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Chelsea came back from behind to inflict Liverpool's first defeat of the season and progress to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. A goal from former Blues striker Daniel Sturridge had put the Reds in front, but Emerson's tap-in and Eden Hazard's magical goal maintained Maurizio Sarri's unbeaten run as Chelsea boss.
Chelsea began the game with larger share of possession as the hosts' midfield took a while to settle. The likes of James Milner and Naby Keita didn't get close enough to the dominant duo of Ross Barkley and Cesc Fabregas, who dictated the play at will. For the first half an hour, Sarri's men created the better chances with Alvaro Morata in on goal on two occasions.
However, they were clawed back by the counter-pressing led by Xherdan Shaqiri and Sadio Mane. While the latter saw his header saved by Willy Caballero, the Swiss international picked the opponents' pockets very often in the dying stages of the first 45 minutes. What followed just after the commencement of the second-half was a shock to everybody inside Anfield, as Sturridge missed an open goal.
Although he scored again, it cost his side in the end as the result didn't go their way. The visitors looked shaky at the back and Liverpool continued to knock on the door, but poor finishing and a late flourish from the West London side knocked the stuffing out of them. Without further ado, let's analyse three reasons why Chelsea upstaged Liverpool.
#1 Sarri's substitutions
Sarri made three substitutions against Liverpool. In the 56th minute, he brought on Hazard for Willian. N'Golo Kante was substituted in place of Mateo Kovacic, whereas David Luiz replaced Andreas Christensen.
Starting off with Christensen, the Dane struggled to pick passes or start attacks quickly. As a result, Chelsea lost possession. The 22-year-old also blindly passed it to Sturridge, who missed the open goal. After Klopp's side recycled possession repeatedly, Sarri decided to bring on Luiz. The Brazilian not only marshalled the defence, but was also excellent with the ball.
Although Kante needs to sharpen his passing in the final third, the midfielder offered truckloads of energy and pressing display. Due to his advanced position, Fabregas established control in midfield a bit more. The Frenchman also enforced the Reds' defence to play longer.
Next up, Eden Hazard. The Belgian wasn't involved too much since coming on due to the run of play going Livepool's way, but as they say, world-class players know exactly how to work their magic. In the end, he left a sense of confusion with a moment of individual brilliance. Also to mention, fatigue might have affected Willian, who started back-to-back matches - against PAOK Salonika and West Ham United.
#2 Determination and desire to hold on
Clearly, Chelsea were way off the pace in the second-half. Chances were created and offered to Liverpool on a platter. While Christensen played Sturridge in with a back pass, Barkley blindly directed a header towards Caballero knowing little about the presence of Mane.
Firstly, credit to Caballero for making two crucial saves. Although both those open chances could have easily been dispatched, the Argentine shot-stopper closed Mane and Sturridge down decisively. Sturridge struck the frame of the goal once as well. Shaqiri constantly caused problems to Emerson.
Apart from that, Cesc Fabregas and Ross Barkley competently supported the defence. They avoided long shots, ran the extra yards and closed players down. Thanks to their contribution, Caballero faced lesser shots on his goal than he should have. In the end, the visitors covered more kilometres than their opponents.
Their hunger to search for chances despite being a goal down and on the wrong side of the run of play deserves a huge bow. Sometimes, attractive football may not get the team over the line. It requires drive, determination and desire to hold on.
#3 Eden Hazard's moment of pure magic
Eden Hazard stole the show and snatched a victory from under Liverpool's nose with a beauty. As aforementioned, the 27-year-old wasn't all too involved in the game apart from a couple of flicks and back-heels.
When it looked like Chelsea would concede two or three more goals, they found their way back into the game courtesy of a goal from Emerson.
Less than five minutes later, Eden Hazard produced a sensational solo effort. Hazard picked up the ball in midfield, cut past two red shirts and exchanged passes with Azpilicueta. He drove infield, avoided a loose challenge, turned past a defender and lashed an unstoppable bullet past a static Simon Mignolet. There was no stopping that.
Very rarely does one witness an individual effort turning into the reason for victory, but this was something special - to go out there and win it amidst at a buzzing Anfield atmosphere. Take a look at his match-winner.
