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LIVE BLOG
90+5min: FULL TIME. Chelsea win!
90min: 5 minutes added on.
88min: And now Hazard wins a free kick at the top of the box, which he takes himself but hits it low and into the wall.
85min: EDEN HAZARD HAS JUST SCORED A MOST MAGNIFICENT GOAL HOLY SSHOOOE, 2-1!
84min: Sturridge hit the crossbar after Chelsea give the ball away.
82min: Liverpool almost immediately hit back but Henderson’s cross is just over Firmino’s head. Kante then fouls Keita by the corner flag, but Chelsea clear.
79min: GOAL!! Keita earns a yellow for his persistent fouling as well. Chelsea have a free kick in a decent position. Hazard swings the ball in, Barkley powers a header on target, which is parried into the path of Emerson, WHO SCORES!!! 1-1!!! Question about whether Barkley was onside, but VAR shows he was level with Firmino. Good goal. Game on.
77min: Shaqiri looks to be in as the ball over the top beats Emerson, but loses his footing on the cutback and Chelsea survive.
73min: Christensen has hurt himself as he stretched for an interception. He’s replaced by David Luiz, in Chelsea’s final sub of the day. No Hudson-Odoi then, perhaps unluckily.
68min: An Azpilicueta cross is cut out before any danger could be created. Liverpool not too fussed by Chelsea’s efforts here. Mane is replaced by Roberto Firmino.
63min: A wonderful counter started by Emerson goes to naught as Barkley runs too wide and is crowded out. Kante replaces Kovacic in the meantime.
59min: Chelsea don’t clear the ball as Cesc and Azpi dally on it and give it away. Mane’s shot is parried by Caballero, but only as far as Sturridge, who puts it into the empty net with an acrobatic bicycle kick. Henderson replaces Milner afterwards. An entirely avoidable goal created purely by Chelsea overplaying an easy clearance. 1-0, Liverpool.
56min: Fabinho gets a yellow for persistent fouling, the latest on Morata who had held the ball up well before turning upfield. Chelsea make the first chance in the wake of the foul, with Hazard coming on to replace the rather poor Willian.
52min: Another amazing missed chance for Liverpool as Mane’s shot goes wide off of Caballero’s leg, not that he knew much about it. Barkley’s miscued header created that chance. Just before Emerson headed away from Sturridge after Shaqiri created danger on the left. Chelsea rocking, Liverpool rolling.
49min: Kovacic gets a well deserved yellow for a tackle from behind, stopping a counter.
47min: A great cross by Willian finds Morata, but he puts his header over. Should’ve been a goal that, too.
46min: A Gerrard-esque backpass by Christensen is picked off by Sturridge, who rounds Caballero and then puts it wide. LOL.
HALF-TIME: Chelsea certainly holding their own against the favored home side, but after a good start, have started giving the ball away in dangerous positions and playing rather sloppily in general. Caballero kept the game scoreless with a great save against Keita, while at the other end, Morata kept the game scoreless by missing another clear cut chance. Moses, Fabregas, Barkley perhaps Chelsea’s three best players of the half.
45+1min: Chelsea win a corner, but can’t quite get a head to it. HALF-TIME.
45min: More sloppy play from Chelsea and Barkley gives the ball away, but Sturridge can’t quite reach the pass forward and Chelsea survive.
43min: A midfield battle breaks out as Fabregas, Barkley, and Fabinho battle for possession. Eventually Morata commits a comical foul after sitting on the ground complaining and Liverpool come forward.
41min: Moses turns Moreno and drives towards goal. He finds Willian, who holds the ball, then hits his pass behind Barkley and it goes out for a Liverpool throw.
39min: Chelsea lose the ball in midfield as Sturridge tracks back. Shaqiri picks out Mane at the far post, but his header is weak enough for Caballero to get a hand to it and collect on the second effort. Liverpool now with the better of play after Chelsea started the better of the two sides.
37min: Chelsea exposed on the counter for the first time, Keita works himself into shooting position, but Caballero is equal to it and tips it around the post.
35min: Mane gets around Azpilicueta but Christensen’s there to defend the cut-back. His clearances hit Fabregas in the stomach, then the arm, but that would’ve been a very harsh penalty. Chelsea eventually clear.
