MOHAMED SALAH - Shows Chelsea were Crazy To Sell Him.
It was the story of what was for Chelsea and what could have been. When the breakthrough eventually arrived on a glacial Saturday night at Anfield, the goal belonged to Liverpool and a player once on their books, while the assist materialised from one they had been desperate to sign in the summer.Mohamed Salah became the first player to break double figures in front of the sticks in the Premier League after converting Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s toe-poke into his path.In September, Antonio Conte had wondered just what possessed Chelsea to sanction the sale of Kevin De Bruyne after his winner for Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, and here, he would’ve been just as perplexed by the decision to let the Egypt international depart.“Salah is a good player and is very dangerous,” the Italian said pre-match. “He's a technical player, but at the same time is very fast, very strong, very good in one v one. Also he's very good finishing. We must pay great attention.”
With nine goals in his last eight games, and 10 in just 13 appearances in the league, Salah has obliterated any attempts to saddle with him the ‘Chelsea reject’ tag. He was only ever afforded the same number of top-flight run-outs while at Stamford Bridge, and without the trust or rhythm he enjoys now, scored just twice back then.
Liverpool, as expected in the encounter, took the initiative with Chelsea looking to contain and then expose any lack of offensive protection from the hosts.
Chelsea, conversely, looked threatening each time they took on possession - thanks to the wizardry of Eden Hazard - and after weathering the early period, began a storm of their own.
Liverpool would line up to thwart the Belgian international in their multiples, but still the ball remained magnetised to his feet with his vision unerring. Last-ditch blocks, a fine Simon Mignolet save and some luck kept Hazard from breaching the hosts’ backline before the break.
Danny Drinkwater and Davide Zappacosta also had efforts denied as the Stamford Bridge side created superior chances to change the goalless scoreline.
At the opposite end of the pitch, it was Salah who looked most likely and on 41 minutes, he cunningly turned Gary Cahill but his curler towards the bottom-left corner went just wide.
Hazard was then in the mix again for Chelsea, this time negatively, as he pushed Philippe Coutinho in the penalty area with Klopp’s assistant, Zeljko Buvac, absolutely livid that a penalty wasn’t awarded.
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