Liverpool’s losing run stretched to three games after Chelsea secured a narrow win at Stamford Bridge, despite Cody Gakpo’s equaliser.
Liverpool missed the chance to move back to the top of the Premier League table and fell to a third successive defeat despite coming from behind against Chelsea.
Moises Caicedo skipped away from his former Brighton teammate Alexis Mac Allister to open the scoring with a rocket of a shot inside 15 minutes and in a game where neither side was able to play without making errors, Cody Gakpo eventually leveled things up.
Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister was the midfield trio that Liverpool won the Premier League title with last season, but it has been a rarity that they have lined up alongside one another this campaign.
Doing so here meant that Florian Wirtz dropped to the bench — in addition to Hugo Ekitike, though he picked up a knock midweek — and those are the kinds of decisions that Arne Slot will have to make regularly in the coming weeks.
Nothing was really decided here in terms of who will be the favorite to start in the big games moving forward. The three who started were fine at best and little more than that.
Florian Wirtz, when he came on, did more in one of his first touches (a lovely backheel) than anyone else in a red jersey had creatively in the first half. He looked good and could easily have created a couple more goals, which is a positive sign, but it still wasn’t the performance level that he is capable of.
Slot and his staff on the touchline were left angry at several refereeing decisions, including picking up a booking when he thought Gakpo should have won a free-kick in a dangerous area. He must also have been frustrated with some of his players not passing with the required crispness, though. It will click in time, but it hasn’t yet.
Conor Bradley vs Alejandro Garnacho
Conor Bradley didn’t have the best outing at Crystal Palace last week, where he was hooked at half-time. Ibrahima Konate, likewise, was not at his best in either that game or Galatasaray.
Slot went with the pair from the off, though, with trust placed in Bradley over Szoboszlai or Jeremie Frimpong, and Konate over Joe Gomez, who was left in reserve.
Bradley was booked for a blatant foul and struggled to keep up with Alejandro Garnacho at times. Konate was better, but between them, they didn’t offer much in the way of inducing confidence into those around them.
Liverpool was a little nervy and on edge at times, especially in the first half. A couple of players are simply out of form, and Bradley is one of them, so perhaps the international break doesn’t come at a bad time.
Midfield battle lost
In an alternative universe, Moises Caicedo could have been a Liverpool player at one stage (and Romeo Lavia, another to fit that category, was impressive when he came on). Enzo Fernandez, too, was regularly linked with a move to Anfield before Chelsea paid his Benfica release clause.
It is not hard to see why Liverpool (and others) liked Caicedo. The Chelsea man scored a brilliant goal, but more than that, he was physically more dominant than those on the visiting team.
Gravenberch has been sensational at times this season but this hasn’t been his best week. Here, he didn’t quite look up to speed, with Caicedo coming out on top against his opposite number six. Chelsea edged the game and it was in the middle where that was truest.
Giorgi Mamardashvili debuts
The latest setback for Alisson Becker, a hamstring issue, offered a chance for Giorgi Mamardashvili to step in. He arrived with a reputation for being a strong shot-stopper, but not necessarily a perfect passer.
That was essentially what we saw here, though he could do nothing with the opening goal that flew past him in the first half. Caicedo’s shot going into the top corner wasn’t his fault, but some of his passes could have made the lives of those around him easier.
This was a tough game to be thrown into for your Premier League debut, but he will have to learn quickly. The first one is out of the way, and Arne Slot said on Friday that it is unlikely Alisson will be back in time to face Manchester United after the international break.
Premier League state of play
Arsenal might have lost Martin Odegaard to another injury in the first half of its game earlier, but it was always likely to go on to beat a struggling West Ham United at the Emirates. Declan Rice opened the scoring, and then Bukayo Saka added a second.