Liverpool entertained Chelsea at Anfield in the third round of the Carabao Cup earlier tonight hoping to maintain their 100% winning record this season. To the surprise of many, the Pensioners dominated more in the first half while the Reds played on the counter. Both teams created some good opportunities to score in the first 45 minutes but were lacking the cutting edge in the attacking third.
Jurgen Klopp’s men began the second half dominantly and broke the deadlock through Daniel Sturridge’s acrobatic finish in the 58th minute. However, Chelsea came alive in the final quarter and scored two goals in 6 minutes through Emerson Palmieri and Eden Hazard to come away with a 2-1 victory on the night.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player fared during the contest against the Pensioners.
GK: Simon Mignolet – 6/10
He made a few excellent saves to deny Chelsea but couldn’t keep a clean sheet tonight.
RB: Nathaniel Clyne – 6/10
He worked hard for the team and linked up well with Shaqiri on the right flank. The English right-back did his defensive duties well to cap off a solid return to action in Klopp’s first-team.
CB: Joel Matip – 6/10
The centre-back commanded the Reds defence quite well but was unlucky to concede two goals during the match.
CB: Dejan Lovren – 5.5/10
A welcome return to action for the Croatian defender. He was good on the ball but dropped his concentration for Palmieri’s goal when he was a bit slow to react to the rebound after Mignolet’s initial save.
LB: Alberto Moreno – 5.5/10
The Spaniard looked shaky and has a habit of diving into challenges which is always a risk. However, he linked up well with Mane and created some good opportunities in the opposition half.
CM: James Milner – 6.5/10
Another tireless performance from the veteran midfielder! He battled hard during his time on the pitch before being rested for most of the second half.
CM: Fabinho – 6.5/10
The Brazilian did the dirty work in midfield and was accurate with his distribution from the centre of the park.
CM: Naby Keita – 6/10
The Guinean was quite useful in the first half, but his impact on the match faded during the latter stages of the game. He gave away the free-kick which led to Palmieri’s equaliser which would disappoint him.
RM: Xherdan Shaqiri – 7/10
The Swiss speedster worked hard for the Reds down the right flank and was Liverpool’s best weapon going forward. He would be disappointed not to score on the night.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – 6/10
The English centre-forward got loads of chances to score in the second half and could convert from only one of his attempts which ultimately cost Liverpool the victory.
LM: Sadio Mané – 6/10
The Senegalese used his pace quite effectively down the left flank and was the only one in the Liverpool team who was willing to get behind the Chelsea backline.
Substitutes:
CM: Jordan Henderson – 5.5/10
Not the best display from the Reds captain as he was too aggressive with his challenges and was guilty of giving away the ball on quite a few occasions.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 6/10
He was sharp with his touches in the opposition half but failed to score after coming off the bench.
ST: Mohamed Salah – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact in the game.
