writen By Talal osman
Willian Estevao’s stoppage-time goal gave injury-ravaged Chelsea a 2-1 win over Premier League champions Liverpool, who suffered their third straight defeat and fell from top spot.
Liverpool came into Saturday's contest at Stamford Bridge having seen Arsenal leapfrog them intgo the No 1 spot earlier in the day, with the Gunners beating West Ham United 2-1.
And despite Cody Gakpo cancelling out Moises Caicedo’s stunning opener, Liverpool’s poor week was capped off, having lost to Crystal Palace in stoppage time last weekend and then to Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.
Enzo Fernandez’s late miss seemed to have let Liverpool off the hook, but 18-year-old substitute Estevao proved to be Chelsea’s hero when he turned home from Marc Cucurella’s cross in the 95th minute.
After a week in which their indifferent performances seem to have caught up with them, Liverpool have dropped to second, one point behind Arsenal, while Chelsea climb to sixth.
How the match unfolded
Giorgi Mamardashvili was picking the ball out of his net just 14 minutes into his Premier League debut, with Liverpool’s back-up goalkeeper – standing in for the injured Alisson – given no chance by Caicedo’s thunderous strike into the top-left corner.
Liverpool had a great chance five minutes later, but Benoit Badiashile’s block denied Dominik Szoboszlai.
Chelsea nearly went 2-0 up when Alejandro Garnacho’s strike kissed the outside of the post, before the winger saw penalty appeals dismissed following a tussle with Szoboszlai.
With his first touch, Liverpool's half-time substitute Florian Wirtz brilliantly teed up Mohamed Salah just 19 seconds into the second period, but the Egyptian drilled wide from close range.
Liverpool dragged themselves level in the 63rd minute – Gakpo prodding in from Alexander Isak’s cushioned touch.
Jamie Gittens and Estevao then forced Mamardashvili into action, but the biggest chance seemed to have fallen to Fernandez, who could only hit the upright with the goal gaping.
There was to be a final twist, though, as Fernandez slipped in Cucurella, whose low cross was poked in by Estevao.
Chelsea win despite host of absentees
This was a big, big win for Enzo Maresca, and he did it without some of his key players.
Cole Palmer may be the headline name absent due to injury for the Blues, but it is at the back that Chelsea are really having a tough time of it.
Centre-backs Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill were all ruled out for this clash, and Maresca received further blows during this match when he lost both Badiashile and Josh Acheampong to injury in the second half, meaning Reece James had to partner Jorrel Hato in the heart of the defence for the final third of the match.
With so many players nursing knocks, Maresca will be glad to see the international break, and he will hope some of his wounded players are able to use some downtime to return to fitness ahead of a trip to Nottingham Forest on October 18.
The Italian will be suspended for that game, given he picked up a second yellow card for his celebration following Estevao’s winner, although he will probably care little about that right now.
To claim a victory over the reigning champions without so many regulars is a testament to Maresca’s work, even if he is helped by Chelsea’s abundance of talent in reserve.
More late drama for LiverpoolOnly one of Liverpool’s league matches this season has not featured a late goal – or, indeed, a late winner for either the Reds or their opponents, and that was the Merseyside derby two weeks ago.
Before that game against Everton, Arne Slot’s team had won all of their top-flight matches by hook or by crook – just about getting the job done. Now, they have lost to two stoppage-time strikes in successive games. Eddie Nketiah’s winner for Crystal Palace last week came in the 97th minute, and Estevao got Chelsea over the line two minutes earlier on this occasion.
While optimistic Liverpool fans may have looked at their early-season displays as evidence of a title-winning mentality, others may have suggested the level of performance was being covered up by those last-gasp rescue jobs.
And barring a spell around Gakpo’s equaliser, Liverpool were second-best here. Salah was largely on the fringes – he came alive once in the first half with a wonderful cross into Isak, who headed over. He looked sharper in the second half, though still some way short of his best.
Having introduced Wirtz at half-time, Slot made some brave adjustments early in the second half, an out-of-sorts Ibrahima Konate making way and Ryan Gravenberch going into the defence, but Chelsea regained control once they had rediscovered their composure.
Manchester United visit Anfield after the international break, and Slot will know his team need to get back into gear.
