LONDON — This was a truly wonderful encounter in west London on Saturday, as Chelsea won late on against Liverpool thanks to a 96th-minute winner from Estevao.
Enzo Maresca running down the touchline in celebration will go down in Chelsea folklore as they secured a huge, and deserved, win in their season.
Both teams have had to deal with injury problems, a lack of form and fatigue, but it was Chelsea who prevailed deep into stoppage time to send their fans wild.
The game was end-to-end chaos and it was brilliant drama, but Chelsea broke through and won it late on as their subs changed the game.
Both Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot saw similar issues continue to hamper both Chelsea and Liverpool, but there were also positives for both and Maresca was so delighted with the win that he was given a second yellow card for celebrating on the sidelines.
Here’s a look what we learned overall from Chelsea vs Liverpool.
Chelsea’s press and energy bamboozled Liverpool
In the first half Chelsea swarmed all over Liverpool and their energy levels were truly incredible as they set the tone for a gutsy win. The Blues couldn’t keep it up for most of the second half, but overall the difference in energy levels between the two teams was striking. When Liverpool had the ball at the back in the first half, Chelsea pressed high and went to a 4-1-4-1 formation with Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez pushing high on Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch as Chelsea went man-to-man. The Blues couldn’t keep up that energy but they showed how to totally unsettle Liverpool as Arne Slot’s side had no control in the first half and were lucky the Blues weren’t more clinical to score two or three in the first half and put the game to bed. Once again Liverpool gave up big chances on the transition and they looked so vulnerable at the back. Chelsea regained their energy late on after they made plenty of subs and that is why they won it, as Maresca was ecstatic with their intensity and endeavor.
Liverpool have a Salah problem
He barely had a kick in the first half and in the second half he put a great chance tamely into the side-netting early, then curled two other great opportunities way over the bar. Mohamed Salah has looked way off the pace early in the season and it was always going to be tough for him to replicate his otherworldly form from last season. But this season his form has seen a huge drop off, and it’s also leaving the right side of Liverpool’s defense exposed. Conor Bradley was hooked off at half time after being left trying to deal with the marauding Alejandro Garnacho and Marc Cucurella on his own. Salah is obviously one of the greatest players in Premier League history and he will surely turn on the magic at some point. But Slot has a big decision to make after the international break about how to rejuvenate his attack. Moving Salah into a more central role, or taking him out altogether for a while, may not be the worse move right now. Salah looks spent.
Chelsea’s amazing squad depth means they will make a deep run
By the end of this game Chelsea were missing five center backs through injury and another through suspension, yet they could still finish the game with a back four of Gusto, James, Hato and Cucurella. They rotated their attack and midfield with Lavia, Guiu, Estevao and Gittens all coming on and making a massive difference. In comparison Liverpool took off their right back and center back (Bradley and Konate) and still had Wirtz, Jones, Endo and Ekitike to bring on as they leaned on the versatility of Szoboszlai and Gravenberch. But it wasn’t enough. Chelsea basically have three players for every position and that squad depth, especially given their issues with defensive injuries and fatigue, is why they will be up there with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City in the title race when all is said and done this season.
