STAMFORD BRIDGE, WEST LONDON // A lackluster Liverpool was beaten relatively comfortably in its first match since being confirmed as Premier League champion, with Enzo Maresca’s side taking a big step towards Champions League qualification.
Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea in front with little more than a couple of minutes on the clock and by half-time, the host could have been out of sight. Pedro Neto was playing well down the Chelsea right but it was Cole Palmer who caused the second goal.
He crossed from that side of the field, and Virgil van Dijk’s clearance comically went in off Jarell Quansah. It was that kind of game for Arne Slot’s much-changed team, who never managed to properly exert themselves on the fixture. Van Dijk did net late on but then Cole Palmer added a third from the spot.
Winners
Would it be too harsh to say Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, the Liverpool midfield trio who didn’t start here? Their effectiveness was even more obvious.
Though this was a game that didn’t matter for Liverpool, it did matter for those seeking to make an impression and take a chance to maximize some rare minutes on the field.
Losers
Of all the Liverpool players who came into the team and got a chance to impress, Harvey Elliott was perhaps the one with the most likelihood of making himself more of a regular in the future. Wataru Endo is never going to be that and Jarell Quansah is unlikely to usurp Ibrahima Konate. For Elliott, though, it wasn’t an easy game to come into.
Player ratings
Alisson Becker (6). For all that Chelsea dominated the big chances, the Brazilian didn’t have a great deal that he could do. He could have given away a penalty at one point, though Nicolas Jackson was comfortably offside.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (6). Decent enough in possession but without much movement in front of him to play balls into. Decent enough defensively against Noni Madueke.
Jarell Quansah (5). Starting in the league at center-back for the first time in 260 days, Quansah looked a tad nervy in possession at times but did well enough positionally. Nicolas Jackson is a strange forward to examine him against.
Booked for a lunge when he lost control of the ball and scored an own-goal, though there wasn’t much he could do about that. He simply didn’t see Moises Caicedo coming for the late penalty that he gave away.
Virgil van Dijk (6). With a different partner alongside him, he needed to guide Quansah through the game at times. He did that and played well enough without setting the game alight. Booked for a late tackle on Romeo Lavia, crashed a clearance of Quansah into his own net, but then scored at the other end too.
Kostas Tsimikas (6). Back in the team ahead of Andy Robertson again, the Greek was fine but nothing more. Going forward and in his own defensive third, the Liverpool left-back was unspectacular. Both goals came down his side and Neto created a fair bit.
Wataru Endo (6). Holding fort at the base of the Liverpool midfield, and coming up against Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, two players targeted before Jurgen Klopp and Jorg Schmadtke signed the Japanese instead, he looked alright in possession. There were gaps and runners not tracked in the center, though, which wasn’t all his fault, but surely a result of the midfield being all changed.
Curtis Jones (6). Ran into a couple of blind alleys at times and looked a little frustrated with himself. He did well enough when he had the ball under pressure but he would have wanted to leave more of an impression on the game.
Harvey Elliott (5). Desperate to stay at his boyhood club and prove his worth, this was a big game for the Liverpool number 19. However, he was largely anonymous in the middle. Elliott doesn’t have the physicality that Szoboszlai offers and wasn’t able to stamp his mark on the clash.
Mohamed Salah (5). Even in a changed team, there was no doubt that the record-chasing Egyptian would start. You would have been forgiven for forgetting that he was playing, though, for most of the game.
Diogo Jota (5). For much of this season, the Portugal striker has been inconsistent. Here, he didn’t get involved that much and was giving away silly fouls almost every time he went near the ball.
Cody Gakpo (6). Up against Moises Caicedo, the Dutchman beat his man a couple of times early on but then wasn’t involved as much as the first half progressed. In the second, he was pretty isolated.
Substitutes
Conor Bradley (6). Offered some fresh energy when he came on but couldn’t find the right ball a couple of times when he got into decent positions. Decent, but nothing more.
Darwin Nunez (6). Dropped very deep early on to get a touch of the ball but then was barely involved. Missed a header, by some distance, from about six yards out.
Dominik Szoboszlai (6). He came into the game at a point when the pattern was already very firmly set in place. Like Bradley, offered more legs but little more.
Alexis Mac Allister (6). Battled well, as ever. He showed glimpses of quality in possession but got frustrated with some of those around him. Federico Chiesa also came on but too late to earn a rating.
