Last night, Chelsea lost 2-1 to Liverpool in a closely contested encounter at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool continued their impressive gathering of momentum in the Premier League as they were responsible for ending Antonio Conte’s unbeaten run in the league as Chelsea’s manager with a hard-won victory at Stamford Bridge, and subsequently moved up into the top four.
Klopp’s Liverpool looks to be taking shape
Liverpool is looking more like the team Klopp wants with every performance as they produced another impressive performance against Chelsea. Dejan Lovren started the scoring with his first Premier League goal for the Reds. His goal came in the 17th minute after he was left unmarked at Courtois’ back post, and was free to volley the ball into the back of the net.
The Reds may remain on the edge of the title race but impressive victories such as last night’s, and their 4-1 smashing of last year’s champions Leicester, will be sure to give the players confidence to go and get the results they need.
Two of Liverpool’s biggest summer signings played a key role in the game, with Georginio Wijnaldum’s steady presence in the midfield and Mane’s pace being a pain in Chelsea’s defence from beginning to end. Furthermore, Milner was, once again, a reliable left-back and proved why Klopp was not bothered about rushing into the market to buy a replacement left-back.
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They may still be a work in progress but Liverpool is slowly looking to returning to a worrying presence in the league. There are still questions that need to be answered like when they produce poor performances such as the winding loss against Burnley earlier in the season. But they showed at Stamford Bridge that Klopp is moving them in the right direction.
Is Henderson back to his old ways?
Henderson once again produced an impressive performance, like the one against Leicester last Saturday. With a more than impressive goal in the 36th minute, Henderson looked to trump his doubters. He showed he has the potential to be a Gerrard-esque captain that can steer Liverpool in the right direction.
In the opening of the season Henderson looked to be half the player he was during the 2013-2014 season, and with a poor performance against Burnley, looked to be a disappointment with no end product. But just like Lallana, he now looks refreshed and seems a vital cog in the midfield machine. His presence in the midfield and eye for passes were evident during the game last night, and his goal showed he has the potential to change the course of a game if necessary.
With a long way still to go this season, it would be brilliant if Henderson can keep his form and help Liverpool achieve the heights they should be reaching.
Both Klopp and Lovren spoke about last night’s win with great praise for the side and ambition to continue working hard.
Klopp told reporters after the game, “It was a satisfying win of course. From the first second, we had unbelievably good movement. We were quick in mind. We did really well. We deserved the lead at half-time.
“We have to learn how to manage the game plan. So often this season Chelsea scored in the last few seconds with a direct style. But I can’t remember too many chances from them. We had a few moments where we weren’t so good but that’s normal against a good team.
“We played football like hell. It was really nice to watch. In the second half it was a bit more difficult. After their goal, we managed it well.”
A bruised Lovren spoke about the game’s difficulty but praised the team’s efforts and football, he even had time to mention his first Premier league goal.
“It is always a tough game here but I thought we did brilliantly. In the first half, I thought it was our best football of the season.
“It’s always good to score but the most important thing is the three points. The spirit is perfect so we just need to keep working.”
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