Jurgen Klopp has rebuilt a formidable Liverpool unit, while Chelsea have continued to waste the best part of £1 billion on a group under Todd Boehly. Their contrasting fortunes and approaches were graphically underlined by a local Liverpool talent, Conor Bradley, who helped dismantle Mauricio Pochettino's outsiders on a night of statements for the first division leaders.
Bradley was inspired, the Kop chanting the 20-year-old's name at every turn, as Klopp's team played their Carabao Cup final opponents a month before they met at Wembley. Liverpool They are already counting the days. Chelsea must be afraid of them.
A high-octane affair flew by with Liverpool refusing to allow Chelsea time to fight their way through relentless pressing and attacking Djordje Petrovic's goal almost in full view. Klopp got the atmosphere and performance he asked for. His team accelerated fully from the initial whistle and the public put aside their desperation Departure announced on Friday to produce a loud noise. One fed on the other.
Klopp made a shrewd managerial decision by retaining Conor Bradley at right-back despite the availability of the fit-again Trent Alexander-Arnold. It was a great show of faith in the 20-year-old, who has excelled during the vice-captain's recent absence, and a decision that reaped huge rewards. The Kop was singing the Northern Ireland international's name towards the end of a first half in which he created the first goal for Jota and scored the second himself.
Bradley began an excellent night's work by creating the first chance of the game for Darwin Nunez, a man on a mission to score from anywhere. The striker tried to throw Petrovic from a perfectly weighted ball from the side, but the Chelsea The doorman was attentive to his intentions.
Petrovic kept the average score respectable in the first half with a series of good saves. Another first-time attempt by Núñez, a shot from a pass from Alexis Mac Allister, hit the crossbar and a left-footed shot from the Uruguayan international crashed into the far post. He denied Liverpool again when he stooped to deflect a Curtis Jones daisy cutter. But the visiting goalkeeper was badly let down by his central defenders as the home side eventually, inevitably, took the lead.
Ben Chilwell was also to blame for the breakthrough, weakly losing the ball to Bradley. The defender exchanged passes with Jones, moved forward and found Jota in space on the edge of the Chelsea box. The striker weaved between the non-existent challenges of Thiago Silva and Benoît Badiashile (John Terry, watching from the other side, will have been disgusted) and finished from close range beyond Petrovic.
It was Bradley's fourth assist in four games and the goal stood after a VAR review for a possible handball by Jota when Silva cleared against him. Liverpool, for once, would have no complaints with the performance of referee Paul Tierney.
After six minutes, Klopp's Béte Noire dismissed a penalty appeal from Conor Gallagher when he collected Raheem Sterling's cross from the left and fell to a challenge from Virgil van Dijk. There was contact with the Liverpool captain's arm and knee, but Gallagher went down too easily. Neither Tierney nor the VAR were impressed. Gallagher and Chilwell could have been playing in slippers given the ease with which they got down to the ground. Both were substituted at half-time when Pochettino sounded the changes in response to an alarming display.
Liverpool extended their lead thanks to the right-back's first goal for the club. Luis Díaz moved away from Enzo Fernández to send Bradley running down the right. The youngster showed excellent composure to finish low from the edge of the area beyond Petrovic and into his right corner.
VAR brought Anfield celebrations to a standstill again by reviewing a possible build-up foul by Jota on Chilwell, who argued he would otherwise have occupied Bradley's space, before allowing the goalscorer to savor his moment after all.
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It must have been three o'clock before the break. Tierney ruled again in Liverpool's favor when Badiashile stood on Jota's foot as he lunged at Van Dijk's pass inside the area. The referee did not hesitate to point out the penalty spot but, with Klopp looking away from the penalty and waiting for the crowd's reaction, Núñez hit a post and Petrovic dived in the opposite direction.
Pochettino made his feelings clear about Chelsea's anemic first-half performance. The Chelsea manager made three substitutions at half-time and should have been immediately justified when one, Malo Gusto, slipped down the right and crossed for another, Mykhailo Mudryk. Unmarked and 10 meters away, Mudryk skied high into the Anfield Road stands. The visitors' slim prospects for a comeback had been further reduced.
Bradley's evening, on the other hand, was smooth sailing. He managed five assists in four outings when he received a cross ball from Van Dijk and ran away from Badiashile, now moved to left back in place of Chilwell. At full speed he delivered a perfect cross into the penalty area and Dominik Szoboszlai beat the Chelsea defense to head in.
Christopher Nkunku injected much-needed threat into Chelsea's attack and scored a goal when he headed Carney Chukwuemeka's ball into the bottom corner. He also had a penalty claim rejected after a kick to the heel by Van Dijk.
Núñez hit the woodwork for the third time with a powerful header after a cross from Andy Robertson before setting up the fourth for Díaz with an attractive cross to the far post.
