Liverpool continued their excellent run of form in all competitions by beating Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. It’s the third time in their last four games that the Reds have scored four goals or more and it gave Jurgen Klopp his 200th league win in charge. Young Conor Bradley made just his second appearance in the league and scored in a statement performance against Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
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Conor Bradley Shines, Again!
Conor Bradley continued his excellent form at right-back for the Reds, registering two more assists and netting his first-ever goal for the club. The Northern Ireland international has been a sensation since stepping in to cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold following the latter’s injury picked up at the start of January. Alexander-Arnold did return from his absence against Norwich, coming on off the bench, and many expected him to be in the starting eleven for this game.
Bradley kept his spot however and it turned out to be an inspired decision by Klopp with Liverpool’s Number 84 winning the ball and supplying the pass for the first goal, scoring the second and then providing a perfect cross to assist the third.
It gives the 20-year-old six-goal contributions in his last four matches and it was no surprise when he left the game in the 68th minute that he received a well-deserved standing ovation.
Jota Continues Fine Form Against Chelsea
If replacing Alexander-Arnold is difficult, then covering for Mohamed Salah should be near impossible, however Liverpool’s right-hand side has been well supplied up top as well, this time in the shape of Diogo Jota. The Portugal international opened the scoring with a run through the heart of the Chelsea defence to make it four goals and two assists for the Portugal international since Liverpool have been without their Egyptian star.
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The Liverpool Number 20 had a big hand in the second goal, occupying Ben Chilwell to create space for Bradley to score whilst he also won the penalty in the first half that Darwin Nunez was unable to convert. It’s not just goals that Jota offers this Liverpool side though. The high press that is synonymous with the Reds was at its peak at the start of the game and Jota was at the heart of that.
Liverpool Win the Midfield Battle
Much was made of the midfield battle in this match, particularly in the form of Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo. The pair played together at Brighton last season and both could have ended up at Liverpool this year. Caicedo was, for a short period, seemingly heading for Anfield last summer after Brighton accepted a bid from Liverpool only for the Ecuadorian to prefer a move to Chelsea.
It’s safe to say that Mac Allister won the midfield battle in this game, winning seven tackles, the most of anyone in the match, whilst no Liverpool player made more passes than the Number 10. Caicedo, by contrast, didn’t win any tackles and struggled to have any significant impact on the game.
The Argentinian capped off his excellent performance with a sublime threaded pass into Nunez which resulted in Liverpool’s final goal while his teammate and fellow midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai, was the scorer of the third.
Darwin Nunez Loves (or Hates) the Woodwork
Darwin Nunez’s enduring relationships with the woodwork continued against Chelsea. The Uruguayan hit the right-hand post of the Anfield Road end via a touch from Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic before striking the same post from the penalty spot later in the half.
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Nunez’s bad fortune continued in the second half as he headed Andy Roberton’s left-footed delivery against the crossbar when it looked easier to score. Liverpool’s Number 9 had struck the woodwork eight times in the league before this game, the most in the division and five times more than anyone else.
The striker did contribute to the goals in the end though with an assist for Luis Diaz for Liverpool’s fourth to take Nunez up to 11 assists in all competitions this season. The win keeps Liverpool top of the pile and five points clear of Manchester City although Pep Guardiola’s side do have a game in hand. The Reds face a tricky away trip to Arsenal on Sunday 4th February next.
