Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea – Five Key Takeaways

The below were my five key takeaways from the Liverpool vs Chelsea Premier League match on August 29, 2021.

1. A strong first half

Despite the Reds starting off the game with high energy and intensity as is to be expected under Klopp, particularly in front of a packed Anfield, Chelsea did a great job to not only weather the early storm but grow into the game throughout the half.

The Blues were made to work for any time on the ball in the early exchanges, including Lukaku who struggled to impose himself, but Tuchel’s men slowly started to find some rhythm and with that, used their more strategic pragmatic approach to begin conjuring up some opportunities and half-chances.

In particular, Havertz and Mount were beginning to find some time and space and causing Robertson and Alexander-Arnold some issues while Lukaku started to give Matip and Van Dijk some headaches as the half ticked on.

Then in the midway point of the first half, the Blues earned themselves a corner and Kai Havertz rose to direct a brilliant looping header into the far corner and beyond the outstretched Alisson.

While the Reds tried to quickly restore parity, the Blues handled their waves of attack with relative comfort. In fact, Chelsea should have scored at least once or twice more before the interval but unfortunately they failed to capitalise and convert their good chances created.

Chelsea’s strategic counter-attacking approach seemed to be working as intended until the final moments of the first half…

2. Reece’s red changes momentum

Undoubtedly the key talking point of the match arose from the events in the closing stages of the first half.

In a scramble to clear the ball from danger, Reece James, who was stationed on the goal line, had a shot from point-blank range bounce off his thigh upwards and hit his arm before quickly clearing the ball to safety. However, VAR reviewed the incident and suggested referee Anthony Taylor inspect the footage to determine if a penalty should be given.

Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Taylor, through a split second check of a still frame of the ball making contact with James’ arm, was quick to point to the penalty spot and brandish a red card for the young lion to the dismay of Reece, Tuchel, and all Blues fans watching. Frustratingly for Chelsea fans this is another instance where Anthony Taylor has been involved in a controversial call that has disadvantaged the Blues in recent memory.

Salah then stepped up to slot home from 12 yards. The players got into a bit of a dust up in the aftermath of the goal as tensions were at boiling point.

Half-time shortly arrived with the momentum of the game well and truly shifting the balance of what was an evenly contested match.

3. Chelsea’s defensive midfield depth a concern

During the first half both Jorginho and Kanté went down injured which left the Blues faithful holding their collective breaths. Fortunately both soldiered on however Tuchel revealed post-match that N’Golo did pick up an injury with the extent of the damage to be determined (here’s hoping that he recovers swiftly).

While Kovacic has been playing well recently, including when coming on in the second half for Kanté, he is seemingly the only natural alternative as Gilmour is out on loan to Norwich. Therefore, given the early season warning signs of injuries to Kanté and scares for Jorginho, this could be foreshadowing Chelsea’s defensive midfield fragility which they will need to address.

For Tuchel, this could perhaps be a blessing in disguise as this may be the final opportunity to convince the Chelsea board that they should use the remaining final few days in the transfer window to reinforce this key position.

If no midfielders come in, it will be interesting to see how they manage this area of the pitch given the volume and intensity of games throughout the season. With 3 preferred players in this position, perhaps Chalobah will be given more exposure in this area following his brief cameo in the final few minutes against Liverpool.

4. Chances created, not converted

As mentioned, while the Blues did a phenomenal job in containing a fired-up Liverpool who were keen to take full advantage of their extra man in the second half, there’s a sense of what could have been had Tuchel’s men been more efficient and decisive with the ball, particularly in the first half.

Following Havertz’ brilliant header, the Reds committed more men forward in pursuit of an equaliser and consequently the Blues were beginning to find more space on the break once the dynamic duo of Kanté and Jorginho were able to disrupt Liverpool’s attack and feed their front men.

On a few occasions during this sequence from when Havertz scored up until the equaliser, the Blues had a few glorious opportunities to create a one v one situation but unfortunately failed to capitalise. For example, Lukaku had two moments where he should have played in Havertz and equally Kanté and Havertz should have played a simple pass to Lukaku. Mount also had a shot which was deflected from the goal line when squaring it back to Havertz might have been the better option.

5. Defensive determination, collective courage

While it was frustrating for Blues fans that they failed to double (or triple) their lead when they had the momentum, there was also a strong sense of pride in how they responded to adversity following the harsh dismissal of James on the stroke of half-time.

Liverpool came out strongly in the second half and looked to quickly get themselves in front but Chelsea, who brought on Silva and Kovacic for Havertz and Kanté respectively, reinforced their rearguard and kept their defensive shape and discipline.

The pattern of the half was quickly formed, the Reds would dominate possession and territory given their numerical advantage, and the Blues would need to rely on their defensive organisation and concentration to withstand waves of Liverpool attacks. Key to this was the influence of Christensen, Rudiger and Mendy who were enormous in thwarting a frustrated Klopp and Kop.

Among the plethora of Liverpool’s chances, mostly from range and corners, Chelsea interestingly did create two solid chances to score an unlikely winner. The first being Lukaku who’s half-volley was sensationally blocked by Matip, the other was Kovacic’s shot that was well saved by Alisson.

Overall, Chelsea’s defence stood firm and kept a dangerous Liverpool at bay for a whole half while being a man down.

Final comments

A trip to Anfield is always a daunting prospect. That said, Chelsea delivered a strong performance and would take plenty of confidence from that performance and result, particularly against a fellow title contender at their home ground, and with one less player for an entire half.

Should Chelsea be able to refine their decision-making and execution in the final third, they will continue to build their claim as genuine title challengers.

Until then, let’s hope the Blues rest and recover quickly and return injury-free from the international break.

Come on you Blues! 👊🙂

Twitter: @RJ_Goodthings