The Reds had been through a very tough period having only won one of their last seven games before today – a 1-o away win from Plymouth Argyle – but were able to step up their performance for tonight’s clash at Anfield.
Chelsea opened the scoring on the first half as Man of the Match David Luiz stepped to take the 30-yard free-kick which he blasted into the back of the net while Simon Mignolet was still adjusting his wall.
Liverpool came back even on the second period as Giorgio Wijnaldum headed the ball in from beneath Thibaut Courtois’ saving attempt. Costa then won himself a penalty on the second period but Mignolet provided a wonderful stop to save the game for the hosts.
Despite a lousy 1-1 draw, the game was a thrilling contest and the one point we got takes us all the way up to nine points clear on top of the Premier League table! COME ON CHELSEA!
Starting Eleven:
Thibaut Courtois – 7 – Great two-handed diving save to deny Wijnaldum on the first half. However, the Dutchman’s second effort was too much for the shot stopper. Was booked near the end of the first half for time wasting – ha.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 8 – Solid performance yet again. No mistakes or running into trouble, which already makes his display as good as usual. Safe.
David Luiz – 9 – MOTM – Wonderful way to mark his 100th Premier League game for the Blues, as he stun the whole stadium with his 30-yard free-kick to give Chelsea a needed lead! Was like a tower defensively winning a good amount of headers at the back. Couldn’t do much to prevent Wijnaldum from scoring from the close range, though.
Gary Cahill – 8 – Wasn’t really to be blamed for the goal either, and he did very well overall cutting important passes and winning crucial headers from Liverpool’s thousands of long balls forward.
Victor Moses – 6 – At times, his dribbles on the right hand side were a piece of beauty itself, but a mistake from him cost us the lead. Heading Milner’s cross into the way of our own goal was some very poor piece of defending, counting in the ball-watching which even let the Englishman stay onside before the cross. Had also a chance wasted when he broke into the Liverpool box, blasting his effort wide from close range.
N’Golo Kante – 9 – Astounding performance from Kante. He was quick into every piece of defending he ever could help with, winning a magnificent 14 out of 16 attempted tackles. Was close to even assist a winning goal for Pedro on the closing stages of the game. The stat below shows how he was an exceptional player for Chelsea tonight – all over the pitch!
Nemanja Matic – 7 – Good display defensively. Helped the team with great interceptions and tackles just like Kante, but perhaps not as effectively. Attacking-wise, Fabregas could’ve come on to replace him after Liverpool’s equalizer, since the Serbian lacked the ability of launching Chelsea’s quick forwards to attack.
Marcos Alonso – 7 – Had some ups and downs during the game, but played a good game overall. Unlike many other left-backs, his ability to leap high and win headers against any height of an opponent really takes him to a whole other level.
Willian – 8 – Saw the chance to impress the boss after finally getting his chance over Pedro in the starting line-up, and took the chance pretty well. Quick feet and great work rate to help the team in both ways was very important. His free-kick was close to go in after Luiz’s goal, but Mignolet made a great reflex stop to deny him. Came off for Fabregas after Costa’s penalty miss.
Diego Costa – 5 – Poor, poor game from the Spaniard. Was unable to control the ball in few chances when the ball was well played forward to him, and was lazy running back onside after taking a run where the ball never got to him. Did well to win the penalty for the team, but since he failed to put it into the back of the net, there’s not much in it. Next time better, we all know how he loves to score against Arsenal!
Eden Hazard – 7 – Some wonderful, wonderful runs both attacking and defensive wise, but wasn’t on his best and was deservedly replaced by Pedro on the 71th minute. Won the free-kick for Luiz’s goal but didn’t achieve much else. Should’ve been there when Costa won the penalty to slot it in.
Subs:
Pedro – 7 – Instant impact from the Spanird after coming on for Hazard after 71 minutes of play. Was much more faster and hungrier to get forward than the Belgian, which caused some big troubles for the Reds defence tonight. Went close to winning the game for Chelsea with a left-footed effort from the edge of the area whistling just wide off the post.
Cesc Fabregas – 6 – Didn’t have much time to make a difference for the game, but did well to win the ball from Milner before firing Pedro on a menacing run on goal, which was only stopped by Jordan Henderson’s sublime sliding tackle.
Michy Batshuayi – N/A – Only got an upsetting 15 seconds of the injury time tonight. Not the kind of a super sub many would’ve thought him to be (I guess)!
