Christian Benteke stars for Liverpool as Chelsea fail to create chances


On Saturday, Liverpool beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to intensify the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho, whose formerly dependable defensive block was cracked open by Philippe Coutinho and then crushed to bits by the aerial strength of substitute Christian Benteke.
So often has a deep and solid team shape helped Mourinho win big trophies -- the league title in May being one example -- and when Ramires headed home early on, the Special One's default strategy came to the fore. But what worked last season no longer does, and Coutinho's stoppage-time strike pulled Liverpool level at half-time
The Brazilian's equaliser had been set up by compatriot Roberto Firmino, who was handed a "false No. 9" role in the absence of a recognised striker in red. The £29 million summer recruit roamed freely to aid Liverpool's link-up play, which became an increasingly frequent sight as Chelsea backpedalled to guard their lead.
Needing a win, Chelsea came out of their shell after the break, but Mourinho's workmanlike line-up featured few creative players. Cesc Fabregas was benched, Diego Costa's labours yielded little and Eden Hazard offered even less before being take off after the break. Instead it was Jurgen Klopp who held the ace card: Benteke coming off the bench to use his aerial power to assist Coutinho before driving home to make it 3-1.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Neymar's right: Ronaldo should not be on Ballon d'Or shortlist

Image
 The Portuguese was named along with Lionel Messi and the Brazil forward in the final three to win the prestigious prize, but Luis Suarez can consider himself unlucky to miss out. " Lionel Messi and I are here in Zurich every year," said Cristiano Ronaldo  at the 2015 Ballon d'Or ceremony. And the world's two most famous footballers will be back in Switzerland again to dispute the individual award next January. This time, however, the Portuguese is very fortunate to be named among the final three contenders. The shortlist of three was revealed on Monday and Ronaldo was included alongside heavy favourite Messi and his team-mate Neymar, the Brazilian saying on the eve of the announcement that he believed Barcelona should complete a clean sweep after last season's treble triumph. "I think I do deserve to be [among the finalists] for what I'm doing," he said. "I would be happy if the trident [Messi, Suarez, Neymar] were all in the th
Read more

Chelsea take 'crisis' to a new level

Image
A quarter of the way into this Premier League season, Chelsea have unwillingly advanced the concept of the "bad patch". From their lofty perch of the last decade, they have witnessed plenty of minor wobbles and stumbles. It became more than a mere "blip" -- universally understood to be an anomaly of form that last no longer than three or four games -- when Crystal Palace snatched three points from Stamford Bridge at the end of August. After the blip comes the indeterminate period of the "crisis" -- a term that has long lost its significance in the Premier League era -- but crises are rarely terminal, and a corner is usually turned. So how can we describe Chelsea's dismal 2015/16? From the platform of a comprehensive (if not hugely memorable) title-winning year, they have delivered the capitulation to end all capitulations. Having redefined the art of winning in his first spell as manager, Jose Mourinho has now overseen a painful exhibition in h
Read more

Perez denies Madrid plans to sell Ronaldo

Image
The Merengue supremo assured that his club were not thinking about off-loading the goalscorer, while reacting angrily to reports he had already met with the PSG president Speaking at press conference at which the Real Madrid president gave his full backing to under-fire coach Rafa Benitez, Florentino Perez has denied the club are looking to sell Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer transfer window. The Portuguese star has been continually linked with a move to PSG and a return to the Premier League at the end of the season, but the Blancos supremo moved to quash the rumours. "Those who say I want to sell Cristiano do so in an attempt to destabilise [my position]," the 68-year-old told the press. "It annoys me that journalists said I have been attending any lunch meetings to discuss Ronaldo's sale. "I have never dined with Paris Saint-Germain's president or [Ronaldo's agent] Jorge Mendes to sell Ronaldo. "Those who think I would meet with the p
Read more