Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea: 5 talking points

Goalscorers: Daniel Sturridge 58’; Emerson Palmieri 79’ and Eden Hazard 85’.

Liverpool played host to Chelsea on Wednesday night in the third round of the 2018/19 Carabao Cup tie. A win against Southampton in the Premier League fixture on Saturday marked Liverpool's best ever start to a season in the club's history. The Reds have won seven consecutive matches since the start of 2018/19 season.

On the other hand, the Blues are not far behind. With five wins and a draw in the Premier League, they are currently level on points with Manchester City in third place. They are playing well under Maurizio Sarri at the moment and could even challenge for silverware this season.

With a busy Premier League and European schedule ahead, both teams made a plethora of changes to their starting lineup, eight to be precise. Cahill returned to Chelsea lineup while Fabinho got his first start in Liverpool colors.

Chelsea came back from a goal down to snatch the game 2-1 at Anfield. Sturridge’s 58th-minute strike was canceled out by Emerson in the 79th minute. Eden Hazard continued his good start to the season with the decisive 86th-minute winner.

On that note, let’s take a look at five key talking points from the game.

#1 Hazard’s 2018/19 campaign is getting better and better

Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Third Round

Eden Hazard is on a roll at the moment. The Belgian international was phenomenal at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and continued his scintillating form for Chelsea in the Premier League. In just 4 Premier League starts this season, the 27-year-old has scored five goals and assisted two more.

Eden Hazard is at the top of his game right now and simply unstoppable. He was the match-winner for Chelsea once again on Wednesday night. Trailing by 1-0, Chelsea needed an inspiration and Hazard was the man to provide it.

Emerson leveled the game 1-1 in the 79th minute and Eden Hazard nailed it in the 85th minute. It was a moment of brilliance from the Belgian who zoomed past Liverpool players and found the back of the net with an incredible solo strike. It could even end up as one of the goals of the season.

#2 Sturridge’s stunning goal failed to inspire Liverpool

The former Chelsea man was given a rare start by Jurgen Klopp and he took the opportunity well. He did not do much in the first half and to be fair to him, service wasn’t great either. Sturridge got a golden opportunity to open the scoring for Liverpool in the 48th minute but Caballero saved Chelsea with a brilliant save. Nevertheless, it was a huge miss for Sturridge.

He then atoned for his earlier miss with a stunning goal in the 58th minute. Naby Keita had an opportunity to test Willy Caballero and his shot was blocked by the Argentine shot-stopper. It fell into the path of Daniel Sturridge and the 29-year-old did not miss it this time. He found the back of the net with a brilliant overhead kick to put Liverpool 1-0.

#3 Chelsea’s first goal came out of nowhere

Though both teams created chances, Liverpool looked the dangerous team in the second half. They played a lot better and created some good goalscoring opportunities. Liverpool eventually took the lead in the 58th minute through Daniel Sturridge and Sarri introduced Eden Hazard in the 56th minute to save the tie.

Even after Hazard’s introduction, Chelsea looked lackluster and struggled to create any straightforward chances. However, it all changed in the 79th minute. Naby Keita’s foul gave away a free-kick to Chelsea, which proved decisive in the end. Barkley’s header from an Eden Hazard free-kick was saved by Mignolet, but the rebound fell right in the slot for Emerson to make it 1-1.

#4 Morata failed to impress, yet again

Alvaro Morata’s struggle at the Stamford Bridge shows no sign of easing down at the moment. After a below-par debut campaign under Antonio Conte, Morata was under great pressure to perform for his new manager. He would have hoped for a better start, but so far, he failed to impress under Sarri. Before today’s game, the Spaniard has made seven appearances in all competitions for Chelsea this campaign and scored only once.

Leading the line once again on Wednesday night, the 25-year-old struggled to make an impact. It was yet another bad day in the field for the Spaniard. He had a good chance to score in the 18th minute but failed to beat Mignolet. After a frustrating night, he received a yellow card late in the game for time wasting.

#5 Liverpool’s poor run against Chelsea at Anfield continues

Wednesday marked the 57th meeting between Liverpool and Chelsea since 2000, making it the most played fixture in English football this century. In the last 14 meetings between these two sides, Chelsea has won five and drew seven. The Reds have won only two games during that time, with both victories coming away from home at Stamford Bridge.

The last clash between Chelsea and Liverpool in this competition came in the 2015 semi-finals. Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 on aggregate to reach the finals. It was once again Chelsea’s day in the EFL Cup as they came from behind to beat Liverpool 2-1. The Reds were the better side in the fixture but Hazard's brilliance made the difference. These two sides meet once again on Saturday at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League fixture.

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.