Liverpool squandering 2-goal lead against Chelsea doesn't augur well for their Premier League hopes

Liverpool are well in the Premier League title race this season. However, they trail Chelsea by a point and leaders Manchester City by a whopping ten, following their 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

In recent weeks, it is Chelsea who have been in the news for their supposed slump. So for the Blues to be sitting ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side is testament to the title race brewing up in the Premier League.

When Liverpool won the league in 2019-20, they were a ruthless side that mastered the art of controlling games to the end. At the moment, though, they are far from a championship-winning side. On Sunday, the Reds had the chance to usurp their West London rivals when they travelled to Stamford Bridge, but failed to make their opportunities count.

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Reds throw away two-goal lead

Ordinarily, a 2-2 draw away at Chelsea is a very good result for any team. However, the fact that Liverpool were two goals to the good and threw it away leaves a sour taste.

The Reds seemingly had the game in the bag after 26 minutes when Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah produced excellent finishes to put them 2-0 ahead. Chelsea were rattled after falling behind and were there for the taking. However, Liverpool took their foot off the gas, allowing the Blues to play themselves back into contention.

Mateo Kovacic’s spectacular strike helped reduce the deficit to 2-1. However, one would argue that Liverpool’s defending was suspect. Four minutes later, the Reds were once again caught out when Christian Pulisic scored the equaliser.

This is a game Liverpool should’ve easily won. However, their lack of concentration meant they frittered away a two-goal lead against a direct title rival. That could eventually cost them the Premier League title.

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Liverpool’s loss is Manchester City’s gain

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s draw against Chelsea allowed Manchester City to extend their lead atop the Premier League table to ten points. Pep Guardiola’s side are now in pole position to defend their title.

“We never look at others. A title race is only decided on the last matchday, and there are so many points to collect,” Pepijn Lijnders, who took charge of the Reds due to Klopp’s COVID-19-enforced absence, told Liverpoolfc.com.

He continued:

“We have this difficult situation, and you never know if the opposition will get a difficult situation. We have to focus on ourselves; that’s how we always did it, that’s how we got into the position we are."

“That’s how our team developed, how our team is in this moment in time. We only focus on the next game to make it a final, and give everything we have, and with this, we become better.”

Liverpool now face a tall task to catch City. Their loss of two points against Chelsea is the Cityzens’ gain.