Chelsea look impressive in UEFA Super Cup defeat to Liverpool

The Blues lost to Liverpool in PK’s on Wednesday night in Istanbul, but there are many positives to take out of the match for Frank Lampard’s side.

After an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend to begin the Premier League campaign, Chelsea had an even tougher task ahead of them as they took on Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday, where the Champions League holders and Europa League winners face off for the chance at another trophy.

Chelsea had a different feel in their starting eleven, with Olivier Giroud up front and 20-year old Christian Pulisic getting his first start as a Chelsea player. N’golo Kante was fit enough to start in the middle of the pitch and he made an immediate impact, holding down the midfield for the Blues.

Chelsea created several quality chances in the first half, firstly in the 22nd minute. Pedro found Giroud at the top of the box with a quick give and go and then the Spaniard got behind the Liverpool backline, only to smash the ball off the crossbar.

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The Blues got on the scoresheet first in the 36th minute when Kante brought the ball over half, holding off Sadio Mane then slipping a pass to a cutting Christian Pulisic. The American then found some space in front of him outside the box, finding Giroud who was making a creative run in behind for an easy finish for the first tally of the match.

Liverpool tied the game just minutes into the second half when Sadio Mane found the target. The match stayed level through 90 minutes, heading into extra time. Mane then bagged his second of the match in the first half of extra time, but Chelsea struck even just minutes later when Jorginho capitalized on a PK after Reds keeper Adrian took down Tammy Abraham in the box.

Pulisic, Kante shine

Even though the Blues lost in penalties, there was a lot of positives to take out of their performance. Possession was relatively even throughout the night; 53 percent for Liverpool and 47 percent for the blues.

In his first start for Chelsea, Pulisic played extremely well down the left side. The former Dortmund man looked slightly timid against United on Sunday, but on Wednesday his talent was on full display with creative runs down the flank, along with a beautiful assist on Giroud’s goal and a perfect strike in the bottom left corner that was disallowed because he was called offside:The American’s speed and skill are top-notch and against arguably one of the best defenses in the world, he was creating numerous scoring opportunities. When he can run into space, that’s when Pulisic is most dangerous. He isn’t Eden Hazard as everyone is expecting him to be, but he has the necessary attributes to succeed in the Premier League. In just his second match in a blues uniform, he is already showing promise so that is definitely a huge positive for Frank Lampard.

Kante couldn’t start at Old Trafford on the weekend after recovering from an injury, but he was deemed fit enough to feature in the starting eleven against Liverpool. He was an absolute mainstay in the midfield for Chelsea as per usual, snatching balls off Klopp’s midfielders regularly and using his crafty footwork to dribble around red jerseys and find teammates in open space. He also showed an exciting attacking flair in the final third. Lampard admitted prior to game time that Kante suffered another mild injury in their defeat to United on the weekend, but it didn’t seem to bother him based on his performance. The Frenchman had eight dribbles, four key passes, and three successful tackles against the Reds.

Kepa made several key saves, Giroud shows well

Arrizabalaga made some crucial saves throughout the match, including two against Mo Salah. He got his hands on two penalties in the shootout but couldn’t steer them clear from the net. The saves he did make were crucial though because Liverpool could have definitely won this game in regulation if it wasn’t for his quick reflexes.

It’s hard to believe that Olivier Giroud can be the starting striker for the Blues this year based on his age, but the former Arsenal star put forward a quality performance on Wednesday, holding up the ball well and connecting with his fellow midfielders with several key passes. Giroud also made numerous runs behind Liverpool’s back-line, but could only convert once. Tammy Abraham hasn’t shown the attacking flair that he did with Aston Villa last year quite yet, but if the 21-year continues to struggle, a starting spot could be in the cards for Giroud. I personally believe that Michy Batshuayi should also get a chance up top because he has been an exciting player in the past, so hopefully, Lampard gives him an opportunity.

The back-line still needs to tighten up

Although they conceded just two goals to Liverpool, Chelsea defense did look shaky at times. They are still missing their best defender, Antonio Rudiger, but despite his absence, they have enough quality back there to show better. Kurt Zouma looked a lot sharper in this match compared to the weekend, using his physicality to outmuscle oppositions. They were exposed on both goals, letting Firmino and Mane get in behind. There were several times where red jerseys were completely free in dangerous positions, but thankfully it didn’t cost them. Once Rudiger is back commanding the back-line, things should look better because conceding six goals in just two matches isn’t going to do the job.

Positive performance

All in all, it was a quality match for Chelsea against the former Champions League winners. Kante, Giroud, and Pulisic were all exciting on the attack and the entire squad showed a will to compete in this match. They were going toe to toe with Liverpool for the entire 120 minutes and just got unlucky losing in penalties.

There are definitely lots of positives to take away from this match for Frank Lampard’s side.