Lovren and Henderson fire Reds to hard-earned victory

This was their third league win and, after Arsenal and Leicester City, their third big scalp. They should have beaten Tottenham Hotspur too, which is why, five games in and in fourth place, they already look like a very serious team.

This was a draining game under lights, as Liverpool dominated the first half and took a deserved 2-0 lead. They had to spend much of the second half defending, after conceding to Diego Costa. But Jurgen Klopp’s team then put in a heroic effort to withstand the momentum-change in the game, holding off waves of Chelsea attacks. Even after all the running they did in the first half, they still had just enough in the tank to keep going at the end.

This started like a model for what Premier League football is like in 2016, and the direction it will continue to go in. Two intense workaholic teams, coached by men that they reflect, tearing around the pitch at full speed. What was interesting, and perhaps surprising, was that in the first have Liverpool were better at it.

Even without Roberto Firmino, Jurgen Klopp’s favourite player, the man who takes the attack to the opposition like no-one else, Liverpool were still too quick and strong for Chelsea. They defended when they had to but when they played on the front foot they squeezed Chelsea all the way back into their half.

Chelsea were rattled and with John Terry out injured there was no-one for their defence to cohere around. This was David Luiz’s second debut, and while he has played alongside these teammates before, it was more than two years ago, and it showed. Chelsea got their marking completely wrong when Philippe Coutinho swung a right-footed cross into the box. Liverpool somehow had three men over at the far post, and the furthest of them, Dejan Lovren, put the ball into the net.

That goal was routine but the second was spectacular, a further reward for Liverpool’s pressure and ambition. Gary Cahill skewed a weak clearance to Jordan Henderson, 30 yards from goal. Before a blue shirt could stop him he angled a dipping shot into the far top corner for the net, above Thibaut Courtois’ hands but just under the bar.

There was a period early in the second half when Liverpool had this game exactly where they wanted it. They were passing the ball casually around midfield, they always had a threat on the break, and their noisy fans were singing about how easy it all way.

All Liverpool had to do was dig in and defend properly, but just when they looked secure, they allowed themselves to be opened up. Oscar had the ball on the left and played in Nemanja Matic, darting down to the by-line. With surprisingly nimble feet he skipped away from Joel Matip and cut the ball back. Costa tapped in his fifth goal of the season.

Suddenly the atmosphere was completely transformed, and Chelsea’s momentum and confidence made them feel like favourites, even from behind. They were playing more direct, more purposeful football and within minutes Costa should have had another. Branislav Ivanovic drove a forward ball from right-back, Oscar nodded it down, but when Costa collected and turned he could not beat Simon Mignolet.

This felt like Chelsea’s moment but it started to fade as a patchy Liverpool team settled back into the game. Recovering their composure they started to pass the ball again, keeping it away from Chelsea’s weary chasers. They started to find gaps and Divock Origi, on for Daniel Sturridge, should have beaten Courtois at the far post from James Milner’s deflected cross.

It was only after that save, with seven minutes left, that Conte turned to his bench. He had left it unusually unused up to that point. Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro all came on, hoping to provide the pace and spark that had been missing from Chelsea’s play for too much of the evening. Liverpool, by this point, looked exhausted after all the running they had been through, and with changes made earlier on.

Fabregas’ passing gave them extra options, starting a move which allowed Hazard to trip himself over Lucas Leiva’s leg on the edge of the box. Luiz stood over it but Fabregas took it, and his curled free-kick thumped straight into the middle of the wall. The three substitutions had come too late, and the three points belonged to Liverpool.

Source: Independent

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