Estevao Delivers Dramatic Last-Gasp Winner as Chelsea Stun Liverpool in Thriller
Chelsea fought valiantly to claim a 2–1 victory over reigning champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night.
Following a string of disappointing displays that had increased scrutiny, supporters had little reason to criticize the determination shown by Enzo Maresca's squad, who gave everything until the final whistle to claim maximum points.
Long passes were Chelsea's preferred tactic from the start, and João Pedro arguably could have executed better when a through ball released Alejandro Garnacho one-on-one. The Brazilian misjudged his pass weight, enabling Giorgi Mamardashvili to rush out and intercept.
Chelsea didn't stay deflated for long though, as a thunderous long-range effort from Caicedo after 14 minutes rocketed into the Liverpool keeper's top corner.
Caicedo's defensive contributions were characteristically outstanding, while both Benoît Badiashile and Josh Acheampong appeared assured in the opening period as they thwarted Liverpool's regular but ineffective attacking moves.
Garnacho curled an effort frustratingly past the upright and was back in action moments later when he collapsed appealing for a spot-kick after contact from Dominik Szoboszlai. Referee Anthony Taylor quickly waved away his protests and a brief VAR review upheld the decision.
Badiashile compounded Chelsea's fitness concerns early in the second period as he hobbled off with what appeared to be a hamstring problem, and soon after Cody Gakpo poked past Robert Sánchez to level the score at 1–1.
Almost incredibly, Josh Acheampong brought the total of unavailable central defenders to five for Chelsea as he departed injured with 20 minutes remaining, creating an extremely tense conclusion.
Enzo Fernández whipped a delivery narrowly wide of the target as the match entered its final 10 minutes, before Mamardashvili was required to produce athletic, though routine stops from both Jamie Gittens and Estêvão.
A stoppage-time effort from Fernández hit the woodwork as Chelsea kept pressing for the decisive goal, which arrived through Estêvão in the 95th minute as he slid in to convert a delivery from Marc Cucurella, sending Enzo Maresca racing along the Stamford Bridge sideline in jubilation.
The Blues manager received a second booking for his celebrations, but no one in blue was concerned as referee Anthony Taylor's final whistle confirmed a memorable triumph.
Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Liverpool
*Ratings Provided by FotMob*
Player | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Robert Sánchez | 6.8 |
RB: Reece James | 7.8 |
CB: Josh Acheampong | 6.7 |
CB: Benoît Badiashile | 7.0 |
LB: Marc Cucurella | 8.4 |
DM: Malo Gusto | 8.0 |
DM: Moisés Caicedo | 8.1 |
RM: Pedro Neto | 6.9 |
AM: Enzo Fernández | 7.4 |
LM: Alejandro Garnacho | 7.5 |
ST: João Pedro | 6.2 |
SUB: Roméo Lavia (55' for Badiashile) | 6.9 |
SUB: Jorrel Hato (68' for Acheampong) | 6.5 |
SUB: Marc Guiu (74' for Pedro) | 5.8 |
SUB: Jamie Gittens (74' for Garnacho) | 6.3 |
SUB: Estêvão (74' for Neto) | 7.7 |
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Gabriel Slonina (GK), Landon Emenalo, Facundo Buonanotte
Player of the Match: Marc Cucurella
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Giorgi Mamardashvili; Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak.
Subs: Freddie Woodman (GK), Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Florian Wirtz, Federico Chiesa, Curtis Jones, Hugo Ekitiké, Andy Robertson, Jeremie Frimpong.