Chelsea player ratings: Nkunku offers bright spark on return from injury but Badiashile suffers defensive horror show
CHELSEA boss Maurico Pochettino had absolutely nothing to smile about at Anfield tonight.
His side suffered another humiliating Premier League defeat, this time to title challengers Liverpool.
PAChelsea suffered another dismal Premier League defeat[/caption]
There was a significant gulf in class between the two teams in all areas of the pitch, with 20-year-old full-back Conor Bradley running the show.
Diogo Jota walked straight through the Chelsea defence to break the deadlock in the 23rd minute before Bradley doubled Liverpool’s advantage just before half-time.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored the third before Christopher Nkunku got one back for the Blues, but Luis Diaz restored the three-goal advantage from close range to seal the three points.
On another dismal day for Chelsea, here’s how SunSport’s Emillia Hawkins rated the performance.
Djordje Petrovic – 4
Made an excellent save to deny Darwin Nunez from close range in the opening 20 minutes.
There wasn’t too much he could’ve done about the goals – he was let down by his defence.
Axel Disasi – 3
Failed to challenge Szoboszlai in the air before the midfielder scored Liverpool’s third with a header.
Thiago Silva – 2
The Brazilian just stood and watched while Jota dribbled past him before scoring the opening goal.
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Benoit Badiashile – 2
Outmuscled by Jota in the build-up to the opening goal, but was offered little help by Silva.
His nightmare continued when he gave away a penalty on the brink of half time for a foul on Jota.
APBenoit Badiashile gave away a penalty for a foul on Jota[/caption]
Ben Chilwell – 2
Cheaply gave the ball away to 20-year-old right-back Bradley while on the attack – a mistake that ultimately contributed to Liverpool’s opening goal.
He then received a booking for a blatant dive in the penalty area.
Moises Caicedo – 3
Was overrun in midfield for the majority of the game and struggled to provide anything going forward.
Conor Gallagher – 3
Looked lively at the start of the game and arguably should’ve been awarded a penalty within the opening 10 minutes, but was dominated in midfield for the majority of the first half before being hauled off.
Enzo Fernandez – 3
Booked for a very late challenge on Curtis Jones at the half-hour mark.
Was overrun in midfield for the majority of the game.
Noni Madueke – 3
The winger failed to make any impact during the first half before being hauled off at the break.
Cole Palmer – 3
Didn’t offer too much going forward and rarely saw much of the ball throughout.
Raheem Sterling – 3
The winger appeared to switch off in the build-up to Liverpool’s second goal, giving Bradley plenty of space to make a run down the right.
Liverpool made the most of their chances
Substitutes
Mykhailo Mudryk (for Madueke, 46) – 3
Had a fantastic opportunity to get a goal back for Chelsea just five minutes after coming on, but his shot flew so far over the crossbar that it could’ve landed in Goodison Park.
Christopher Nkunku (for Gallagher, 46) – 5
One of the only positives for Chelsea on a miserable evening.
The striker scored his second Premier League goal with a pinpoint strike into the bottom-right corner following a clever turn.
ReutersChristopher Nkunku scored Chelsea’s only goal[/caption]
Malo Gusto (for Chilwell, 46) – 4
Injected some energy into the Chelsea defence after coming on and looked to play out from the back with great composure.
Carney Chukwuemeka (for Caicedo, 65) – 4
Added a huge spark to the Chelsea XI as soon as he came on.
Played a significant role in the build-up to Nkunku’s goal by driving forward with the ball from midfield.
Cesare Casadei (for Palmer, 85) – 4
The 21-year-old didn’t have too much time to make an impact.