34min: Good pressing in midfield earns Chelsea a free kick, which is taken quickly. Moses tries to pick out Morata, but it’s headed away ... only as far as Willian, but his volley is mis-hit and the chance is gone.
31min: Keita tries to win a penalty, falling over Cahill’s withdrawn leg. No penalty, no yellow for a dive, which it should’ve been. There was some danger there from Liverpool however.
28min: Mane unhappy about an Azpilicueta elbow into his side in an aerial duel. We play on. Morata looks to be hobbled by a knock as well.
26min: Matip earns a yellow for pulling back Kovacic on half-way.
25min: End-to-end semi-dangerous action thanks to some sloppy play by both teams. But Willian loses the ball at one end, then Mane does the same at the other. Good start to the game by Chelsea, but need to keep it up.
21min: Emerson drives at Milner, draws the foul. Milner gets the game’s first yellow. Willian takes the free kick and finds an unmarked Morata, but he’s offside.
19min: Morata in again, this time through Willian, but Mignolet parries for a corner.
18min: The strong early pace slows a bit as both sides slow it down and look to establish possession. Chelsea then turn upfield with Kovacic and Willian before a Fabregas ball over the top finds Morata, who misses two bites at a clear cut chance. Sigh.
12min: Crisp passing between Barkley, Willian, and Morata leads to a Willian effort from distance. But it’s low and tame and Mignolet gathers easily.
11min: Barkley has a go from range, spins wide. At the other end, Cahill stands up well against Mane, 1-v-1.
10min: Chelsea on the back foot for a minute, but clear the ball eventually. The ball may have grazed Fabregas’ hand inadvertently, but surely nowhere near a penalty. VAR stays quiet.
7min: Fabregas finds Moses at the top of the box; he wins a free kick ... which Willian takes ... and puts well over. It was not close.
5min: Some good pressing in midfield from the unfamiliar midfield trio and Willian, but Liverpool maintain possession.
4min: Barkley and Moses trundle forward and win a corner, from which Christensen heads harmlessly straight at Mignolet. At the other end, Keita tests Caballero from range. The Chelsea goalkeeper catches with ease.
2min: A bit of vertical passing gets Moses on the ball, he beats his man but gets an unlucky bounce and it goes out for a goal kick.
KICK-OFF: A big hug between Klopp and Sarri and we’re underway, with Chelsea trying the typical long-ball up the left to establish immediate possession in the Liverpool half.
Plenty of rotation for the League Cup from both Liverpool and Chelsea, in the lower priority meeting between the two teams.
The Reds make eight changes from the weekend, including a full debut for summer signing Fabinho. Ex-Chelsea player Daniel Sturridge starts in a rare window of full health. Ex-Chelsea players Mohamed Salah and Dominic Solanke are on the bench, the former likely to make an appearance if they’re losing, the latter if they’re winning.
The Blues match that with eight changes of our own, keeping only Azpilicueta, Kovacic, and Willian from the weekend. Emerson makes his season debut while Moses and Cahill get their first starts. Plenty of talent on the bench if we need goals or midfield control. Notable absentees from the matchday squad include Ethan Ampadu (sigh) and 35m-man Danny Drinkwater (lol).
Liverpool starting lineup (4-3-3):
Mignolet | Moreno, Matip, Lovren, Clyne | Keita, Milner (c), Fabinho | Sturridge, Mane, Shaqiri
Substitutes from: Grabara. Firmino, Salah, Gomez, Henderson, Solanke, Jones
Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Caballero | Emerson, Cahill (c), Christensen, Azpilicueta | Barkley, Fabregas, Kovacic | Willian, Morata, Moses
Substitutes from: Bulka, David Luiz, Zappacosta, Kante, Jorginho, Hazard, Hudson-Odoi
Date / Time: Wednesday,September 26, 2018, 19:45 BST; 2:45pm EDT; 12:15am IST (next day)
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool, England
Referee: Andre Marriner Kevin Friend (+VAR)
On TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK); none (USA); none (India) elsewhere
Streaming online: Sky Go (UK); ESPN+ (USA); ChelseaTV & The 5th Stand app (audio commentary only; int’l)
Be excellent to each other.