A series of mistakes proved costly when the Blues were defeated by the reigning champions at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard believes his team could have drawn with Liverpool had it not been for Kepa Arrizabalaga’s “big mistake” in the second half.
The Blues goalkeeper was to blame for the Reds’ second goal of the 2-0 victory when his pass attempt was blocked by Sadio Mane and hit at the net.
After being criticized for conceding a shot from outside the box during the win against Brighton on Monday, the 25-year-old was the subject of much ridicule on social media on Sunday after his mistake against Jurgen Klopp’s team.
It was not the only misfortune for the hosts in their loss to the reigning Premier League champions, however, as they were reduced to 10 men just before half-time when Andreas Christensen was sent off and then midfielder Jorginho missed a penalty in the minute. 75.
Lampard admitted that there were many defining moments for his team and he feels the result could have gone differently.
“Big mistake. Clear mistake and when you reflect in the half without the error and the penalty we tied the game 1-1,” he said when asked about Kepa’s performance.
“In fact, I am happier in many ways than after Brighton on Monday. It was a game of spirit and character and many people showed me good things today.”
Added to Sky sports: “My job as a coach is to try to give Kepa confidence. It was a clear mistake and Kepa accepted it.”
The former England star also expressed disappointment at Christensen’s dismissal, as he felt his team leveled their opponents for most of the first 45 minutes. BBC Sport: “I thought we could climb higher on the field and we would have done it with 11.
“I was worried about how we would defend our area, in the first half we were brilliant doing it, but the red card changed the entire course of the game.”
He added: “At times the first half was very close. The red card changes the face of the game, the talk I do at halftime forces me to reorganize and it was always going to be difficult after that.
“I think it might or might not. Maybe I was surprised that it came off as yellow first. If it came up as red right away and you go on with that.
“We showed moments in the counterattack where we were dangerous in the first half. My team discourse was to have more confidence on the ball and then the red card changes the whole team discourse.”
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