Late Heartbreak for Liverpool as Chelsea Claim Dramatic 2-1 Home Victory | OneFootball

Chelsea 2 – 1 Liverpool – PL Postmortem

With Liverpool looking to regain top spot in the Premier League, the reigning champions of England travelled to Stamford Bridge knowing a response was required after back-to-back defeats to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray. Instead, it was a third successive disappointment for Arne Slot’s men, as a stoppage-time winner from Estêvão condemned them to another narrow but damaging loss.

The Starting Eleven

Liverpool XI

• GK – Giorgi Mamardashvili

• RB – Conor Bradley

• CB – Ibrahima Konaté

• CB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

• LB – Milos Kerkez

• CM – Alexis Mac Allister

• CM – Ryan Gravenberch

• ACM – Dominik Szoboszlai

• RW – Mohamed Salah

• CF – Alexander Isak

• LW – Cody Gakpo

Substitutes

Florian Wirtz ↔ Cody Gakpo (45’)

Curtis Jones ↔ Conor Bradley (55’)

Andy Robertson ↔ Milos Kerkez (55’)

Hugo Ekitike ↔ Alexander Isak (73’)

Wataru Endō ↔ Alexis Mac Allister (83’)

Goals (Assisted by):

Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool – Moisés Caicedo (Malo Gusto) – 14’

Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool – Cody Gakpo (Alexander Isak) – 63’

Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool – Estêvão (Marc Cucurella) – 90+5’

Match Statistics

Possession – Chelsea 53% | Liverpool 47%

XG – Chelsea 1.00 | Liverpool 1.05

Total Shots – Chelsea 12 | Liverpool 12

Fouls – Chelsea 9 | Liverpool 8

Corners – Chelsea 7 | Liverpool 2

Saves – Chelsea 1 | Liverpool 4

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First Half

An expectant Stamford Bridge crowd set the tone early, roaring their side forward against a visibly cautious Liverpool. Arne Slot’s men started well, looking to build from the back as Chelsea sat back and looked to take the sting out of the visitors’ advancements. However, the tide soon turned and the hosts took a deserved lead after just 14 minutes when Moisés Caicedo latched onto a clever cutback from Malo Gusto and rifled home from the edge of the area, leaving Mamardashvili helpless.

Liverpool grew into the game but lacked incision. Alexander Isak was isolated for large spells, while Salah and Gakpo saw little of the ball in advanced areas. Dominik Szoboszlai tried to inject urgency through midfield, but misplaced passes and a lack of tempo hindered any rhythm. Chelsea’s energy, led by Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, kept the Reds limited for most of the opening 45 minutes.

Second Half

The introduction of Florian Wirtz brought more invention to Liverpool’s play almost immediately, as a clever through ball saw Mohamed Salah’s shot saved. The German playmaker began to find half-spaces, and with Szoboszlai drifting wide from his newly found right-back position, there was finally some connectivity between midfield and attack. The equaliser arrived just past the hour mark — Isak’s intelligent reverse flick found Cody Gakpo, who lashed home to level things up.

For a brief spell, it felt as though Liverpool might wrest control of the game. Mac Allister began to dictate from deeper positions, while Curtis Jones pushed higher to press Chelsea’s back line. Yet, as the minutes ticked away, the momentum shifted again. Chelsea’s substitutions added fresh legs and purpose, and Estêvão, the 18-year-old Brazilian, delivered the decisive blow in the 95th minute — a heartbreaking finish after a fine Cucurella cross.

Final Thoughts

Liverpool’s title defence ambitions have taken an early dent. Three consecutive defeats in all competitions have exposed a side still searching for its balance and cohesion under Arne Slot’s adjusted system. Defensive transitions remain shaky, and the midfield lacks control when the game becomes stretched.

With Chelsea’s young core thriving and Liverpool now chasing form as well as results, the upcoming fixtures take on added importance. Slot will demand a reaction — and quickly — before momentum slips further away.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction: Chelsea 1 – 2 Liverpool

Full-Time Result: Chelsea 2 – 1 Liverpool