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Liverpool smashed Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield in the Premier League on Wednesday, January 31. The win increased their lead at the top of the table to five points.
The Blues entered this game on the back of a decent run of form, losing just twice in their last 10 games across competitions. This run included seven wins and one draw as Mauricio Pochettino's men looked to steady the ship after a shaky start to the season.
They played out a goalless draw against Aston Villa in their last game in the FA Cup and were looking to put their best foot forward against the Reds. Pochettino fielded a strong lineup for this contest.
Chelsea made a slow start to the first half and were met with a hurricane of Liverpool attacks. The Reds opened the scoring after 23 minutes as Diogo Jota showed great strength to hold off the defender before slotting the ball home.
Conor Bradley provided the assist for the first goal and got on the scoresheet himself in the 39th minute. The youngster ran onto Luis Diaz's pass and applied the perfect finish to beat Dorde Petrovic in goal.
Chelsea had just one shot on target despite having a respectable 46% of the ball. They were lucky not to go into half-time three goals down after Darwin Nunez smashed his penalty against the woodwork. Liverpool led 2-0 at the break.
Pochettino made three changes at half-time as he looked to help his team get back into the game. However, that did not seem to work as Liverpool tripled their lead after 65 minutes. Bradley played another lovely cross into the box, which was met with a firm header by Dominik Szoboszlai.
Jurgen Klopp then made several changes himself as he looked to get his team's foot off the pedal. This allowed Chelsea some breathing room as they worked their way into the Reds' penalty area, with Christopher Nkunku scoring a lovely goal.
Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz put the result beyond doubt just eight minutes later, with the former assisting the latter to make it 4-1. The hosts held onto their lead and secured a big win, condemning Chelsea to their ninth defeat of the season.
On that note, let's take a look at the Blues' player ratings.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Dorde Petrovic - 8/10
Petrovic was the one man that saved Chelsea from further embarrasment, putting in a combative performance between the sticks. Despite conceding four, he made nine really good saves throughout the game to limit the damage. Five of those were off shots from from inside the box.
Axel Disasi - 6/10
Disasi, like the rest of Chelsea's backline, had a game to forget and was also booked for a futile argument with the referee.
Thiago Silva - 6/10
Silva was good on the ball and distributed it well when in possession. However, when Liverpool had the ball there was little the Brazilian could do to thwart their advances consistently.
Benoit Badiashile - 6/10
Badiashile struggled in defence and was also caught napping as Luis Diaz snuck in behind him at the far post to score the Reds' fourth goal.
Ben Chilwell - 6/10
Skipper Chilwell had an average first half as he won four duels, making three clearances and two tackles. However, he was dispossessed 12 times and was also booked for simulation. He was subbed off at the break.
Moises Caicedo - 6.5/10
Caicedo had a decent game as he passed the ball with 92% accuracy, including one long ball. He also won three duels, making two interceptions and one block.
Enzo Fernandez - 6.5/10
Fernandez had a fairly decent game, passing the ball with 82% accuracy, including four long balls. He also won six duels, making two interceptions, two tackles and one clearance. Enzo was booked for crunching challenge midway through the first half.
Noni Madueke - 6/10
Madueke had a rather unimpressive first half as he won just two of his 10 duels and was dispossessed 10 times despite just 22 touches. He was replaced by Mykhaylo Mudryk at the interval.
Conor Gallagher - 6.5/10
Gallagher had a decent first half as he passed the ball with 93% accuracy. He also won three duels, making one block and one tackle. He was subbed off at half-time as well.
Raheem Sterling 6/10
Sterling's involvement as an attacker was close to nil as he attempted zero shots. He also had 35 touches of the ball and was dispossessed 14 times in a poor display.
Cole Palmer 6.5/10
Palmer had a decent game as he passed the ball with 89% accuracy, including one long ball. He also won five duels, making one tackle and one clearance in the process.
Substitutes
Mykhalyo Mudryk - 6/10
Mudryk passed the ball well but missed the only chance he got, which was quite a big one. However, he won four duels.
Malo Gusto - 7/10
Gusto put in a good performance as he won four duels, making two tackles and one interception. He also played one key pass and created one big chance for his team.
Christopher Nkunku - 7.5/10
Nkunku came on for the second half and got on the scoresheet for Chelsea with a lovely finish in the 71st minute to make it 3-1.
Carney Chukwuemeka - 6.5/10
Chukwuemeka had a decent game as he passed the ball with 81% accuracy, including one key pass.
Cesare Casadei - N/A
Casadei came on late in the game and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
