With a rotated but strong side, Liverpool lost again on Tuesday evening, this time to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
There was a slight improvement from the whack they received at the weekend but the Reds remained far from good enough to deserve a victory.
In addition to their inability to shut teams down defensively, for the second match in a row, Jurgen Klopp’s side could not find the net either.
After making a couple of quality saves, backup goalkeeper Adrian surrendered what should have been a routine save.
Chelsea’s Willian lashed a shot with venom, which was essentially right at the Spanish keeper. It still managed to cause problems and after stinging the gloves, ended up in the back of the net. It was another withdrawal from his early-season credit.
Minutes later, Liverpool mustered a brief but intense barrage on the Blues goal only for Kepa Arrizabalaga to thwart three consecutive shots in a matter of seconds. Sadio Mane, Divock Origi, and Curtis Jones all had a crack but could not break through.
By the time Ross Barkley drove right through the heart of Liverpool’s midfield and created a chance all his own that he took, the Reds looked slightly rattled for the first time in recent memory.
A combination of errors and poor decision-making contributed to an uncharacteristic goal and the players were under no illusions. Once again, they were not good enough to claim a result.
Here are our ‘Four Findings’ from the match.
