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Liverpool played at home to Chelsea and no doubt, everyone set their minds up for a cracker. Tuchel's resurgent team playing with Klopp's struggling Liverpool with both teams having the same ambition and that is to break into the top 4. Tuchel has never beaten a Jurgen Klopp's team before now and it looked interesting to see how it pans out from the get-go. Tuchel struggles to score a lot of goals as his team has been tagged conservative. He has scored 12 goals in 9 games.
Timo Werner received a lovely long ball from Ben Chilwell in the 10th minute which he brilliantly controlled and found a little space before unleashing a shot but unfortunately, it went far wide and over.
In the 16th minute, Werner wasted a chance to connect well with the ball and he could only hit a tame shot and not long after, captain Azpilicueta also blasted his effort over the bar.
In the 23rd minute, Werner thought he had put his team ahead when a long ball found him and Alisson came out for the ball as well. Werner knocked the ball past him mid-air and even though Ozan Kabak tried to stop it, Werner rolled the ball into the empty net but VAR came into play and ruled the goal for offside.
In the 28th minute, Mane was played through with a long ball and he tried to hit his effort one-time which he didn't quite connect well with and Mendy gathered. Both teams had resorted to playing long passes behind the defence line up to this point.
Mason Mount gave Chelsea the lead at Anfield when a lofted pass from Kante found him and he did the rest. He cut inside into the box, got comfortable and Fabinho couldn't get close. He unleashed a shot and it found the bottom right corner of the post. That was his 5th goal of the season and they have all come away from home.
The first half ended with a brilliant and beautiful goal from Mount with Liverpool staring at the 5th home defeat in a row. The second half started and both teams had wonderful chances to score but they couldn't find that end product.
In the 54th minute, Alisson made a double save to deny Chilwell and Ziyech. Two saves in quick succession. Another long pass found Werner from Ziyech but it was a little too long for Werner to connect with.
Liverpool struggled to find the end pass. It is either they overhit the pass or the long pass was too much, nothing seems to connect for them on the night. That end pass was missing and Chelsea resorted to counter-attacks at that point in the game.
Ineffective Salah was taken off, much to his disappointment and Diogo Jota replaced him after returning from Injury. Curtis Jones made way for Oxlade-Chamberlain too. The long balls haven't been working for Liverpool and they were mostly overhit while Chelsea kept a fine offside trap that Liverpool has been falling into.
In the 76th minute, Mount broke through and he released Werner whose shot was blocked by Alisson for a corner kick but nothing came out of the corner kick.
Firmino fought for a ball in the 85th minute and found Ozan Kabak who the ball struck on the thigh. A cross was delivered into the path of Wijnaldum whose header had power but lacked direction and it went directly into the gracious arms of Mendy.
Liverpool piled up the pressure late on but nothing came out of it. Chelsea won at Anfield and the struggle continues for Jurgen Klopp and his men. Liverpool has not had an open play goal at Anfield in 2021. Tuchel has gotten 18 points from a possible of 24 points and now they are in the top 4, pending when Everton would play their own game.
Liverpool is on a terrible run at home and the first set of groups to lose 5 straight home game with Burnley, Brighton, Manchester City, Everton and now Chelsea all winning at Anfield. 10 hours at Anfield with no open play goal. They dominate and knock the ball around but they don't really look like they want to score. The game plan didn't work on the night for Liverpool and kudos to Chelsea. It was deserved.
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