Liverpool vs. Chelsea: *Bumper* Post-Match Analysis

Paul Tomkins, Andrew Beasley, Daniel Rhodes and other TTT regulars will give their thoughts on the match for 24 hours after the game, so the article received via email is unlikely to be the final version. There's statistics from the match and videos too.

Post-Match Thoughts

Paul Tomkins

A nervy game from two under-pressure teams lacking confidence, and also the quality the subs and the injured players would otherwise provide, it was also one of those where the linesman on the right flank constantly gave what should have been corners and throw-ins to Liverpool as Chelsea goalkicks and throws, and where Michael Oliver, perhaps now only the best ref by default, stopped Liverpool pressure when Jorginho clearly threw himself to the ground in the box – yet Oliver couldn't see Curtis Jones hacked down 19 yards out.

At least two corners and one direct central free-kick from 19 yards (in the 90th minute with Trent Alexander-Arnold on as a sub) could have won the Reds the game, albeit the corners they did win were poorly taken, with the Reds lacking a lot of their taller players, too. Still, these poor, clear decisions robbed Liverpool of the chance to build a bit more pressure, as corners, free-kicks and opposition-half throw-ins can do.

(Weirdly, Liverpool seem to get good or fortunate decisions only in the FA Cup. And Chelsea’s early goal today was correctly ruled out for a clear offside given how much of the player’s body was ahead of the ball.)

What constitutes a foul and even a yellow card and who can foul and show dissent all game (see Gallagher, Conor) in English football right now is tough to fathom.

A frustrating game in all senses, with the Reds nervy and skittish on the ball, but also looking more solid and energetic, until the young legs of Stefan Bajcetic started to tire, as did those of rarely-fit Naby Keita. An encouraging sign was also how positive Henderson and Fabinho were as subs, with the latter taking too long to shoot in injury time, but he got into an unusually advanced position.

I still don't quite understand why Cody Gakpo wasn't moved to the left and Darwin Núñez put through the middle, again leaving two of the front three in unfavoured positions (more on that later from Andrew), as was the case with the team at Brighton, including the subs (and Harvey Elliott and Gakpo at the start today).

But Gakpo, who is snatching at chances, will benefit from Núñez's presence (as well as playing on the left flank), and maybe it's a more solid approach, as the Reds seek to rebuild from being too open. Gakpo has excellent ball-striking technique, but like Núñez, is trying too hard, which can't be helped by the general confidence crisis of the squad. Once the team starts winning, they’ll surely relax a bit more, as they will the longer they spend at the club, as everyone learns each other’s game.

Andy Robertson’s energy (going forward and backwards) remains brilliant, but aside from his ability with those special whipped-in crosses, seems to have a nose-bleed in the final third if asked to do anything else. When Liverpool put together fast, incisive moves, the finishing was almost always wild, bar Gakpo’s excellent spin but shot straight at Kepa; or the shots were blocked.

In his 1,000th game as a manager, Jürgen Klopp's sprung a fairly big surprise with his XI. (The second big surprise was that Chelsea had, thus far, only signed one player today.)

But it seems that three of the subs-bench Liverpool players, two of whom seemed certain to start, were carrying injuries.

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