There have been speaking factors aplenty as Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 to take care of their one-point benefit over Man Metropolis on the high of the Premier League desk.
In fact, we’ll be praising the Reds and Curtis Jones after a win over one among their rivals, however we’ll additionally take a look at how Liverpool would possibly arrange on this busy interval forward.
With Dominik Szoboszlai persevering with to be considerably of an enigma who delights but additionally frustrates, we ask if he might be displaced by Jones and the way that may look in an Arne Slot midfield.
Right here, Sam Millne (@sam_millne) and Adam Beattie (@beatts94) talk about the great, the unhealthy and the midfield after Liverpool’s 2-1 win in opposition to Chelsea.
The great…
ADAM: There have been a great deal of positives to take from that efficiency.
Jones was the apparent standout however the resilience everybody confirmed in what’s going to in all probability be one among our hardest residence assessments of the season was actually promising.
I used to be additionally actually pleased with the best way the gang stepped up. The fixed chat concerning the environment could be tiresome however we confirmed a spirit befitting the importance of the event.
Honourable mentions go to Darwin Nunez for his shift off the bench and Trent Alexander-Arnold for dealing admirably with two of Chelsea’s many wingers, for somebody who supposedly can’t defend.
SAM: This wasn’t Liverpool enjoying at their greatest but it surely was Liverpool battling at their hardest.
The Reds began the sport nicely, not exhibiting any signal of a world break hangover and neither the gang. Whereas Chelsea grew into the sport, so did the supporters and so they offered actual backing for the gamers.
Because the match went on and Liverpool appeared content material with a one-goal benefit, nervousness constructed and the ultimate moments have been onerous to look at.
Beneath Jurgen Klopp, the Reds may need continued pushing on after Jones put us again forward. This workforce, although, whether or not it’s as a result of Chelsea‘s high quality or their very own defensive confidence, determined to carry again.
There shall be days when Liverpool management the match however Sunday wasn’t a type of. It was a day to win your battles and the Reds received their largest of the season up to now.
The unhealthy…
SAM: The primary destructive must be Diogo Jota going off injured.
Whereas Darwin Nunez got here on and pressed extraordinarily nicely, Jota’s all-round sport appears rather more suited to Slot’s Liverpool than Nunez’s does.
Hopefully, the Portuguese simply suffered a knock, therefore his substitution, and shall be match once more quickly. If it was a muscle subject that compelled him off, that’s extra worrying.
Apart from that, I suppose Chelsea truly wanting like a half-decent aspect is not any good factor.
Come the top of the season, they may hopefully be none of our enterprise. Nevertheless, in the meanwhile they seem like a workforce on the up beneath Enzo Maresca.
They have been in a position to play by way of our press impressively at occasions and whisper it quietly, however Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia each confirmed to some extent why the Londoners paid mixed £173 million for them.
It feels unusual to present them any credit score as, given the sum of money spent, they need to be a technically excellent workforce. Now, they’re lastly starting to indicate it.
ADAM: Does the referee depend?
He had a type of afternoons after which he despatched each units of supporters residence with a cause to grouse, and that’s by no means an excellent signal.
Jota choosing up one other harm is irritating. He struggled to have a lot affect and the affect of the foul in all probability didn’t assist.
Nunez hasn’t had many probabilities to make an affect beneath Slot but and he merely has to take this one. I think about he was a powerful contender to start out in opposition to RB Leipzig anyway, however this seems like an enormous alternative to catch the supervisor’s eye.
Is it time for Dominik Szoboszlai to drop out and in that case, how does the midfield look in opposition to RB Leipzig?
SAM: Having performed 180 minutes as Hungary’s talisman through the worldwide break, Szoboszlai returned to start out his thirteenth sport of the season for the Reds.
Regardless of how usually he’s enjoying, the midfielder isn’t exhibiting indicators of tiring however Sunday’s sport was one other instance of followers feeling they have been left wanting barely by his efficiency.
Like his teammates, Szoboszlai labored exceptionally onerous and put in some essential challenges, however on the ball he did not create any probabilities as Liverpool’s highest midfielder.
With Alexis Mac Allister probably enjoying in opposition to Leipzig, you’ll additionally now anticipate Szoboszlai to be rested and changed by both the Argentine or Jones.
Will probably be attention-grabbing, ought to Slot resolve to play a midfield three of Ryan Gravenberch, Jones and Mac Allister, to see who performs on the left and who takes up Szoboszlai’s place that was verging on a second striker at occasions in opposition to Chelsea.
ADAM: Szoboszlai’s latest struggles have been compounded to an extent by the brilliance of Jones.
I did suppose that whereas he was wasteful at occasions in possession, his work fee was second to none and his off-the-ball efforts will serve us nicely in opposition to most opposition.
I feel we’ll see a bit extra rotation in that space over the approaching weeks and a little bit of time away from the firing line is perhaps no unhealthy factor.
It’s clear he’s acquired all of the belongings to be a world-beater and it’s value remembering that he’s nonetheless solely 23 years previous.
The one subject is we’re nonetheless mild on numbers whereas Harvey Elliott is out, so Jones is perhaps the one to step in as probably the most progressive of the three if Szoboszlai sits out.
