Liverpool vs Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup: 5 talking points

Liverpool won their fourth UEFA Super Cup after defeating Chelsea in a penalty shootout in Istanbul.

The match had ended 2-2 after extra time. Olivier Giroud broke the deadlock in the 36th minute after an assist from Christian Pulisic. Sadio Mané equalised just after the break with a strike into an empty net. The Senegal international doubled his tally with a powerful strike on the edge of the box in the 95th minute to put Liverpool 2-1 up. Jorginho converted a penalty towards the end of the first half of extra time after Adrian had brought down Tammy Abraham in the box to level the scoreline.

Tammy Abraham would be the only person unable to convert their penalty as Liverpool won the shootout 5-4. Without further ado, let us look at the talking points from this match.

#1. Chelsea’s new-look attack

Christian Pulisic with the ball for Chelsea

For most of the match, Chelsea’s front three consisted of Christian Pulisic, Olivier Giroud and Pedro. All three players caused some serious problems for the Liverpool defence, especially Pulisic and Giroud, who combined brilliantly to open the scoring for Chelsea.

Pulisic started off slowly. While he made some good runs, he often ran into traffic, being shrugged off by Joel Matip a few times. However, he grew into the game, driving the ball with pace and linking up well with Emerson, Kanté, Giroud and Pedro. Pulisic was one of the quickest players on the pitch. He was unlucky not to get his first goal for Chelsea. At one point, the American winger cut inside from the left, leaving Joel Matip behind and fired a shot at the near post. It was an encouraging start from Pulisic and fans will hope to see more from him this season.

Giroud was Chelsea’s top scorer in the Europa League last season with 11 goals and was given the chance to add to his European tally today. He was an effective centre forward, winning headers and holding up play in order to bring other players into the game. The Frenchman was rewarded with his efforts when he finished clinically past Adrian with the side of his left foot.

It is fair to say that Pedro has some experience in Super Cup finals, after winning three of them for Barcelona. The Spain international was lively, running all over the place to gain possession and pick up loose balls. He dribbled past players and was a constant thorn to Liverpool’s side. He was close to scoring in the 22nd minute after hitting the crossbar with a powerful shot from his left foot.

It remains to be seen whether these three players will be Chelsea manager Frank Lampard’s attacking trio this season but there are promising signs already.

#2. Roberto Firmino’s introduction

Roberto Firmino lunging for the ball to help Liverpool equalise

At the end of the first half, Liverpool were trailing by one goal and had struggled to find any cohesion between their midfield and attacking players. As a result, Jurgen Klopp introduced Roberto Firmino, replacing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was unable to impose himself on the game.

The Brazilian made an instant impact as he picked up Fabinho’s overhead pass and poked the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga to his teammate Sadio Mané, who put the ball into an empty net at the start of the second half. Throughout the game, Firmino would drop deep and either receive balls in midfield or tussle with the opposition for the ball. He would then pass it forward for attacking players to cause some damage or drive the ball himself in order to start a counterattack.

He was instrumental in Liverpool’s second goal as he took Mané’s through ball and cut the ball back to the Senegalese, who rifled the ball into the roof of the net, giving Liverpool the lead in the 95th minute. Overall, his presence closed the gap between midfield and attack, giving Liverpool the freedom to press Chelsea high and break quickly once they received the ball.

#3. Kanté’s brilliance

Liverpool v Chelsea: UEFA Super Cup Previews

N’Golo Kanté was back in Chelsea’s starting line-up after sustaining an injury in pre-season and only training for a few days. It was unusual to see the World Cup winner in a #8 role when he is renowned for playing as a deep-lying midfielder.

Despite this concern, Frank Lampard’s decision turned out to be a masterstroke. Kanté kept pressing and probing the midfield throughout the match, initiating multiple attacks in the opposition’s half. His labours bore fruit as he drove through under pressure from Liverpool players in the 35th minute. He passed the ball to Pulisic, which led to the American’s through ball to Giroud, who gave Chelsea the lead.

The Frenchman was crucial in transforming defence into attack. He made several key interceptions and tackles, highlighting his uncanny ability to read danger. For instance, he picked up on Joel Matip’s short pass to Virgil van Dijk and fed the loose ball to Chelsea’s attacking players. Overall, it was a very impressive game for the France international.

#4. Another vintage Van Dijk performance

If Virgil van Dijk keeps going at this rate, he will solidify his claim to be crowned as the best player of Europe. The Dutchman, who is currently one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or, won his second European trophy and delivered another assured performance.

The towering defender won 5 aerial duels and made 9 clearances, the most of any player. He was in a constant battle with Chelsea’s Giroud, using his strength in order to wrestle the ball away from Chelsea’s attackers.

Van Dijk slowed down several Chelsea counterattacks, for instance, stopping Pedro in his tracks after he attempted to make a run down the right. He also made key interceptions and blocks, especially with crosses coming down Liverpool’s left-hand side.

The Netherlands international was instrumental in attack, pinging long passes to Mohamed Salah on the right, allowing the Egyptian to cut inside with his favoured left foot. He was a constant threat in corners and was close to scoring in the 75th minute but was stopped by Chelsea’s goalkeeper Kepa. All in all, it was a classic performance from van Dijk and fans will be looking forward to more of this in the coming season.

#5. A tale of two goalkeepers

Both Adrián of Liverpool and Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea had very good games in the Super Cup final but with contrasting fortunes as the former saved the final penalty against Tammy Abraham to win the game for Liverpool.

Kepa went from hero to zero for Chelsea. He made an outstanding double save in the 75th minute, first going down sharply against Mohamed Salah’s deflected shot to his left. The second save was even more spectacular as he tipped Virgil van Dijk’s close-range effort onto the crossbar.

At the end of the game, the Spain international had made 9 saves. Nonetheless, he was unable to save any shots in the penalty shootout despite getting his hand to the shots from Divock Origi and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Meanwhile, it was Adrián’s first start in any match since January when he made an FA Cup appearance for his previous club, West Ham, who were defeated by AFC Wimbledon by 4 goals to 2. Today, he replaced first-choice goalkeeper Alisson (who is sidelined with a calf injury) and contributed heavily to a European final victory for Liverpool.

Adrián made smart saves against shots from Mateo Kovacic and Tammy Abraham. His most impressive stop was denying Mason Mount’s bending shot, which was about to nestle in the top right-hand corner of the net if Adrian had not punched it away. The goalkeeper conceded a controversial penalty in the first half of extra time after he was seen to make contact with Chelsea’s Abraham with VAR’s approval of the referee’s decision. However, Adrián had the last laugh after his right leg stopped Abraham’s tame effort in the penalty shootout. What a night for Adrián, the penalty shoot-out hero for Liverpool.