Liverpool maintained their perfect start to the Premier League campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 away win against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino enough to get Jurgen Klopp’s side over the line despite a late strike from N’Golo Kante.
The midfielder’s goal came after a sustained period of pressure from the hosts, who took the ascendency in the second half after falling 0-2 behind, but ultimately it was Liverpool who came out on top, retaining their five-point lead at the league summit.
The result meant that Liverpool’s winning run stretched to 15 straight wins, the longest in the club’s history, while they are now the first club to win their opening six games in consecutive top-flight seasons. Klopp’s 92nd win in his first 150 games in the Premier League, only Jose Mourinho boasts more wins in that timeframe.
Liverpool master the ‘dark arts’ to grind out three points against Chelsea
Sunday’s win was by no means the vintage performances we have come to expect from Liverpool under the German’s tutelage, but it was no less impressive, with a new-found grit and steel underpinning the club’s latest title challenge. In previous years, the Reds have been criticised for being too nice, undone by the ‘darks arts’ of football – a trait that was so customary within Mourinho’s Chelsea and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
At Stamford Bridge, Liverpool managed to come through the second half onslaught through such arts, using time wasting and tactical fouls to break up Chelsea’s momentum as the pressure mounted on Adrian’s goal. In doing so, they reflected just how far they’ve come under Klopp, not just in an entertaining footballing sense, but through the development of street wise habits that are crucial to title challenges.
Adrian keen to remain grounded despite perfect league start
One of the key performers at Stamford Bridge was Adrian, who continues to impress in the absence of No.1 Alisson. The former-West Ham goalkeeper made his Champions League bow in midweek, making a point blank save to deny Dries Mertens and made the headlines again with a succession of crucial stops to keep Liverpool in front on Sunday.
He deserves immense praise for the way he has come into the squad, adapting to a a baptism of fire few would’ve anticipated and utilising the recent international break for additional training sessions.
Speaking after the match, Adrian reflected on his team’s perfect start to the Premier League campaign but was quick to reinforce that it remains very early days with plenty of football still to play before any Champions are crowned.
“We keep fighting and we keep that momentum going and keep it in a positive way, of course,” Adrian told the club’s official website.
“We have done really well but we’ve done nothing yet so we need to keep going and keep fighting for the next one. We are on a good run in the Premier League with good energy and intensity.”
“In the first half we did really well and I think we deserved the three points. Obviously, they pushed in the second half, but we defended really well.”
Adrian highlighted the togetherness within the squad to come through the scare at Stamford Bridge, with the players digging deep to grind out a result despite not being on the best of form on the day.
“We are a team, we win together and we lose together. The other night in the Champions League against Napoli we lost, I don’t think we deserved to have that result and it was really hard for us, but we recover well. We are back in the Premier League and back to winning.
“It’s always important to have a good connection between all of the players, also the fans, the crowd, the manager, the staff – everyone.
“We are like a rock now and we are together. We are enjoying this moment but we need to keep looking forward for more points.”