EPL: Slothful Liverpool fall 2-1 to Chelsea

Liverpool crashed to a 3rd successive decision arsenic Estevao Willian’s last-gasp onslaught condemned the spluttering Premier League champions to a 2-1 decision against Chelsea connected Saturday.

Arne Slot’s broadside were rocked by Estevao’s close-range decorativeness successful the last seconds astatine Stamford Bridge aft Cody Gakpo’s 2nd fractional equaliser had cancelled retired Moises Caicedo’s superb opener for the Blues.

After making a cleanable commencement to the play with 7 wins successful each competitions, including 5 successful the Premier League, Liverpool person suffered an unexpected blip with daze defeats astatine Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea.

Having mislaid to Palace successful the closing moments past weekend, this was different agonising stroke for Liverpool, who had made a wont of scoring precocious winners themselves successful the aboriginal weeks of the season.

Those precocious goals had papered implicit the cracks arsenic Liverpool conflict to gel pursuing Slot’s close-season spending spree.

Once again the second-placed Reds were beneath the standards that carried them to the rubric past play contempt splashing retired much than £400 cardinal ($539 million) connected caller signings.

They person surrendered archetypal spot to Arsenal, who climbed 1 constituent supra them aft beating West Ham connected Saturday.

Chelsea’s precocious amusement lifted them to sixth spot arsenic under-fire brag Enzo Maresca avoided a 3rd successive league defeat.

Liverpool’s Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah runs with the shot during the English Premier League shot lucifer betwixt Chelsea and Liverpool astatine Stamford Bridge successful London connected October 4, 2025. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP)

Maresca’s men snatched the pb with a bolt from the bluish successful the 14th minute.

When Liverpool carelessly conceded possession, Caicedo pounced connected the escaped shot and precocious unchecked arsenic Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate backed off, allowing the 23-year-old midfielder to lash a sublime onslaught into the apical country from the borderline of the area.

Caicedo’s 3rd extremity this play was the benignant of breathtaking infinitesimal that underlined wherefore Liverpool were truthful keen to motion him from Brighton earlier Chelsea outbid them for the Ecuadorian successful 2023.

– Liverpool rocked –

The Reds lacked their accustomed fluency and Alejandro Garnacho astir added to Slot’s angst with a curler that clipped the extracurricular of the station arsenic Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili stood rooted to the spot.

Garnacho was denied a punishment conscionable earlier half-time aft Dominik Szoboszlai shoved the Argentine to the turf, with the incensed Maresca earning a booking aft becoming embroiled successful a enactment with Liverpool goalkeeping manager Xavi Valero.

Alexander Isak was anonymous for agelong periods and erstwhile helium did get a show of goal, Liverpool’s British grounds signing headed wastefully over.

Slot replaced Conor Bradley with Florian Wirtz astatine half-time successful a bid to spark Liverpool and the determination astir paid instant dividends.

Wirtz’s clever crook and walk wrong the Chelsea country teed up Mohamed Salah, but the Egypt prima blazed wide.

It took Liverpool until the 51st infinitesimal to muster a changeable connected people arsenic Ryan Gravenberch’s long-range thrust was held by Robert Sanchez.

Salah squandered different show of extremity with a wayward decorativeness that summed up his caller dip successful form.

When Chelsea mislaid Benoit Badiashile to an injury, Reece James was forced to determination to centre-back successful a power that Liverpool rapidly exposed.

Given excessively overmuch clip by Marc Cucurella, Szoboszlai whipped a transverse into the six-yard box.

James was dilatory to respond and Isak flicked the shot towards Gakpo, who stabbed location from close-range for his archetypal extremity successful 8 games.