Chelsea’s quest to secure Champions League football will have to wait until Sunday after they were defeated 5-3 by Liverpool at Anfield ahead of the Premier League title winners’ trophy celebrations. Christian Pulisic cheered his team off the bench with a goal and an assist, but the Blues still need a point against Wolverhampton Wanderers in their final encounter to have a place in the top four.
Positive
Chelsea started the game well, despite going in at halftime with 3-1. If they can start similarly against the Wolves and continue that way, then they will have a good chance of getting a result. The threat of attack displayed after Frank Lampard’s substitutions will be very encouraging.
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Negative
By accepting, Chelsea set his record for the Premier League season on just a clean sheet, which is very concerning for Lampard. Only Norwich City have conceded the most goals from the corners in the Premier League this period, and it was easy to see why. Overall, there’s so much they need to work on defensively before next season.
Manager rating 10
6 6 – Lampard could not do much more defensively, as he deployed three centrals. However, you will find that you need to find a way to make them more difficult to score. Their substitutions had an instant impact, even if it was not enough to get the point they need to ensure their place in the top four.
Player Ratings (1-10; 10 = Better, Players submitted after 70 minutes do not get a rating)
GK Kepa Arrizabalaga, 4 – There were times when he faced any threat on his target well, but Kepa can be as indecisive, as was demonstrated towards the end, when his choice not to go out gave Virgil van Dijk a chance that he should have kept. He was caught flat-footed on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s excellent free kick.
DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 5 His clearance that led to the first game wasn’t the best, but he fought well at all times, even if he fought to keep Sadio Mane at bay at times.
DF Kurt Zouma, 6 – There were times when the Frenchman needed to be more dominant, considering his role as the central figure for Chelsea’s bottom three. However, he covered his central teammates well on points, especially when Mohamed Salah fell behind.
DF Antonio Rudiger, 4 – The German struggled to deal with Salah at times, but he persevered and often bounced back well when defending from deep inside. His struggles became clearer when Chelsea defended further up the field, when he was hit by the pace and was unable to re-enter.
MF Reece James, 6 – He was on the wrong side of the scoreboard, but he still had a decent performance, including some quality balls in the box, like the one led by Mason Mount.
MF Mateo Kovacic, 5 – He may feel very hard about the free kick given against him by Liverpool’s second, although his defense was shocking for the Reds’ third.
MF Jorginho, 5 – The Italian had periods when he saw a lot of the ball but could not do too much with it. He competed quite well in the second half, although Andrew Robertson selected him for the fifth.
MF Marcos Alonso, 4 – Some of his balls in the box were dangerous. However, he was not consistent enough on the defensive as he could have put more pressure on Alexander-Arnold for Liverpool’s fourth place and almost gave Salah a shot at a plate.
FW Willian, 6 – He was so weak losing possession for the first game, although it was the Brazilian’s shot that led Olivier Giroud to score Chelsea’s first game.
FW Olivier Giroud, 7 – He showed a predatory instinct to achieve his goal, after having endured long periods in which he saw absolutely nothing of the ball.
FW Mason Mount, 5 – He got into good positions and made intelligent races, but he lacked quality in his final product throughout the game. He was practically invisible during his time on the field in the second half.
Substitutes
Tammy Abraham 8 – I replaced Giroud in the 59th minute and went up to the scoreboard almost immediately; He was also a willing runner on the canals.
Callum Hudson-Odoi 7 – He replaced Willian in the 59th minute and assisted Pulisic well, offering a threat behind the Liverpool defense.
Christian Pulisic, 9 – He replaced Mount in the 59th minute and made an instant impact, setting Abraham up. Then he went and scored a well-scored goal.
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