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Glorified season friendly? It certainly didn't feel so from the way the teams fought tooth and nails for more than 2 hours to get their hands on the trophy. It certainly did not feel that way from the teams put up by their respective managers, both operating at full power.
In the end, it was Liverpool who turned out to be the successful side, a win on penalties as Adrian produced a save off Tammy Abraham to turn hero for his new team. Olivier Giroud and Jorginho had previously scored on either side of Sadio Mane's brace, taking the game beyond Extra time, and into a decision based on spot-kicks.
As always, several individual battles ultimately decided the course of the tie. Here's a look at three of them:
#1 Christian Pulisic vs Joe Gomez
It was one of the changes made by Frank Lampard to the Chelsea side after the debacle at Old Trafford, and arguably the one that made the difference between the Chelsea of Sunday and the one that showed up today at Istanbul - arguably, because N'golo Kante's start was equally impactful to the side.
Starting the American on the left, with Giroud and Pedro as the other attackers, this was the Blues at one of their most fluent attacking combinations, helped in equal parts by the tactics and the personnel. As was evident from his Derby days, Lampard's attacks involve a lot of quick one-twos between the attackers and slicing in through the middle rather than from the full-backs' crosses like the Chelsea of yesteryears.
For a tactic like that, Pulisic is an excellent fit and it was with a beautiful ball that he found Giroud to put his team in front. He would have even had a goal to his name, if not being adjudged offside - and rightly so. Yay, VAR!
Starting on the right, a young Joe Gomez did not have the best of games, and it did not help that Matip playing the centre back closest to him did not have the shrewdest of games, giving away too many balls in midfield. Also, Pulisic's pace was often a deterrent for Liverpool, and with the fear of getting caught on the counters, both Gomez and Robertson preferred staying back and not join in the offence as much as they would have liked.
#2 Virgil van Dijk vs Pedro
Probably the closest battle of tonight, matched only by the performance battle between the two goalkeepers. It is no secret that van Dijk is Liverpool's anchor at the back, the one man you need to beat before you find yourself having a shy at the goal. And even though Pedro did not exactly do that to get his name on the scoreboard, he came as close as anyone has in the recent past.
Starting on the right, it was one of Pedro's most lively performances, as he was almost everywhere on the pitch and almost exactly when he was needed. He hit the woodwork once early in the game, and had another ferocious attempt blocked - by who else but van Dijk? Not only that but he also put in an equally important defensive shift, making 4 tackles and backtracking constantly throughout the entire 120 minutes.
Van Dijk, for his part, won a massive 5 aerial tackles and had a shot on goal thwarted by a sprawling Kepa that would have been otherwise the decisive goal. Incidentally, the Dutchman ended the night with most passes attempted, completing 113 of 126 passes.
#3 N'golo Kante vs James Milner
It takes someone special to make James Milner's contribution to the game look so inconsequential. Tonight, Chelsea found that someone special in a certain little Frenchman.
Another one of the changes made by Lampard to the starting XI, this match goes to show just how irreplaceable Kante is to the process. There were several times last season where it looked like Chelsea was nothing more than a team carried by Eden Hazard and his magic, but as it turns out, it was by Kante and his tenacity.
If Kante looked a threat in attack under Sarri, an improvement from the defensive fortress he was under Conte, tonight was a masterclass in the attack. The "defensive" midfielder completed an incredible 8 dribbles, once even nutmegging a hapless James Milner, much to the delight of the fans.
This, however, did not mean that he shirked away from his defensive duties. In true Kante fashion, he was anywhere and everywhere, stopping attacks and starting them of his own accord, at times leaving the Liverpool players scratching their heads.
Milner, for his part, did not have much to do, having his hands full constantly with Kante. In the end, it did not matter anyway as he was the one with his hands on the trophy.
