Liverpool suffered a Premier League celebration hangover as they surrendered an early goal and could never recover during a 3-1 loss to Chelsea.
First Half
Salah forced a Chelsea save in the opening seconds of the match, but it was Chelsea who scored. Enzo Fernández found the back of the net from close range in the fourth minute as the Blues led 1-0.
Cody Gakpo forced a save in the 9th minute as Liverpool began to control the match. Trent Alexander-Arnold had a pair of shots blocked as Chelsea played a deeper line, looking to strike on the counterattack. Even though Liverpool controlled the majority of possession, nearly 70 per cent in the first half, they only had two shots on goal as they trailed 1-0.
First Half Analysis
Not much is going on for Liverpool in the opening 45 minutes. They played better after conceding the early goal. I expect lots of substitutes in the second half. They can provide an equaliser.
Second Half
Alisson was forced into action, making a save early in the second half, but things went from bad to worse for the Reds. Jarell Quansah deflected the ball into the back of the net for an own goal in the 56th minute.
Liverpool earned a corner in the 62nd minute, but Virgil van Dijk's header was high. A free kick in a dangerous area came moments later, but the Reds could not convert. Kostas Tsimikas forced a save, and Darwin Nunez just missed a header.
Nunez nearly scored again in the 71st minute, but he could not get enough power on the shot. The story of near misses continued as Salah put a header wide in the 77th minute. Cole Palmer hit the inside of the post for Chelsea.
Van Dijk pulled a goal back in the 85th minute as he got a head to Alexis Mac Allister's header, but they could not find an equaliser. Palmer put the match to bed for Chelsea with a penalty deep in stoppage time as Liverpool went down to a 3-1 defeat.
Second Half Analysis
I feel bad for Jarell Quansah. Not only did he score the own goal, but he also committed the foul that led to the penalty. If Liverpool had played the full 90 like they did the final 20 minutes, they might have won the game, but that was always a big ask after the celebrations of last week.
Second Half Spurt
Liverpool had seven shots after just having two in the first half. Most of that success came in the final 20 minutes after players such as Conor Bradley and Darwin Nunez came on the pitch. They also maintained good possession numbers throughout the match. Van Dijk's header in the 85th minute also means the Reds have found the score sheet for 31 straight EPL matches.
Should We Be Worried?
Jarell Quansah was thought to be the replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold should he leave for Real Madrid at season's end. After his poor performance today, is Quansah really the long-term solution? This may be the wake-up call that Slot and others needed to go look for a defender on the transfer market.
What Does Slot Say?
Supporters will likely shrug this off as a meaningless game, but not Slot.
“Nothing good comes from losing a game of football, but if I have to take the positives, there were definitely a few positives. Dominating ball possession at Stamford Bridge is not what many teams do over here because Chelsea are so comfortable with the ball as well. Being 2-0 down, don't give up, try to fight ourselves back into the game - and that's what we did.”
"We already had two big chances which we didn't score, and then Chelsea were on the counter-attack a few times [and] very threatening. Then, when we scored for 2-1, I was like, 'Let's see if there's something in it…' but I don't think there was a moment where we were close to scoring a goal.”
"In the end, a correct penalty being given and Chelsea won it 3-1. Maybe [it was] the opposite from the home game, where they dominated possession and we won. Now it was the opposite."
LFC Globe Verdict
This is just Liverpool's third loss of the EPL, so there is no need to overreact. There were six changes to the Starting XI to give some younger guys a chance to play, which is a positive. Stil,l these younger players will have to play a larger role next year, so I hope they use the last three games of the season to improve.”
Man Of The Match
Conor Bradley. The youngster made a big impact after coming on near the hour mark. He was able to push up the pitch and work his way into good positions, but his teammates could not finish after he had set them up with some beautiful balls.
What's Next?
Liverpool will host Arsenal at Anfield on Mother's Day, May 11th. Kickoff is set for 16:30 BST.
Goals
Chelsea
- Enzo Fernández 4'
- Own Goal 56'
- Cole Palmer (Penalty) 90+'
Liverpool
- Virgil van Dijk 85'
Substitutes
Chelsea
- Jadon Sancho for Nicholas Jackson 72'
- Malo Gusto for Romeo Lavia 78'
- Reece James for Enzo Fernandez 88'
Liverpool
- Conor Bradley for Trent Alexander-Arnold 57'
- Darwin Nunez for Diogo Jota 58'
- Dominik Szoboszlai for Harvey Elliott 69'
- Alexis Mac Allister for Wataru Endo 69'
- Federico Chiesa for Kostas Tsimikas 82'
