Chelsea pulled off what many would’ve thought was impossible, beating Liverpool at the Bridge and in added time.
Chelsea put up their best performance this season when they welcomed Premier League champions Liverpool to Stamford Bridge. Their performance today was nothing short of incredible, and the manner in which they got the winning goal was the icing on the cake.
Chelsea started the game not feeling like underdogs. They gave the Premier League champions a run for their money from the very start. They set the tone in the game, allowed Liverpool very little space and pressured the Liverpool backline to either force mistakes or avoid playing from the back.
The Blues were rewarded for their efforts in the first half as Moises Caicedo scored an absolute banger to give them the lead. Caicedo found space in the midfield, charged at the Liverpool defence and with Van Dijk slacking off, he rifled it into the top corner.
Chelsea closed out the first half with a 1-0 lead and a dominating performance. But football is a game of two halves, and in the second half, Liverpool showed more class than in the first.
They began to dominate play, find passes behind the Chelsea backline and also stretch the game. The Reds had a few moments with Salah and Gakpo, but Sanchez was up to the task. However, after an injury to Badiahile, the Chelsea defence began to give way and Liverpool pounced.
Cucurella’s body deflected a cross into the box, changing the trajectory of the ball to the feet of Isak. Isak, under pressure from James, took a deft touch, leading the ball to the run of Gakpo, who poked it past Sanchez and into the back of the net.
After the goal, Liverpool seemed to gain control, but like a mighty rushing wind, Chelsea were fired up. They put their foot back on the gas, and the game became frantic.
Chelsea’s sub Estevao lit up the right wing, and he also put the Blues ahead after his shot from range was tipped by Mamadashvili. Gittens also had a long-range shot punched away in the same sequence of play.
If there was anything you could tell from the game, no team was backing down. It was end-to-end, but Chelsea made sure they had the final say. Enzo Fernandes crashed his header in added time against the bar, leaving a warning for Liverpool, but the Reds didn’t take it.
In the 95th minute, like a hot knife through butter, Chelsea has the final say. The Liverpool defence couldn’t stop Cucurella’s daunting run into the box, and he played a dangerous ball across the post. The pass found Estevao at the back post, who slid to give Chelsea the lead.
In that moment, the crowd went berserk. Stamford Bridge was in a frenzy. They prayed for times like this. Beating the Champions in added time, going into the international break is the stuff of dreams, and for Maresca, it’s the relief he needed. Chelsea played like the world champions they are, and they got the deserved result.
