Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool player ratings: Enzo Fernandez catches Reds napping in first Premier League loss of championship reign | OneFootball

Liverpool were unable to mark their newfound status as Premier League champions, suffering a 2-0 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.

Arne Slot made six changes from the side that secured English league title number 20 against Tottenham last time out, but they faced an unchanged Chelsea team seeking to move a step further in their pursuit of Champions League football.

Enzo Maresca’s side netted either side of half-time, with Enzo Fernandez striking inside the opening five minutes and Jarell Quansah, one of those coming in for the Reds, inadvertently putting the ball into his own net before the hour mark.

Virgil van Dijk powerfully headed the ball to halve the deficit, but Cole Palmer restored Chelsea’s two-goal lead deep into stoppage time. The result leaves them in fifth place, three points ahead of Nottingham Forest, but four points behind second-place Arsenal with three matches remaining.

Chelsea player ratings

Robert Sánchez: 60%

He would be frustrated not to have kept a clean sheet, though Sanchez made one save from inside the box. Concerning, however, was a 30% long-ball accuracy rate, which saw the Blues often cede possession.

Marc Cucurella: 66%

Energetic as usual, once derided by supporters, Cucurella is fast becoming a lynchpin in this Chelsea team. He won a team-high seven possessions in the defensive third, successfully blocking one cross and registering two interceptions and seven clearances.

Levi Colwill: 57%

Stepping out of Thiago Silva’s shadow and making the number six jersey his own, Colwill didn’t need to channel his former teammate but won two tackles while boasting a 100% ground duel success rate.

Trevoh Chalobah: 58%

The busier of Chelsea’s central defensive pairing, Chalobah, made a team-high eight clearances, and while he was dispossessed in his own half, the 25-year-old did produce a crucial last-man tackle.

Moises Caicedo: 68%

Another outing at right-back for the formidable defensive midfielder, and to say Caicedo is equally comfortable there would be an understatement, a testament to his high football IQ. He won the penalty Palmer dispatched, while also winning a team-high three aerial duels.

Enzo Fernandez: 70%

His goal (2:47) is Chelsea’s earliest Premier League strike at Stamford Bridge since Antonio Rüdiger’s against Stoke in December 2017 (2:33). That quick start aside, Fernandez put in a shift. He made two interceptions, won both of his attempted tackles, and made three penalty area entries. He was, though, dribbled past on two occasions, but that was somewhat negated by winning four duels.

Romeo Lavia: 62%

In what has been a stop-start season at Chelsea, this was only his 13th league appearance. Like his last outing, Lavia did not complete the full 90 minutes. While on the pitch, he won possession twice in the final third.

Noni Madueke: 64%

He would create two goalscoring opportunities, but neither was considered a “big chance”. Madueke, who had a goal ruled out for offside, would complete two of his three take-ons and have one of his four shots on goal hit the target.

Cole Palmer: 74%

He ended a run of 1,162 minutes without a Premier League goal, his penalty being his first since December against Bournemouth. He had the most shots (5), created the most chances (4), made the joint-most passes into the final third (13), and had the joint-most touches in the opposition box (8) of any Chelsea player in today’s win over Liverpool.

Pedro Neto: 69%

The definition of efficiency: Despite completing only 11 passes, the second fewest of any Chelsea starter, Neto created two chances and provided an assist.

Nicolas Jackson: 49%

Came off the bench to score twice midweek, but Jackson couldn’t replicate his goalscoring feat as a starter this afternoon, even though he managed two shots on target. He was, however, caught offside on four occasions, which made up 80% of Chelsea’s offside calls.

Liverpool player ratings

Alisson: 66%

Forced into making five saves, three coming inside the penalty area, Alisson conceded on three occasions; it could have been even worse.

Kostas Tsimikas: 58%

No one who started on either side created more goalscoring opportunities than Tsimikas (five, including one big chance). The left-back is providing a strong case to be Liverpool’s first choice; the Greek international also put in the defensive work.

Virgil van Dijk: 58%

Made his 232nd Premier League start for Liverpool, which moved him joint-10th for most starts made in the competition for the Reds (level with Steve McManaman). Leading the Reds out in a guard of honour, it was a mixed outing for the Dutch colossus. He was booked, played a significant role in Quansah’s own goal, but netted. Only John Terry (19) and Dion Dublin (14) have scored more headed goals from corners in Premier League history than Van Dijk (13). The Liverpool captain is the top-scoring defender in the competition since his first full season with the Reds in 2018–19 (21).

Jarell Quansah: 49%

Endured a dramatic two minutes early in the second half: first, Van Dijk’s attempted clearance smacked into him and ended up in the back of the net. Then, he went into the referee’s book for a slightly high challenge on Fernandez.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 53%

Taken off minutes before the hour mark in an ineffective outing for the full-back who usually dominates going forward. Alexander-Arnold did not contribute to creating a single goalscoring opportunity and was dribbled past once while ending with 75% passing accuracy. He is also better than a 33.3% cross completion rate from open play, which he produced today.

Curtis Jones: 65%

He completed 94.3% of his passes (83/88) this afternoon for Liverpool, including 26 in the final third.

Wataru Endo: 60%

A rare start for the Japanese midfielder, who made the minutes count. Endo won both of his attempted tackles, was not dribbled past once, and won a team-high four duels while on the pitch.

Cody Gakpo: 64%

One of two Liverpool players with a shot on target, the other being his compatriot Van Dijk who scored the Reds’ consolation goal, Gakpo was nevertheless ineffective otherwise, with no chances created.

Harvey Elliott: 57%

Playing in a deep-lying forward role, Elliott attempted two shots on goal, but neither was on target. He was also unable to contribute to creating scoring chances for his teammates.

Mohamed Salah: 62%

No one in a Reds jersey posted more touches in the opposition box than Salah (8), but the Egyptian forward couldn’t breach Chelsea’s goal, producing a meek one shot off target, giving him a final xG score of 0.09. Salah, though, would create two goalscoring opportunities, with one being a “big chance”.

Diogo Jota: 55%

Led the line for Liverpool but was feeding off scraps when he was on the pitch. He nevertheless had two shots on goal, though neither were on target, and only the dominant Salah had more touches in the opposition box.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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