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Performed: N’Golo Kante
Reigning European champions Chelsea have a plethora of great players at their disposal, but very few can match the brilliance of N’Golo Kante.
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The Frenchman rarely puts a foot wrong and is somehow always available to his teammates. Against Liverpool, he once again proved why he is widely hailed as one of the best midfielders in the world, pulling strings from the middle of the park.
To no one’s surprise, the former Leicester City man shielded Chelsea’s defense with grace and ease. He did not let the Liverpool forwards have a field day and kept the damage to a minimum. Thanks to his disruptive gameplay, James Milner and Jordan Henderson did not get a foothold in the game.
The 2018 World Cup winner also pushed forward when possible and eventually set up Pulisic for his equalizer. He made three key passes, provided three accurate long balls and won five of his seven ground duels. Another perfect performance from Chelsea’s most reliable stalwart.
Underperformed: Trevoh Chalobah
Playing on the right side of a three-man defense, Trevoh Chalobah was responsible for containing the threat of Liverpool left-winger Sadio Mane.
Unfortunately, he looked unprepared against the Liverpool number 10 and gave the ball away more than once.
In the sixth minute, he lost possession to Mane inside his own half. The Liverpool forward found Salah in space, but the Egypt international could not convert.
Three minutes later, Chalobah fluffed his clearance and gave the ball straight to Mane. The Senegalese put his left foot through and scored Liverpool’s opening goal in style.
Performed: Mateo Kovacic
Former Real Madrid man Mateo Kovacic ran the show for Chelsea on Sunday, going above and beyond to prove why he’s loved by the Blues.
Kovacic’s distribution was top-notch as usual. His pressing was as relentless as you would expect. And most importantly, he did it all with no hesitation, forcing Liverpool to be on their toes all night long.
Chelsea’s player of the match, Mateo Kovacic, took 105 touches, completed 63 passes, provided four accurate long balls, and won 13 of his 14 duels. If that wasn't enough, he also scored a screamer in the 42nd minute to get Chelsea back into the game.
Pouncing on Kelleher’s loose clearance, Kovacic dispatched a venomous volley from the edge of the box. The ball touched the post on its way into the top-right corner of Liverpool’s goal. Surely a 'Goal of the Season' contender from the Croat.
