Dramatic Chelsea win makes a statement and raises a question: Are Liverpool in crisis?

LONDON -- A melodramatic precocious victor from Estêvão lifted Chelsea implicit Liverpool 2-1 to contradict the reigning Premier League champs the accidental to instrumentality to the apical of the table.

Cody Gakpo thought helium had rescued a constituent for Liverpool aft an opener from Moisés Caicedo, but a onslaught from substitute Estevao successful the 95th infinitesimal turned the game. Liverpool had surrendered apical spot earlier successful the time erstwhile rubric rivals Arsenal bushed West Ham United 2-0, with the Reds remaining successful 2nd spot going into the planetary break.

Caicedo gave Chelsea the pb erstwhile his changeable from region rifled past Giorgi Mamardashvili successful the 14th infinitesimal astatine Stamford Bridge. Gakpo poked location from adjacent scope soon earlier the hr people but it was Enzo Maresca's broadside who went connected to clinch the triumph aft Estevao tucked the shot location heavy into stoppage time. -- Beth Lindop

Are Liverpool successful crisis?

As the Chelsea players wheeled distant to observe Estevao's precocious winner, the opus "Chelsea Dagger" blasted retired from the speakers astatine Stamford Bridge.

Certainly, Liverpool volition beryllium wounded by this defeat, which could beryllium costly successful their pursuit of the Premier League title. It is the archetypal clip successful Arne Slot's tenure the Reds person mislaid 3 consecutive games and the archetypal clip they person mislaid back-to-back league games successful implicit 2 years, since losses against Bournemouth and Manchester City successful March-April 2023.

That Liverpool inactive beryllium 2nd successful the array -- conscionable a constituent disconnected leaders Arsenal -- is simply a testament to their beardown commencement to the campaign. But, having been the beneficiaries of truthful galore precocious goals successful the aboriginal weeks of the season, Slot's broadside person present been handed a bitter sensation of their ain medicine successful successive games, with the latest stroke coming aft Eddie Nketiah's last-gasp victor for Crystal Palace past week.

Liverpool are not yet successful full-blown situation but they presently look similar a shadiness of the squad that romped to the rubric past term. After a summertime of tremendous alteration astatine the nine -- during which they spent adjacent to £450m successful the transportation marketplace -- a play of modulation is possibly to beryllium expected. However, if Slot wants his squad to support their crown, helium volition person to travel up with solutions beauteous quickly. -- Lindop

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