Chelsea came up short at Anfield on Sunday, falling to a competitive 2-1 defeat to Liverpool.
Regardless of the result, it was a positive step forward for Chelsea, who went toe-to-toe with one of the Premier League title favourites and were, once again, their own worst enemies. There was a lot to like about Chelsea’s performance, but also plenty of issues to address.
Here are five things we learned from Chelsea’s defeat.
If you watched any of Romeo Lavia in pre-season, his performance against Liverpool will not have come as a surprise. The Belgian was flying before an injury sent him back to the sidelines.
Surprisingly brought straight back into the starting lineup here, Lavia showed so much composure on the ball and did not hesitate to make his influence known. His quick feet, coupled with some tough-tackling in defence, helped him boss the midfield battle during his time on the pitch.
Load management saw Lavia withdrawn early in the second half, leaving Chelsea fans wondering whether they might have been able to snatch a point if he had been able to continue.
It’s these sort of high-profile games that really tell you what you need to know about a manager. Enzo Maresca stayed true to his tactical principles, but it was the personnel deployed to bring that vision to life that caught the eye.
Enzo Fernandez was dropped to the bench in place of a half-fit Lavia. You can obviously point to the fact that South Americans usually return late from international duty, but Ecuador international Moises Caicedo played the full 90 minutes. Perhaps his underwhelming run of form caught up to him.
As for Mykhailo Mudryk, the Ukraine international didn’t even get a spot on the bench, having previously been publicly challenged by Maresca on his output. It’s too early to jump to conclusions, but you can’t help but wonder whether his future at Chelsea is in doubt.
Over the past seven or eight months, Chelsea fans – as well as former boss Graham Potter in recent days – have been the only people to speak positively about Moises Caicedo. The narrative surrounding his expensive switch to Stamford Bridge, coupled with his slow start, has left people criticising the midfielder without even watching him these days.
With the spotlight on him this weekend – Liverpool’s failed pursuit of Caicedo remains fresh in the memory – the 22-year-old rose to the occasion with a really impressive performance, even adding an assist for Nicolas Jackson’s equaliser.
Ask questions about Chelsea’s midfield all you want, but it’s time to leave Caicedo out of it.
Robert Sanchez can be one of the best goalkeepers on the planet on his day – just look at his performances against Bournemouth and West Ham United earlier this season – but the issue is that side of him does not come out nearly enough.
The Spaniard has had far more catastrophic performances than his latest outing, but the fact he was slow off his line to try and deny Curtis Jones’ eventual winner leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It was another of those goals that definitely felt preventable.
Filip Jorgensen is waiting in the wings, and it may soon be time for Maresca to turn to the summer signing.
Chelsea fans quickly fell in love with Jadon Sancho following his switch from Manchester United, with his early haul of three assists in three games only reinforcing that appreciation.
Unfortunately, the wheels fell off here. Sancho started the game but seemed a bit flat up against Trent Alexander-Arnold, with his one-directional approach to his individual battle not working whatsoever. Sancho was hooked at the break and his replacement, Pedro Neto, made the most of his opportunity, asking far more questions of the Liverpool backline.
United fans took to social media with their told-you-so glee, so it’s up to Sancho to ensure they have nothing else to laugh about this season.
