Liverpool stumbled to another last-gasp defeat on Saturday as they were deservedly beaten 2–1 by Chelsea in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool travelled to Stamford Bridge having been brought crashing back down to earth by Crystal Palace and then Galatasaray. They had also witnessed Arsenal leapfrog them in top spot earlier in the day, intensifying the pressure ahead of a crunch clash in west London.
Unfortunately for the Reds, things got worse within 14 minutes in the capital. Moisés Caicedo, who notably rejected a transfer to Liverpool two years ago, opened the scoring for Chelsea in style, rattling his 20-yard drive into Giorgi Mamardashvili’s top corner. For the third straight match, Arne Slot’s side trailed.
Liverpool opted to weather the storm rather than go on the offensive after falling behind, struggling to overcome the intensity of Chelsea’s press once they entered the final third. They watched helplessly as Alejandro Garnacho clipped the outside of the post and only managed two shots themselves before the break—Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexander Isak spurning great opportunities.
Florian Wirtz had been relegated to bench at kick-off but was called upon to energise Liverpool after the restart. An audacious backheel immediately after his arrival released Mohamed Salah, but the ex-Chelsea forward fired wide on his weaker right foot.
Liverpool grew in confidence after the German’s entrance and found themselves a much-needed equaliser shortly after the hour mark. There was an element of fortune about the goal as Isak’s touch inside the penalty area dropped kindly for Cody Gakpo, but the Dutchman made no mistake from four yards as he fired into the roof of the net.
As Liverpool watched both of Chelsea’s centre backs trudge off with injuries, it seemed the pieces were falling into place for a comeback victory. The onus was on the Reds to break down their wounded hosts, but they were instead reliant on two super saves from Giorgi Mamardashvili to keep them level in the final 10 minutes.
Liverpool appeared to have nicked a point despite Chelsea finishing on top, but for the second weekend running they sunk to a stoppage-time defeat. More lackadaisical defending was punished as Estêvão tapped in the winner in the 96th minute, condemning Arne Slot to three successive losses for the first time in his Liverpool tenure.
Another dismal performance leaves the Reds second heading into the international break—and in desperate need of a response on their return.
Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Chelsea
Subs not used: Freddie Woodman (GK), Jeremie Frimpong, Joe Gomez, Federico Chiesa.
Player of the Match: Marc Cucurella
Liverpool Player of the Match: Cody Gakpo
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Robert Sánchez; Malo Gusto, Josh Acheampong, Benoît Badiashile, Marc Cucurella; Reece James, Moisés Caicedo; Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernández, Alejandro Garnacho; João Pedro.
Subs: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Gabriel Slonina (GK), Jorrel Hato, Landon Emenalo, Roméo Lavia, Estêvão, Jamie Gittens, Facundo Buonanotte, Marc Guiu.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Chelsea: Reds Sink to Another Last-Gasp Defeat .
