Chelsea 1-3 Liverpool: 5 Talking Points

Liverpool beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to give Jose Mourinho his sixth defeat in the league this season in 11 games. There was a lot of hype regarding this game at Stamford Bridge and both sides lived up to it.Chelsea took the lead early on with Ramires scoring in the fourth minute. But soon after, things began to go downhill for the Blues. Liverpool levelled just before the break and thereafter put the game to the sword with two goals in the second half.We look at the 5 major talking points from the game.

#1 Klopp\'s era has begun at Liverpool

Juergen Klopp’s arrival at Liverpool was met with a lot of fanfare and excitement. Amongst the Liverpool fans, there was a sense of optimism that the former Borussia Dortmund manager would deliver. Five games on and it finally looks like results are beginning to come.

Ever since his arrival, Liverpool under Klopp have played some exciting football but the results had not been good enough. There were a few draws and a 1-0 win against Bournemouth in the League Cup. However, from the German’s point of view, there couldn’t have been a more appropriate occasion for him to stamp his authority in the Premier League.

A 3-1 win against Chelsea which could well end Jose Mourinho’s time at Chelsea. Rather curiously, it was a defeat against Klopp’s Dortmund sid that signalled the end of the Portuguese manager’s time at Real Madrid in the 2013 Champions League semi-finals.

#2 Diego Costa fails again

The former Atletico Madrid man was a top player for the Blues last season en route to their league title win, scoring 20 goals. But this season, he looks a shadow of his former self. The Brazil-born Spanish striker has failed to fire in front of the goal time and again this season. Adding to that, he seems to be lacking the hunger to deliver.

Against Liverpool, Costa was poor, to say the least. He chased balls but could do little with it at his feet. And he hardly threatened Simon Mignolet in the opposition goal.

Costa was brilliant for Atletico two seasons back and his form then spilled over to Chelsea where he did well too. But football is all about living in the present. If Costa is to be remembered as a deadly striker, then he will have to redeem himself soon.

He needs to buck up as his form is also crucial to whatever Chelsea want to achieve this season as altercations with opposition defenders will not help in the long run at all.

#3 Philippe Coutinho is key to Liverpool\'s success

No, it is not Daniel Sturridge. Neither is it summer signing Christian Benteke. Liverpool’s main man this season has to be Brazilian midfielder Phillipe Coutinho. The creative midfielder has been in the midst of all things good for Liverpool this season. He scored in the opening game against Stoke and did so against Mourinho’s men as well.

He scored twice at the Bridge and came really close to what would have been a memorable hat-trick. The first goal was a cracker and Coutinho seems to be making a name for himself scoring goals by curling it into the back of the net. Had he not been there for the Reds today, things could have turned out to be different.

Klopp has always had creative players in his side and he is lucky to have Coutinho at Liverpool. For this, he perhaps has to thank former manager Brendan Rodgers who spotted the former Inter man’s talent and roped him in.

#4 Is Eden no longer a Hazard?

Much like his team, last season’s PFA Player of the Year’s performances this time have been below par. Eden Hazard is nowhere near to being as good as he was last season. What could be the reason?

The runs down the left, the long balls and the dribbles; everything seems to be lacking. Defenders no longer have difficulty dealing with him and from Chelsea’s point of view is really sad.

The Belgian is low on confidence, but apart from that, there appears to be no new dimension to his game. A lot was expected of the player who is often compared with the likes of Messi and Ronaldo but so far, things have been disappointing.

Whether he will be dealt with just like Mourinho handled Juan Mata and Kevin De Bruyne remains to be seen.

#5 End of the road for Jose Mourinho?

The run up to this game was characterised by rumours that a defeat at the hands of Jurgen Klopp’s side would signal the end of Jose Mourinho’s second stint at Stamford Bridge. Though there hasn’t been any official statement from the club, it could be safe to say that the Portuguese boss is certainly not going to be there for long.

The start to the season has been shocking for Chelsea who have now suffered three defeats at home in the league – six in all matches so far. A lack of confidence along with some poor mistakes have led to the downfall of the defending champions this season. There can be no denying that the team needs something fresh to come in. And a new manager could do just that.

Mourinho has been at the top for a really long time and a bad season like this just shows that he is after all human. As far as employment is concerned, he does not have to worry. There are plenty of top clubs that would like to have him.

But at Chelsea, his time maybe be up.