Liverpool maintains top spot in the Premier League with convincing victory over Chelsea
tThere was no doubt who was the dominant team at Anfield on Wednesday night. Liverpool swept to a 4-1 victory over Chelsea.
With this result, the Reds maintain their five-point lead on the table. first division table and send a clear message to Manchester City, who defeated Burnley earlier in the evening, about his title credentials.
Liverpool They were outstanding for much of the game and were somewhat flattered by their 2-0 half-time lead. Although Chelsea's only goal made it 3-1 later Dominik Szoboszlai scored Liverpool's third, Luis Diaz He destroyed hopes of a possible comeback by scoring the fourth with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Liverpool sweeps the first half
The first change, of what turned out to be many, was in favor of Liverpool. Darwin Nunez He fired a long shot that seemed destined for goal, but Djordje Petrovic's He managed to hit the ball on the crossbar, but the resulting corner came to nothing.
Petrovic denied Núñez again with a brilliant left-footed save soon after as the Reds continued to dominate the game, and it wasn't long until they opened the scoring.
Diogo Jota found some space between two chelsea defendersand after a somewhat fortuitous rebound, he scored to the delight of the local fans.
Liverpool continued his siege of the chelsea goal, with Petrovic stops Curtis Jones' goal shot from the bottom corner, while Nunez sent another shot off the mark. The Serbian goalkeeper could do nothing to deny him Conor Bradley while walking away from Raheem Sterling before firing into the bottom corner for his first goal Liverpool goal.
It should have been 3-0 before the end of the first half when Benoit Badiashile he stood on Diogo Jota's foot in the frame. Initially it appeared Alexis MacAllister would take the penalty, and the Reds probably wish he would, as Nunez He sent his strike to the post.
Chelsea cannot reopen the procedure
Mauricio Pochettino made a trio of substitutes at half-time, introducing Nkunku, Mudryk and Gusto by Gallagher, Chilwell and Madueke hoping to inject some life into his flat Chelsea team.
Somehow it worked, since mudryk found himself unmarked in the area, but shot high at what was Chelsea best opportunity up to that point.
However, it proved to be a false dawn as Liverpool once again took control of the match. In fact, they almost canceled it in the 65th minute when Szoboszlai headed in a Bradley cross.
Chelsea left the door open to a possible return when Nkunku beat two Liverpool defenders and scored in the 71st minute.
However, their slim hopes remained that after a second penalty, this time for Van Dijk cutting Nkunku, remained unanswered, while Nunez He found time to hit the woodwork for the fourth time as he sent his header onto the crossbar from close range.
In fact, heiverpool He even managed to score a fourth, Núñez center that finds Luis Díaz who slid the ball in from close range.
