The most surprising thing about the result was that it was completely unsurprising.
For the second season running, Liverpool traveled to Chelsea and came out the winners. What’s more, the Merseysiders showed on a frenetic Friday that despite being level on points, they are miles ahead of their West London rivals.
One need only to look at the clubs’ respective coaches to understand the momentous gulf. In the Reds’ corner stands glasses-breaking Jurgen Klopp, who in less than a year has turned a ragtag group of mismatched players into a physical juggernaut that almost literally runs opponents off the field. In the Blues’ corner sits Antonio Conte, the man brought in to clean up the mess left behind by former manager Jose Mourinho after he was fired midway through last season’s disastrous campaign. Known as both a tactical mastermind and genius motivator, Conte was supposed to be the perfect man to reinvigorate a team in desperate need of both.
The marquee match of the Premier League weekend proved Conte still has a long way to go and Klopp is ready to challenge for trophies.
Liverpool seized the momentum from the first whistle. Pinging the ball among their cadre of creative midfielders, they pressed the action and quickly singled out stand-in captain Branislav Ivanovic as the slow-footed weak link in Chelsea’s back line. Liverpool got a free kick, which they played short to Philippe Coutinho, who lofted in a typically beautiful cross which center back Dejan Lovren finished with aplomb. Though Lovren’s finish was superb, he was left completely unmarked by a bewildered Chelsea defense that never figured out how to deal with Liverpool’s speed of movement, thought, and passing.
In much the same way that a spread offense leaves an American football defense panting and confused, Liverpool’s distinctive brand of wickedly fast pass-and-move possession soccer put Chelsea’s defense in pure reaction mode. Conte’s men were left chasing ghosts and eventually succumbed to a moment of pure magic. Having successfully defended yet another attack directed towards Ivanovic, Chelsea cleared the ball directly to Liverpool’s captain, Jordan Henderson, who controlled the ball in one silky touch and launched a gorgeous looping shot into the top corner from a full 25 yards out.
There was nothing Chelsea’s 6-foot-6 keeper Thibaut Courtois could do to stop the early favorite for goal of the season, yet the Londoners somehow clawed their way back into the game. Sitting back, absorbing pressure, and looking to counter, Liverpool gave away the initiative in the second half and Diego Costa grabbed a goal for Chelsea after a juking dribble from the normally defensive Nemanja Matic.
Chelsea couldn’t convert their momentum into a second goal, and the final whistle cemented their status as pretenders to the crown. Conte still has one card to play — he’s yet to unleash his famous 3-5-2 formation — but if he wants to add creativity to the center of the field in the form of pass-master Cesc Fabregas, he’ll have to sacrifice one of his two defensive midfielders, Matic or N’Golo Kante, which will further expose his already shaky defense.
Klopp has far fewer problems to deal with. His impressive Liverpool squad has destroyed defending champions Leicester City 4-1 and collected an impressive seven points from three games against title rivals Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea. If they can just avoid brain fart displays like the 2-0 loss to Burnley, Liverpool should easily get into the top four and might even be within a shout of the title. — M.B.
Everton finally look like more than just potential
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola isn’t the only new manager who has made his presence felt early this season. Five games may be a small sample size, but Ronald Koeman seems to have instilled Everton with confidence and discipline, something predecessor Roberto Martinez was unable to do during his three years with the club.
Look no further than Saturday’s 3-1 defeat of Middlesbrough. Despite falling behind early due to an own goal by keeper Martin Stekelenburg, Everton bounced right back. Gareth Barry, playing in his 600th Premier League match, scored the equalizer three minutes later, and Everton was back in control. Then, in the 42nd, Seamus Coleman scored his first of the season followed three minutes later by a cross from Yannick Bolasie that eluded everyone, including Middlesbrough keeper Victor Valdes, to put the Toffees up 3-1 headed into the half.
While the team’s fight-back was impressive, Everton fans already knew their team could score. It’s what happened in the second half that they should be excited about. Though the Toffees failed to add to their lead, it didn’t matter because they managed to stifle Middlesbrough’s attack completely. Their once unreliable defensive line, now led by former Swansea captain Ashley Williams, kept its shape, calmly dealt with whatever pressure rose up and looked, well, reliable. When the final whistle blew, Koeman’s men left the field with something they rarely earned under Martinez — a comfortable, no-nonsense victory.
Everton has enjoyed a soft start to the schedule — Tottenham, whom they drew, are the only team that rates — so things will get tougher. But Koeman is using the gentle opening to transform Everton into a team that’s as good as it should be. — B.H.
Goal of the Week
It’s hard to understand why managers trust Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson so much. Yeah, he works hard, but he spends much of his time missing passes to open teammates and hoofing ill-advised shots into the stands. But at least once a season, he manages to fire a gorgeous shot from outside the box past the outstretched hands of a helpless keeper, as he did in Friday’s game against Chelsea. During those moments, it almost makes sense.
No-show(s) of the Week
For the third week in a row, Stoke, once owners of one of the league’s staunchest defenses, gave up four goals. It’s bad enough when Man City and Tottenham do it to you, but Crystal Palace? That’s just embarrassing. Of course, none of Stoke’s defenders seemed all that put out. Manager Mark Hughes better hope his players start to care, or he’s almost a certainty to get canned.
Post’s Premier League Rankings
Liverpool impressed in their win over Chelsea while Manchester City and Arsenal clicked into gear, but it was Manchester United’s loss to Watford that really shook up the rankings.
1. Manchester City (1)
2. Liverpool (4)
3. Tottenham (5)
4. Everton (6)
5. Arsenal (7)
6. Manchester United (2)
7. Chelsea (3)
8. Leicester (16)
9. Crystal Palace (15)
10. Watford (10)
11. Hull City (8)
12. Southampton (13)
13. West Ham (12)
14. West Brom (19)
15. Middlesbrough (11)
16. Swansea (9)
17. Bournemouth (18)
18. Burnley (14)
19. Sunderland (17)
20. Stoke (20)