Soccer

Northern Ireland’s Conor Bradley runs the show as Liverpool thump sorry Chelsea

Darwin Nunez hits the post multiple times as scoreline flatters Blues at Anfield

Liverpool's Conor Bradley celebrates after assisting their side's third goal of the game scored by Dominik Szoboszlai. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Liverpool's Conor Bradley celebrates after assisting their side's third goal of the game scored by Dominik Szoboszlai. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Andy Hunter
Wed Jan 31 2024 - 22:35

Premier League: Liverpool 4 Chelsea 1

Jurgen Klopp has rebuilt a formidable Liverpool unit while Chelsea have continued to squander the best part of £1bn on a collection of individuals under Todd Boehly. Their contrasting fortunes and approaches were graphically underlined by a home-grown Liverpool talent, Tyrone’s Conor Bradley, helping to dismantle Mauricio Pochettino’s strangers on a statement night for the Premier League leaders.

Bradley was inspired, the Kop chanting the 20-year-old’s name throughout, as Klopp’s team toyed with their Carabao Cup final opponents a month before they meet at Wembley. Liverpool are counting down the days already. Chelsea must be dreading them.

A high-octane affair flew by with Liverpool refusing to allow Chelsea any time to play their way through a relentless press and peppering Djordje Petrovic’s goal almost on sight. Klopp got the atmosphere and the performance he requested. His team were at full throttle from the first whistle and the crowd parked their despair over Friday’s announced departure to produce a raucous noise. One fed off the other.

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Klopp made a shrewd managerial choice by retaining Conor Bradley at right-back despite the availability of the fit-again Trent Alexander-Arnold. It was a huge show of faith in the 20-year-old, who has excelled in the deputy captain’s recent absence, and a decision that reaped huge rewards. The Kop was singing the Northern Ireland international’s name towards the conclusion of a first half in which he created the first goal for Jota and scored the second himself.

Bradley began a superb night’s work when crafting the first chance of the game for Darwin Núñez, a man on a mission to score from anywhere. The striker attempted to lob Petrovic from the full-back’s perfectly weighted ball but the Chelsea goalkeeper was alert to his intentions. Petrovic kept the first half scoreline semi-respectable with a series of fine saves. He tipped another Núñez first time effort, a blast from Alexis Mac Allister’s threaded pass, on to his crossbar and a left foot drive from the Uruguay international on to his far post. He denied Liverpool again when getting down low to tip away a daisy-cutter from Curtis Jones. But the visiting keeper was let down badly by his central defenders when the hosts eventually, inevitably, took the lead.

Ben Chilwell was also at fault for the breakthrough when losing the ball weakly to Bradley. The defender swapped passes with Jones, advanced and found Jota in space on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area. The striker weaved between non-existent challenges from Thiago Silva and Benoît Badiashile – John Terry, watching from the away end, will have been sickened – and poked a close range finish beyond Petrovic. It was Bradley’s fourth assist in four games and the goal stood following a VAR review for a possible handball by Jota when Silva struck a clearance against him. Liverpool, for once, would have no complaints with referee Paul Tierney’s performance.

After six minutes Klopp’s bete noire dismissed a penalty appeal from Conor Gallagher when he collected Raheem Sterling’s cross from the left and went down under a challenge from Virgil van Dijk. There was contact from the Liverpool captain’s arm and knee but Gallagher went down too easily. Both Tierney and VAR were unimpressed. Gallagher and Chilwell might have been playing in slippers given the ease with which they went to ground. Both were replaced at half-time when Pochettino rang the changes in response to an alarming display.

Liverpool extended their lead courtesy of their marauding right back’s first goal for the club. Luis Díaz spun away from Enzo Fernández to send Bradley sprinting clear down the right. The youngster showed excellent composure to sweep a low finish from the edge of the area beyond Petrovic and inside his far, right hand corner. VAR again stalled Anfield’s celebrations as it reviewed a possible foul in the build-up by Jota on Chilwell, who argued he would have occupied Bradley’s space otherwise, before allowing the goalscorer to savour his moment after all.

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez hits the post with his penalty kick. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
Liverpool's Darwin Nunez hits the post with his penalty kick. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

It should have been three before the break. Tierney ruled in Liverpool’s favour again when Badiashile stood on Jota’s foot as he darted on to Van Dijk’s pass inside the area. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot but, with Klopp looking away from the penalty kick and waiting on the reaction of the crowd, Núñez struck a post with Petrovic diving the opposite way.

Pochettino made his feelings clear on Chelsea’s anaemic first-half performance. The Chelsea manager made three substitutions at the interval and should have been vindicated immediately when one, Malo Gusto, broke clear down the right and centred for another, Mykhailo Mudryk. Unmarked and 10 yards out, Mudryk skied high into the Anfield Road stand. The visitors’ slim prospects of a comeback had receded further.

Bradley’s evening, by contrast, went from strength to strength. He made it five assists in four outings when receiving Van Dijk’s cross-field ball and sprinting clear of Badiashile, now shifted out to left-back in place of Chilwell. At full pelt he delivered a perfect cross into the penalty area and Dominik Szoboszlai soared above the Chelsea defence to head home.

Christopher Nkunku injected much-needed menace into the Chelsea attack and pulled a goal back when steering Carney Chukwuemeka’s ball into the bottom corner. He also had a penalty claim rejected after a kick in the heel from Van Dijk. Núñez hit the woodwork for a third time with a thumping header from an Andy Robertson cross before setting up the fourth for Díaz with an inviting cross to the back post. – Guardian

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