Blues Blow Golden Chance as Liverpool win EFL Trophy
Still, with the exception of the goalkeeper and perhaps Cole Palmer, Chelsea appear content to extend extra time and force a penalty shootout, ending the last four meetings between the two sides in major finals. It became. With such a chaotic and expensively constructed team, no one is ready to step into this game and take on the teenagers, debutants and heavy legs that make up Liverpool's eleven. It was.
Pochettino may still have questions to answer about his team's recent attacking timidity, but that doesn't mean he isn't willing to change teams. Christopher Nkunku came on in the 67th minute and Chelsea looked threatening as he found himself in a more central position before the full-time whistle. The presence of Mikhail Mudryk and Noni Maduke was needed, and both players came on seven minutes into stoppage time. Neither they nor their teammates were using fresh legs. Also note that Pochettino did not adjust his system to put more pressure on the Liverpool goal before the penalty. He also noted that teams may have "started to feel like the fines were benefiting them." Chelsea ran away easily in the 120th minute. Virgil van Dijk would not tolerate such passivity. In fact, despite all his opponents being decisive, he stood up and scored his second goal of the day. His looping header in the second half ensured there was no chance of the goal being canceled out. The Liverpool captain embodies qualities that Chelsea cannot buy for a billion: an authority figure who convinces others that he is capable of more than his limited resume suggests, and a willingness to work with him. are also taken into account and emphasized in important situations.
When it mattered most, Chelsea had few comparable characters. They had their good moments, of course, but their late surge saw Liverpool go completely off course when Gravenbirch limped off after half an hour for a clumsy foul on Moises Caicedo. It came with a warning. Liverpool's team, which looked so complete at the end of August, was finally running out of steam. Somehow that didn't mean they were exhausted for the next 90 minutes.
When Grabenberch was on the pitch, Liverpool were in control, but it was all about keeping their starting XI together for as long as possible. The failure of Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez to pass the latest fitness tests means Liverpool are definitely lacking the type of playmaker who can make something out of nothing. But the sport's best number 10, a well-organized high press, caused all sorts of problems for a Chelsea team that too often found the ball difficult for their nine-figure midfielder. For west Londoners, the left should have been a release valve for them to believe that Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling had the intelligence to keep them out of danger.
If so, they are not taking into account the brutality of Conor Bradley. Every time a Chelsea player received the ball on Liverpool's right flank with his back to goal, the 20-year-old from County Tyrone was hit by a freight train. There was no escape when Bradley was there and Chelsea's situation was not bad when the youngster had the ball. His sense of space on the pitch was worthy of Trent Alexander-Arnold, as he drifted inside to receive Van Dijk's pass and darted forward with Enzo Fernandes on his shoulders.
Liverpool have a real balance in attack, with Elliott's fluidity on the right contrasting well with Luis Diaz's direct control, and both teams successfully implementing the system through individual excellence. He was definitely the best player in this match. This became even more evident when Caicedo flew in front of Graben-Birch, who suffered a sore ankle and needed a stretcher to leave the field. Video assistant referee John Brooks concluded that there was no way to recommend a yellow card to Chris Kavanagh as the Ecuadorian player committed a careless play rather than a serious play. If Caicedo were red, I might not have much to complain about.
Klopp appeared to be running out of options after Grabenberch introduced more than a dozen offside players. In the 28th minute, it was too early to use an academy player and Joe Gomez or Kostas Tsimikas actually ended up playing on the wrong side. Gomez has played repeatedly in the right-back position for Liverpool, but usually Bradley does not play in front of him, forcing Elliott to play upfield. They may have been the better team for the next 90 minutes, but ultimately their depth was depleted and Liverpool were forced to temper Chelsea's vices.
Meanwhile, the Blues could move their defense away from Dias due to Kodi Gakpo's anonymity. He would have thought Diaz was campaigning alone. A player in Liverpool's attacking team appeared to have missed a shot, but his header hit the far post and went over the crossbar.
A header from Van Dijk in the same period could have given them the win, but Brooks and Kavanagh took the points. Vatur Endo covered Levi Colville from an offside position in such a way that he was unable to put any pressure on the Liverpool captain. These goals aren't often ruled out, but even if they aren't, it's easy to see how soccer is evolving into a game where dead balls are becoming more common... And it's dangerous.
As the Redlegs grew tired and the number of academy graduates increased, the threat of Chelsea, especially Cole Palmer, grew. Conor Gallagher went close on goal three times, deflecting Palmer's cross off the post and firing a through ball from his number 20, which Nicholas Jackson kept well before curling high and wide. They could have won in stoppage time, but Caoihin Kelleher is no ordinary reserve goalkeeper. After brilliantly getting past Palmer in the first half, he was in the box and repeated the trick as the clock ticked down, getting up and hitting Christopher Nkunku's rebound into his glove.
If anyone was going to take away the Man of the Match award, it was Djordje Petrovic, who blocked Elliott's shot with his left foot five minutes into the game. He deserved the chance to be the hero in the cup final, but many concluded that his goalkeeping heroics in the penalty shootout were the ultimate victory. He was passive and cautious as the final got underway, but in the 118th minute Kostas Tsimikas' corner kick saw Van Dijk dive at his near post and he was unable to help Petrovic. This time there was no need for a pick-and-roll, and he got to the ball no matter who was standing between him. Chelsea should learn from this
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