Liverpool remain on course to send Jurgen Klopp off as a
Premier League winner after Chelsea were thrashed 4-1 at Anfield on Wednesday.
Conor Bradley was the star of the show as
the 20-year-old right-back scored and teed up Dominik Szoboszlai for
Liverpool's third after Diogo Jota had opened the scoring.
Christopher Nkunku reduced Chelsea's arrears, but Luis Diaz rounded
off the scoring and an outstanding Liverpool performance. Indeed, the
scoreline flattered the visitors as Darwin Nunez hit
the woodwork four times, including from the penalty spot in the first half.
Victory restores a five-point lead at the
top of the table for Klopp's men over Manchester City, who have a
game in hand, and Arsenal.
Klopp had called for the news of his impending departure at the end of the season not to
be a distraction and on this evidence it may only provide more inspiration for
his side to deliver just a second league title in
34 years.
Once again the injured Mohamed Salah was not
missed as Jota and Nunez provided a constant threat, while
Bradley's emergence is blocking Trent Alexander-Arnold's return to
the starting line-up.
Nunez had five shots inside the first 18 minutes as a combination
of Djordje Petrovic and the woodwork on two occasions kept the
Uruguayan at bay. Jota was not so forgiving when
he carved through the heart of the Chelsea defence to slam home his
13th goal of the season.
Bradley has been a revelation since a knee injury
to Alexander-Arnold opened his path to the first team. The
Northern Irishman produced a finish that Alexander-Arnold would
have been proud of as he burst down the right and fired
low and hard into the far corner to double Liverpool's lead.
Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo was booed after
he turned down the chance to join Liverpool in favour of a move to Stamford
Bridge for a British record £115 million ($146 million) transfer fee in August.
The Ecuador international may now rue that decision as
Mauricio Pochettino's men were outclassed and sit 20 points adrift of
Liverpool down in 10th. Chelsea were handed a
brief reprieve when Nunez hit the post from the spot
after Jota had been stood on by Benoit Badiashile.
But Liverpool's third did not take long to
arrive after the break as another purposeful run and pinpoint cross
from Bradley picked out Szoboszlai to
head home. Klopp could then afford the luxury of making a quadruple
substitution as Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson stepped
up their comeback from injuries.
The changes briefly knocked the hosts out of their stride
as Chelsea grabbed a consolation. Nkunku's debut season in England
has been ravaged by injury but the Frenchman now has two Premier League
goals in less than 180 minutes on the pitch as he finished smartly
into the far corner.
Nunez's frustrating night in front of goal went on as he then headed
against the crossbar to become the first Premier League player to hit
the woodwork four times in a match. But he still had a major role to
play in Liverpool's fourth as Diaz burst onto his driven cross to
erase any possibility of a Chelsea revival.
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