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Premier League champions Liverpool signed off on a near-perfect campaign at home in the 2019-20 season with a typically pulsating and high-scoring affair, beating Chelsea 5-3 on Tuesday evening. The newly-crowned champions turned on the style in the first half and, despite suffering a wobble midway through the second, held on to claim the win before captain Jordan Henderson was finally able to lift the coveted trophy aloft at Anfield.
Goals from Naby Keita, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Georginio Wijnaldum seemed to have put the Reds out of sight in the first half before Olivier Giroud netted on the brink of half time.
Roberto Firmino added a fourth for the champions before an inspired triple substitution in the second half from Frank Lampard dragged Chelsea right back into the tie. Christian Pulisic set up fellow sub Tammy Abraham for the second before scoring the third himself, only for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to bag Liverpool’s fifth at the end of a devastating counter-attacking move.
Liverpool’s win sees them finish the 2019-20 league season unbeaten at home, having dropped just two points at Anfield all season. On the other hand, Chelsea are left needing a point from the final game of the season to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League, with Manchester United and Leicester also vying for the final two top 4 places.
From a game that saw goals galore, end-to-end action, and a number of interesting scenarios arise going into the final round of fixtures, here are the:
5 major talking points from Liverpool’s win
#5 Naby Keita is finally realising his potential
There was a lot of speculation around Naby Keita’s arrival at Anfield, not least because his transfer had been sewn up almost a year before he actually joined the Reds. Coming off a fantastic season in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, Keita was expected to slot straight into the Liverpool midfield and replicate the form that he had shown in Germany. He was even handed the number 8 jersey, recently vacated by Reds legend Steven Gerrard, a mark of the trust placed in him.
However, Keita has taken some time to get accustomed to the pace and physicality of the Premier League and has only just started to show what he is truly capable of.
An injury to Jordan Henderson since the resumption of football post-lockdown has meant that Keita has featured much more regularly in the Liverpool midfield and he has made full use of this opportunity.
The Guinean has been one of the champions’ star performers in the final few games of the season and repaid his coach’s faith in him by scoring his first Anfield goal this season.
It was one that was well worth the wait as well, a thundering strike off the crossbar from 20 yards out, reminiscent of the man from whom he inherited the number 8 jersey form.
Liverpool and Keita himself will be hoping for more of the same from him when the next season kicks off.
#4 Trent Alexander-Arnold is the best right-back in the league
The attacking exploits of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson down Liverpool’s left and right flanks have been integral to their title win this season. Alexander-Arnold has put up remarkable numbers en route to the title, scoring four goals and contributing a staggering 15 assists from right-back.
His crossing and shooting ability, both from open play and set-pieces, is absolutely phenomenal - three of his four goals have been direct free-kicks. Going forward, Alexander-Arnold is already one of the world’s best, and it’s easy to forget that he is still only 21 years old.
The young full-back chose the perfect stage to remind the watching fans of his abilities, scoring Liverpool’s second with a picture-perfect free-kick before setting up Firmino for the fourth with an exquisite cross from deep.
#3 Olivier Giroud still has a lot to offer in England
From having one foot out of the door in January due to lack of playing time to having signed a deal through to the summer of 2021, Olivier Giroud’s Chelsea career has taken a full 180 since the new year. The French striker may not be the quickest player on the field, but he more than makes up for it with his physicality and positional awareness, which is why he has scored seven goals in his last nine starts.
Giroud’s latest strike against Liverpool on the brink of half time gave his side a glimmer of hope going into the break and showed why he has taken over from Tammy Abraham as Frank Lampard’s number one strike option. With Timo Werner set to join the strike force next season, Giroud will not just be a mentor for the young German but will also provide serious competition for a starting berth if he maintains this rich vein of form.
#2 Defence is still a big problem area for Chelsea & Lampard
All the noise this season has been about Chelsea’s dangerous attackers, from the ones already at the club to those that are set to join in the summer. The arrival of Christian Pulisic and the emergence of Tammy Abraham have been hugely encouraging, while the arrivals of Timo Werner and Hachim Ziyech are sure to make Chelsea a more potent attacking force than they currently are.
While Lampard’s side has enjoyed a great deal of success in front of goal, it’s a completely different story at the other end of the pitch. Chelsea’s defensive unit has been far too lax all season, with only Norwich and Aston Villa having conceded more from corners.
The Blues are extremely susceptible to being caught on the counter and have the worst defensive record of the top 10 in the Premier League this season. While Ziyech and Werner are fantastic acquisitions, defensive reinforcements must surely be high on the priority list for Lampard ahead of next season.
#1 The Race for top 4 will go down to the wire
With Liverpool having sewn up the title with seven games to go and Manchester City a distant second but still comfortably ahead of the chasing pack, the competition for the remaining two Champions League spots has been slightly bizarre. Chelsea, Leicester City, and Manchester United are vying for the two coveted spots, but neither of the three seem to take advantage of the others’ slip-ups.
Leicester kicked off the penultimate round of fixtures with a 3-0 defeat against Spurs, which left the door open for United and Chelsea to capitalise. However, with the Red Devils only managing a draw against West Ham and Chelsea losing to Liverpool, the race for the top 4 will go down to the final day.
Chelsea need a point at home against Wolves to secure qualification for the Champions League, while United and Leicester will do battle at the King Power Stadium on the final day for the other Champions League berth.
