to describe this man? In an age where players of his ilk are overshadowed by more flamboyant colleagues both on and off the field, N'golo Kante has still managed to prove his worth to any team he finds himself in, despite not being the most physically imposing or technically brilliant.
The French international has been less than a 100% in recent weeks, having been struggling with a muscle problem, but he was started in the match against Liverpool, and showed no signs of his malaise, as he was one of the best players on the field from both teams.
Kante played for the full 120 minutes, and despite being deployed further up the field, the 28-year-old still shone like a million stars and was one of the key reasons why Chelsea held Liverpool till penalties.
Stats revealed that throughout the game, Kante had 102 touches, made 69 passes with an 84% accuracy, completed 8 take-on, created 4 chances, won 3 tackles and 2 aerial duels, in addition to 1 interception.
Incredibly, his total number of take-one was more than twice any other player on the field managed and it was an almost complete midfielder's performance from the World Cup champion, and having played an important role in the two Chelsea managers he has played under, Kante is still going to be crucial under Frank Lampard.
