Jurgen Klopp praised his Liverpool side after their stellar performance at Stamford Bridge to beat Antonio Conte’s Chelsea by a 2-1 scoreline.
Liverpool were on the front foot from the word go and took the attack to the Chelsea players rather than sitting deep in their half. Despite the unavailability of star attacker Roberto Firmino, the Reds improvised and got the job done over a hapless Chelsea side.
It was Liverpool who opened the scoring as defender Dejan Lovren volleyed home an exquisite cross played by midfielder Philippe Coutinho to give his side the lead in the 17th minute. Things went from bad to worse for Chelsea as Jordan Henderson scored a sublime long range effort that beat Thibaut Courtois to double the Reds’ advantage.
The hosts did manage to pull a goal back through Diego Costa in the second half, but they were clearly outplayed by a robust Liverpool side. Klopp, after the game, had a number of nice things to say about his side and their performance against Chelsea.
“We played football like hell, it was really nice to watch,” Klopp was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying in the post-match press conference.
“You don’t understand it, football like hell? Very lively, very flexible. We never thought about anything else other than playing our football.
“I told the lads before the game, everything can happen, there’s no guarantee of getting anything at Chelsea, but if we lose our way, the probability we get something, if we are really convinced about the kind of play it is bigger.”
A win for Liverpool has seen them leapfrog Friday’s opponents to occupy second spot on the Premier League table. Barring a disappointing defeat against Burnley, Klopp’s side have looked like a well-oiled machine who may be serious contenders for the league title this season.
Their next league game is against newly-promoted side Hull City who have enjoyed a decent start to the season as well. Currently sitting in eight place, Mike Phelan’s men will be looking forward to their trip to Anfield and will hope to make things as difficult as possible for the Reds.