Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool: Inability to keep ball downs Reds in crucial Premier League title clash

by Jimmy Johnson

Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a high-stakes match in the Premier League title race on Saturday evening. 

It was a below-par display from Arne Slot’s Reds - and it stemmed from their inability to hold onto the ball in possession. 

Despite trailing on the scoresheet for long stretches, Liverpool were unable to get their foot on the ball with just 46.9% possession to Chelsea’s 53.1%.

They were frequently caught out on the ball and gave it away in disadvantageous positions and the Reds were often their own worst enemy as they created Chelsea’s best chances for them.

Ultimately, this would be Liverpool’s undoing, as Estevao hooked a cross from Marc Cucurella into the back of the net in the dying embers of the match.

Liverpool function as a counter-attacking team 

For all their lack of time on the ball, Liverpool were nonetheless able to create good chances against Chelsea. They accumulated an xG of 1.93, far outweighing Chelsea’s 0.88 xG. 

However, this just highlighted the Reds’ profligacy in front of goal. Salah is not himself this season and Alexander Isak has yet to hit the ground running. They are both failing to take their chances with Liverpool’s lone goal of the evening coming through a somewhat fortuitous Cody Gakpo tap-in. 

If Liverpool are to score more goals, they simply must create more chances. They cannot do this by exclusively (and perhaps inadvertently) playing for the counter - they need to be able to take control of games, especially against teams with world class attacking output.

Liverpool’s starting XI featured no players who could reliably keep hold of the ball throughout the contest. Even reliable passers, such as Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, struggled to keep the ball. However, in the second half, the Reds were offered a brief respite with the introduction of Curtis Jones, who altered the dynamics of the game. 

Curtis Jones provides lone bright spark

When Jones came on in the 56th minute, Liverpool scored just seven minutes later. While he was not directly involved, this was no coincidence. 

He was the only Liverpool player to have 100% passing accuracy against Chelsea. He provided a base upon which the Reds could build attacks and patiently probe for an opening. 

This led to Liverpool’s only goal of the game, as they were able to create an opening down the right flank. The ball was lofted over to Alexander Isak, whose touch was diverted into the path of Cody Gakpo for a tap-in. 

While the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Gravenberch are all superior operators and more ‘fashionable’ than Jones, the answer to Liverpool’s woes on the ball could lie within one of their own academy products. 

Many people misunderstand Jones’ role on the pitch. He is not the dynamic, goalscoring box-to-box player that he has been typecast as. Instead, he is a steady hand on the ball who rarely concedes possession and lays off simple passes to his teammates. 

Ideal for recycling possession and keeping hold of the ball, it may raise the eyebrows of some, but Jones could soon command a regular spot in Liverpool’s first team. Slot’s approach certainly needs a shake-up - after three defeats in a row, alarm bells should be ringing at Anfield. If there was ever a time to take a risk, it’s now.