“Disgrace of a footballer”, “Hurts my eyes” - Chelsea fans vilify defender for his performance against Liverpool 

Chelsea were well below par as they bowed to a superior Liverpool side in their Premier League meeting at Anfield, losing 4-1 on Wednesday, January 31. The Blues were done in by a combination of great Liverpool play and suicidal defending on their part in the game.

Mauricio Pochettino was without injured academy graduate Levi Colwill, leading to him making a change in his preferred XI. Fit-again vice-captain Ben Chilwell was handed the responsibility of starting at left-back, and the Englishman had a night to forget.

The former Leicester City man had a significant impact in their Carabao Cup win over Middlesbrough last week, as he reminded the fans of what they missed in his absence. The game against Liverpool, however, showcased a second, undesirable part of the 27-year-old's game, as he was a culprit in his side's failings.

Ben Chilwell was clearly off it in the game, but the highlights of his first half were an error leading to a goal and a dive which earned him a yellow card. Chelsea fans were far from happy with the performance of their vice-captain, and they took to X to make their feelings known.

"Our build structure reeks so so badly but watching Gallagher & Chilwell try to play football really hurts my eyes, barely ever make the right option."

"this chilwell performance is worse than bakayoko vs watford. disgrace of footballer."

Here are a few more reactions on X:

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino seemed to agree with the fans' view of the English left-back as he hauled him off at half-time. The change had no significance in the game, as Liverpool went on to coast to an easy win in the second half.

---

Liverpool trounce Chelsea to send out strong warning to title contenders

Chelsea were on a run of good form before their match against Liverpool, who have surely dented their confidence in one fell swoop. The Reds were ruthless throughout the clash as they picked up all three points in front of their fans against the Blues.

The Reds went ahead through Diogo Jota before right-back Conor Bradley doubled their advantage in the first half. Darwin Nunez, who had earlier struck the woodwork, struck it once again from the penalty spot as the half wound down.

Dominik Szoboszlai headed home a delicious cross from Bradley before Christopher Nkunku scored his second league goal for Chelsea. Luis Diaz put the icing on the cake with a 79th-minute goal, rounding off the goalscoring for the Reds.

Liverpool (51 points) now have a five-point lead over Manchester City and Arsenal as they look to claim the Premier League title. They will face Mikel Arteta's side on Sunday, February 4, in what is surely going to be a blockbuster clash.