Chelsea fall short against Liverpool: Five talking points

Liverpool registered their 15th consecutive league win after defeating Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were the better side overall, but they couldn’t capitalize on their chances, which cost them three points.

The Reds have won all their six games in the ongoing Premier League and are currently league leaders with 16 points. The second-placed, Manchester City registered a thumping 8-0 win over Watford, but they still find themselves five points below Liverpool.

Also, Liverpool’s current 12+ goal difference is their joint-highest after six games in the Premier League. The last time the Reds achieved this feat was in last season.

Without further ado, let's check out the five talking points from the clash between Chelsea and Liverpool:

5) Liverpool – undisputed set-piece experts

Liverpool’s first goal came from the free-kick that they won right outside the box. Mohamed Salah flicked the ball behind, and Trent Alexander-Arnold took no time in firing the ball into the top right corner of the goal.

The Reds’ second goal came from the left flank. Alexander-Arnold was once again involved as he took the first touch of the free-kick before Andrew Robertson sailed the ball inside the box. Roberto Firmino was the quickest player inside the 30-yard area as he headed the ball into the back of the net.

This was Liverpool’s 34th goal from a set-piece since the beginning of last season, which is seven goals more than any other team in the division.

4) Alexander-Arnold rises to the occasion

In an interview with Sunday morning newspaper, Alexander-Arnold told, “Scoring more goals is something I’d like to improve,”

He added, “The modern-day full-back needs to be so attacking, needs to offer a lot to the side, whether that be chances created, assists, passes, through balls. Why not take it a step further and add four or five goals in to help the team?”

Well, he did stand up to the occasion and bagged his chance perfectly. His calm and composed finish that gave no chance to Kepa Arrizabalaga got Liverpool upfront in a crucial away fixture.

Along with scoring a goal, Alexander-Arnold made seven clearances and two key passes in the game. The Englishman and Robertson are also one of the reasons behind Liverpool’s success in the recent time. Both the full-backs not only help their side in stopping goals but also go up front and get themselves involved in the goals.

3) Chelsea’s lack of discipline at the back

Chelsea’s full-backs did their job perfectly as both Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson succeeded in keeping Salah and Sadio Mane silent throughout the game. Their center-backs, however, failed to follow their duties.

The first goal came from the free-kick, which was unnecessarily given to Liverpool. Andreas Christensen caught Mane from behind right at the edge of the box. The ball was behind Senegalese and there was no chance that he could send it at the back of the net from that angle.

The second goal also came from a set-piece. This time Marcos Alonso was at fault as he failed to mark Firmino. The Chelsea defender was comfortably standing behind the Brazilian and didn’t notice the striker’s movement.

Due to this lack of judgement, Chelsea have already conceded 13 goals in the ongoing Premier League season. The Blues have conceded third-highest number of goals, Norwich City and Watford are the two sides who have conceded more than them.

2) Another good day at work for Adrian

When Liverpool bought Adrian in the summer transfer window, everybody thought that he won’t get a chance to play for the Reds as they already had Alisson Becker at the goal post. The Brazilian, however, suffered an injury and that provided Adrian a chance to prove himself.

The Spaniard’s penalty shootout heroics at the Super Cup flagged off his Liverpool career. Since then, he has performed admirably at the back, providing Jurgen Klopp much needed security in Alisson’s absence.

Adrian once again stood firm at the goal in a clash against Chelsea. Before Liverpool could double their lead, Tammy Abraham had a one-on-one chance to score against the Spaniard. The Liverpool goalkeeper made no mistake and stood his ground. The Chelsea striker took a shot, but Adrian got his body and blocked the shot with his leg.

1) Liverpool’s midfield needs to buckle up

Liverpool were lucky to win three points at Stamford Bridge. The home side was a better team throughout the game, however, their own mistakes cost them a win here.

The Reds’ midfield was miserable, they lost the ball on many occasions. Chelsea’s midfield, on the other hand, used their chances perfectly and controlled the game from midfield. If it wasn’t to those two set-pieces, maybe Chelsea would have succeeded in winning some points.

The Reds have five points lead over the second-placed Manchester City, but it’s not too much. Also, Liverpool had seven points lead in the last season as well, but they could only manage to finish at the second position.

The Liverpool midfielders have to raise the bar of their performance because you can’t be lucky every day. Also, with the Citizens as your competitor, there is very little room for errors.\

Cover picture credits: Bleacher Report