Chelsea and Liverpool demonstrate the excitement of the Premier League, even if the title is a foregone conclusion
LONDON — City of Manchester showed they were in a league of their own, so Premier League should be grateful for that Chelsea and Liverpool can still keep us all entertained. Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge Has helped no team and has only cemented Man City’s vice position, but football is about danger, risk and overcoming mistakes, and when it all comes together, you have a match. unforgettable match like this one.
Even before Man City got past 11 points at the top of the table with a 2-1 win at Arsenal On Saturday, this second versus third clash has always been a case of both sides needing to win to maintain their fading hope of catching Pep Guardiola’s winning machine. Man City’s win at the Emirates was their 11th consecutive win in the Premier League and all were won with such monotonous ease, scoring 33 goals and conceding just seven points out of three. a little more certain.
Without the possibility of a collapse in the second half of the season, Man City will win their fourth league title in five years and you will struggle to count on your fingers the number of times they have had to deepen their reserves to overcome. through adversity during that time. stage = Stage. Guardiola built one of the all-time great sides in English football history during his six years at the Etihad, but they may simply be too good to dedicate themselves to games like this.
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Chelsea and Liverpool have given us such a thrilling encounter as both have weaknesses that can be exploited by opponents. And as a result, both have to take risks to secure an important win.
And they also had to go into the game with unwanted distractions hovering over both clubs.
Chelsea, with three wins in the past eight, without a striker worth £97.5m Romelu Lukaku, abandoned by coach Thomas Tuchel because of a candid interview about his failure to impress so far at Stamford Bridge since returning to the club from Internazionale in the summer. And Liverpool without coach Jurgen Klopp, Goalie Alisson, defender Joel Matip and forward Roberto Firmino – all isolated because of COVID-19.
City, by contrast, have enjoyed a remarkably serene streak of success since losing Crystal Palace in October, that’s why they freely switch to another title. But the Premier League is considered the most exciting in world football because of matches like this, and teams like Chelsea and Liverpool and the drama they create.
From the first minute, when Sadio Mane was lucky to escape a red card for appearing in an attack Cesar Azpilicueta hit the face with the elbow after only 14 seconds, the match was full of events. Azpilicueta then said it was a “clear red card” when interviewed after the game.
Christian Pulisic, focused in the absence of Lukaku, squandered a golden opportunity to open the scoring in the seventh minute when, only the keeper was on the bench. Caoimhin Kelleher To beat, he was indecisive and let the youngster squeeze the ball. It proved to be an expensive miss when, two minutes later, Mane took advantage of his luck escaping one sent off by fouling by Trevoh Chalobah scored.
Chelsea are failing and Liverpool look like the team won the title in 2019. When Mohamed Salah made it 2-0 in the 26th minute with a beautiful close-range finish after gliding Marcos Alonso, it looks like Liverpool are about to give Chelsea the kind of hammer they bring down Manchester United in a 5-0 loss at Old Trafford earlier this season.
However, Liverpool failed to score a third, and two Chelsea goals in the last three minutes of the first half turned the game in full swing.
When Kelleher punched the ball from Alonso’s free-kick 42 minutes into the game, the keeper appeared to have done well to deny the Chelsea defender. But the ball was dropped Mateo Kovacic on the edge of the box and, as he was stepping back, somehow the midfielder volleyed past Kelleher and into the net. It was a spectacular technical performance of the forerunner Real Madrid and it gave Chelsea a solid footing back into the game.
And it took them only three minutes to score the equalizer as Pulisic redeemed the previous error by catching up N’Golo KanteKelleher’s pass before beating Kelleher with a precise left-footed shot that passes Republic of Ireland International. As chaos continued on the field, Mason Mountain Chelsea almost gave Chelsea a 3-2 lead in first-half injury time with a volley off the post.
When a game gets too hectic in the first half, it rarely brings the same quality to the second as the coaches plug the holes that have led to the excitement before. But while the goals stop flowing, entertainment doesn’t.
Salah was forced to save Edouard Mendy with a 25m lob in the 57th minute and Mane was also rejected by the Chelsea keeper. Kelleher, not to be outdone, then made a stunning save to stop Pulisic from scoring the second goal of the game.
In total, there were 25 chances in 90 minutes, with six scoring opportunities. However, could not find a winner.
“For the outside world it was a pretty good game to watch, but we came here for the three points and didn’t get them,” said the Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk speak.
Even if one team did enough to take all three points, it’s hard to imagine them being able to close the gap with Man City, who are taking another title. And the challenge facing both chasing clubs will only get tougher over the next month, with Salah (Egypt), Mendy and Mane (both Senegal) is currently traveling to the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
But the Premier League still knows how to excite, even if the title is already a foregone conclusion.
