Chelsea were pegged back for most of the game at Anfield and Liverpool clearly were the team intent on getting the goal and the result ultimately, and although the Blues attacked at times, the defeat highlighted Liverpool’s growing stature in the Premier League.
Chelsea should be a tough opponent for any side in the Premier League but have lately become an easy target for the top sides. Liverpool were clearly in control of the game for the most part and let’s not pretend that if the goals scored by Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were not as magical, Chelsea wouldn’t still have found a way to lose the match.
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The London giants seemed happy to sit back and launch a counterattack against Liverpool, a tactic which can work to great effect at times. But not on this occasion. Liverpool were determined not to concede and Eden Hazard’s profligacy on the day helped their objectives.
Sarri says the unfortunate misses are a big reason his Chelsea side failed to win the game.
“I think it was a great game of football even though we lost. Liverpool are one of the great teams in Europe at this moment, but we stayed in the match until the end. Three months ago we wouldn’t have been able to do that. So we are improving, but it’s very difficult because here in England, the standard is really high. To close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool it will be very, very difficult. But now we are really very close to the other teams.
We were a little bit unlucky with the timing of the second goal. Of course, MoMo is outstanding, it was a wonderful goal. But then we had three chances, two with Hazard and one Higuain, and we hit the post for time number 35 of the season.”
Maurizio Sarri, Telegraph
Do you agree with Sarri?
