Three key things we learned from a wild Chelsea vs Liverpool clash

LONDON — This was a truly wonderful encounter in west London on Saturday, as Chelsea won late on against Liverpool thanks to a 95th-minute goal from Estevao.

MORE — Chelsea vs Liverpool recap | Player ratings

Stamford Bridge was shaking from the incredible celebrations at full time. And Enzo Maresca running down the touchline to celebrate the winner (getting a second yellow card in the process) will go down in Chelsea folklore as they secured a huge, and deserved, win which could be massive for their season.

Both teams have had to deal with injury problems, and a lack of form and fatigue, but it was Chelsea who prevailed deep into stoppage time to send their fans wild.

MORE — Arne Slot reaction | Willy Caballero reaction after Maresca sent off

This game was end-to-end chaos and either team could have won it. It was brilliant drama, but Chelsea broke through and won it late on as their subs swung the game in their favor. Both Maresca and Slot saw similar issues continue to hamper both Chelsea and Liverpool, but there were also positives for both.

Here’s a look what we learned overall from Chelsea vs Liverpool.

Chelsea’s press and energy bamboozled Liverpool

Chelsea swarmed all over Liverpool in the first half and their energy levels were truly incredible as they set the tone for a gutsy win. The Blues couldn’t keep it up for the first half of the second half, but overall the difference in energy levels between the two teams was striking. Maresca’s energy on the sidelines was quite something too as he took a leaf out of Pep Guardiola’s books and was constantly turning around to the fans near the dugout and urging them to get behind the team and make noise. They responded to his energy and so did his players. When Liverpool had the ball at the back in the first half, Chelsea pressed high and went to a 4-1-4-1 formation with Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez pushing high on Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch as Chelsea went man-to-man. It was brave and it worked. The Blues couldn’t keep up that energy but they showed how to totally unsettle Liverpool as Arne Slot’s side had no control in the first half and were lucky the Blues weren’t more clinical to score two or three in the first half and put the game to bed. Once again Liverpool gave up big chances on the transition and they looked so vulnerable at the back, which is a huge concern for Slot. Chelsea regained their energy late on after they made plenty of subs and that is why they won it, as Maresca was ecstatic with their intensity and endeavor and celebrated the win wildly.

Liverpool have a Salah problem

He barely had a kick in the first half and in the second half he put a great chance tamely into the side-netting early, then curled two other great opportunities way over the bar. Mohamed Salah has looked way off the pace early in the season and it was always going to be tough for him to replicate his otherworldly form from last season. But this season his form has seen a huge drop off, and it’s also leaving the right side of Liverpool’s defense exposed. Conor Bradley was hooked off at half time after being left trying to deal with the marauding Alejandro Garnacho and Marc Cucurella on his own. It was no surprise Chelsea’s winner came from an attack down their left flank. Salah is obviously one of the greatest players in Premier League history and he will surely turn on the magic at some point. But Slot has a big decision to make after the international break about how to rejuvenate his attack. Moving Salah into a more central role, or taking him out altogether for a while, may not be the worst moves right now. Salah looks spent and we are only in early October.

Chelsea’s amazing squad depth means they will make a deep run

By the end of this game Chelsea were missing five center backs through injury and another through suspension, yet they could still finish the game with a back four of Malo Gusto, Reece James, Jorell Hato, and Marc Cucurella. They rotated their attack and midfield with Romeo Lavia, Marc Guiu, Estevao and Jamie Gittens all making massive differences off the bench. In comparison Liverpool took off their right back and center back (Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate) and still had Florian Wirtz, Curtis Jones, Wataru Endo, Andy Robertson and Hugo Ekitike as subs as they leaned on the versatility of Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch. Liverpool’s depth was impressive but it wasn’t as good as Chelsea’s. Chelsea basically have three players for every position and that squad depth, especially given their issues with defensive injuries and fatigue, is why they will be up there with Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City in the title race when all is said and done this season.