Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea: Observations as Salah screamer sends Reds back to the top
Nerves? What nerves?
Liverpool delivered the latest statement that they refuse to bow down in the ongoing title race. Watching Manchester City coast to another comfortable win despite many suggesting Crystal Palace could be a potential bogey fixture, the pressure was on Jurgen Klopp's side to respond.
And so they did, emphatically dispatching Chelsea 2-0 to rid of the cobwebs left from 2013/14 and usurp their title rivals right back to top spot.
Here are the observations from the match.
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Player Ratings as Reds pull off massive 2-0 win over Chelsea
What a massive win! Liverpool were definitely the better side as they beat Chelsea 2-0 at Anfield. Sadio Mane opened the scoring, before Mohamed Salah thundered in a long-ranger at the Kop End to double the lead.
The Reds had a few nervy moments after being two goals up, when Eden Hazard hit the post once, and forced a save off Alisson, but post that, there were no worries for the Reds.
Here's how each player fared.
Alisson Becker - …
Time to ditch the agendas in Liverpool's quest for glory
With five games to go in the Premier League, and with one foot in the Champions League semi-final, Liverpool's season is finely poised with glory tantalisingly close.
It's so close, in fact, that you can almost taste it. The long 29 year wait for a league title is as close to coming to an end as it has been since the ill-fated 2013/14 season.
Following last season's disappointment in the Champions League final in Kiev, the Reds stand a very …
Liverpool v Chelsea Preview - Reds aim to avoid repeat of Chelsea slip-up
The Details
Venue - Anfield, Liverpool
Referee - Michael Oliver
Date & Time - Sunday, April 14th @ 16:30
Current Odds - Liverpool 4/6, Draw 16/5, Chelsea 17/4
Form
Liverpool Form
Yes, this is more like it. Liverpool have won their last six games in a row in all competitions. This is the form needed to keep asking the questions of Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
More importantly, the nature of some of those league wins was hugely …
Why not both?
A lot has changed since the spring of 2014. Only two players from that squad are still with the club - the now captain Jordan Henderson and our back up keeper. And yet five years later we find ourselves in a somewhat similar position - playing Chelsea at Anfield in what could be a title decider. But unlike back then this Liverpool challenge does not feel like a one-off miracle run. We've seen the team evolve since Jurgen Klopp proclaimed …
Liverpool v FC Porto - Can Porto provide a tougher test this time around?
The Details
Venue - Anfield, Liverpool
Referee - Antonio Mateu Lahoz (ESP)
Date & Time - Tuesday, March 9th 2019 @ 20:00
Current Odds - Liverpool 1/4, Draw 17/4, FC Porto 10/1
Form
Liverpool Form
It's a beautiful sight. Once again, Liverpool are stringing wins together and looking like they may just reach the standards they set back in the first half of the season.
The win over FC Bayern in their last Champions League item was just what The Reds needed …
Henderson & Milner prove their worth in priceless fashion
Another week, another Liverpool game that ages supporters approximately 20 years in the space of 90 minutes.
There's doing things the hard way and then there's the Reds.
Friday's memorable 3-1 win at Southampton was the latest title statement from Jurgen Klopp's men, in a season that continues to defy belief in terms of consistency, winning mentality and a freakish points tally.
This was no normal routine victory away to a relegation-threatened team, though, as the evening had numerous twists …
Alisson Becker has room for improvement
After year upon year of painful and debilitating mediocrity between the sticks, Liverpool have felt the benefit of a top-drawer pair of hands this season.
Alisson Becker has justified his (at the time) world-record price-tag but that does not mean he should be considered immune from criticism.
Let's start by acknowledging just how good he is.
The statistics illustrate this nicely. Alisson has 17 clean sheets in the Premier League, two clear of his nearest rival Ederson, he has conceded …
The Final Stretch for Liverpool: Spurs, Supporters and Success
We’re here. We’ve arrived. The final international break of the season has passed us by, and we’re on the cusp of greatness. With one game in hand, we’re top of the league by two points. We have our two toughest games of the season at home, starting with Tottenham on Sunday followed by Chelsea in a few weeks time and our closest rivals, whilst being brilliant, have proved to be human this year more so than they did last year. …
Liverpool v Spurs Preview - Can Reds hit the ground running after international break?
The Details
Venue - Anfield, Liverpool
Referee - Martin Atkinson
Date & Time - Sunday, March 31st @ 16:30
Current Odds - Liverpool 11/20, Draw 3/1, Spurs 5/1
Form
Liverpool Form
The Reds finally seemed to be turning slightly under-par performances back into wins, something they were fantastic at in the first two months of the season.
Jurgen Klopp's men have won four of their last five games in all competitions. Those games included a fantastic 3-1 win over Bayern Munich …