The Liverpool Offside - League Cup Coverage: Liverpool vs. ChelseaZeppeline, Trinken, & Pink Badeshortshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/51345/ltos-fav.png2018-09-29T21:00:01+01:00http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/rss/stream/176678412018-09-29T21:00:01+01:002018-09-29T21:00:01+01:00Sturridge On Wonder Strike: I Probably Haven’t Scored A Better Goal
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<img alt="Chelsea v Liverpool - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/B58fEfzqI2IyQTNgLgo-55uhIps=/26x0:2686x1773/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61590827/1043037372.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The rejuvenated Liverpool striker’s 50th goal for the club was a worldie that saved his side’s blushes against Chelsea</p> <p id="lKE64I"><span><em>Daniel Sturridge</em></span><em> to the rescue</em>. When’s the last time <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> fans heard that refrain? Written off at the end of last season after stalling on loan with the soon-to-be relegated <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/west-bromwich-albion">West Bromwich Albion</a>, the striker with a wand of a left foot has discovered his magic this season with four goals in seven appearances, none more stunning than his swerving golazo against <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> late in the match.</p>
<p id="cI1JZs">Time and again, the enigmatic no. 15 has saved matches in his seven years at Anfield, and his 88<sup>th</sup> minute wonder strike earned Liverpool a shock 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">⚽️ Chelsea vs Liverpool | D. Sturridge (GOAL) 89' <a href="https://t.co/0KAGtG77wa">pic.twitter.com/0KAGtG77wa</a></p>— D9INE NEXUS (@D9INE_NEXUS3) <a href="https://twitter.com/D9INE_NEXUS3/status/1046101532557619201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2018</a>
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<p id="OPmceC">The man of the moment was elated after the match:</p>
<p id="QTfCda">”It was a good goal, the boys worked tirelessly throughout the game and we were unlucky not to score in the first half,” he said in a post-match interview</p>
<p id="WRT8yb">I’d like to think I’ve scored better goals but probably not. This one was a nice goal. It was all about getting the result.</p>
<p id="6ATiGv">”It’s a team game and I just give my best every minute I get. It’s important to keep pushing forward and have a positive outlook on how things are going.”</p>
<p id="Fx26H7">Jürgen Klopp was more relieved than any, knowing that the result favored the Reds after being outplayed by an electric Chelsea side.</p>
<p id="UktKBD">The German was the first to rush onto the field at the final whistle to wrap Sturridge in a bear hug and was ecstatic when speaking about the moment:</p>
<p id="cbSlst">”The dressing room was pretty much dancing [around Sturridge],” Klopp beamed.</p>
<p id="47Y4IC">”He had a difficult time but now he’s having a wonderful time. He’ll want to start all the time, it’s probably like that.”</p>
<p id="ftdbo1">The 29-year-old’s rebirth after what appeared an ignominious end to an injury-ravaged career is one of the best stories of Liverpool’s unbeaten run to start the season. The season is long, but if the Reds can count on a super-sub of the Sturridge’s caliber to bolster their title run with goals like that, anything is possible.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2018/9/29/17917982/daniel-sturridge-on-match-winning-goal-i-probably-havent-scored-a-better-goal-mohamed-salah-chelseaO.T. Obaisi2018-09-27T19:00:02+01:002018-09-27T19:00:02+01:00Liverpool to Field Changed Side in Chelsea League Clash
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool FC - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dGDyBq9fjKm3p6jSyxNbsN-O9F0=/56x122:3506x2422/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61561199/1033575054.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Jürgen Klopp says not to expect many of Wednesday’s starters to kick things off on Saturday.</p> <p id="b3yvTp">For many of <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>’s fringe players, the League Cup was a chance to start a game and perhaps prove they deserve more playing time. For others, it was a chance to continue to integrate into a new side. And, on the whole, they mostly did well enough.</p>
<p id="1FHcn0">Liverpool may have lost to <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> in the end, but on the whole they were the better side and Jürgen Klopp felt they deserved to win. However, that isn’t likely to keep many of Wednesday’s starters in the lineup when the two sides meet again on Saturday.</p>
<p id="vYPvCI">“It would be cool if we could make changes again because not playing for a long time and now playing 95, 96, 97 minutes and then playing three days later again would not be pure joy,” Klopp noted. “But we will have to see. They did well, so that’s good.”</p>
<p id="PxbOri">It’s perhaps the manager’s nice way of saying that the likes of <span>Mohamed Salah</span> and <span>Roberto Firmino</span>—as well as likely a wholly changed backline—will be starting on Saturday in place of the players who lost to Chelsea in the League Cup on Wednesday night.</p>
<p id="mKW956">Still, the reality is that playing two games in a week, at this point, probably would be too much for players who haven’t regularly been starting this season. And those players <em>did</em> do enough to, on another night, win their cup tie against Chelsea last night.</p>
<p id="5cnfvY">So they will move back to the bench against Chelsea in the league on Saturday. Salah and Firmino—as well as a wholly changed backline—will start. But it won’t be as a punishment, and last night’s starters will get other chances in the coming weeks.</p>
<p id="BLL7SD">“We had five players on the pitch with their first start of the season so I’m really happy they had the game because now they are really back,” he added. “They didn’t have rhythm but in the game they got the rhythm and we learned enough from the game.”</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2018/9/27/17909296/liverpool-changed-starting-eleven-chelsea-premier-league-rotation-salah-firminoNoel Chomyn2018-09-27T14:00:10+01:002018-09-27T14:00:10+01:00Klopp Talk: “We Can Do Better and Now We Know More”
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<img alt="Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Third Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xeSYzLhMOp4vkCK9fTpBEpZQTm0=/418x118:1986x1163/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61560885/1041198252.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Jürgen Klopp is disappointed Liverpool were the better side but lost to Chelsea. A win on Saturday would fix things.</p> <p id="atdd66">It’s never fun to lose, but if you were to tell <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> fans they had to pick one of their first eight games—six in the league, on in the League Cup, and one in the <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/champions-league">Champions League</a>—not to get in a result in, the result likely would have been unanimous.</p>
<p id="VfdfoY">It would have been the League Cup. And so now that they have failed to get a result there, losing to <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> in a game they were mostly the better side in, there is disappointment but there is also a kind of acceptance. Win on the weekend and all will be well.</p>
<p id="El3aYl">“I’m disappointed, yes, because we could have won,” Jürgen Klopp said. “Specific things Chelsea were doing we needed time adapt to that but we did better and better and even when we were not ready for it we had the better chances, so that was good.</p>
<p id="Q8BpOW">“We needed some time—and then when we got used to it we lost the game! We were doing much better and scored our goal, were much better even dominating and passing and then they got that free kick and scored a goal from that and then a second.”</p>
<p id="VOpCX2">As for that second, Klopp had nothing but respect for <span>Eden Hazard</span>’s winner, as Chelsea brought on their star winger to change things after Liverpool’s shadow squad had adjusted and begun to consistently look better than Chelsea’s shadow squad.</p>
<p id="eH6Os5">It’s disappointing, but it’s hard to feel too bad about it. Liverpool were, on the run of play, the better side, and they better while adjusting on the fly to some new things Chelsea tried that they weren’t fully expecting. Now, in two days, they go again.</p>
<p id="0seAo9">“We know much more what will happen on Saturday because we’ve seen it before so we will use the two days to prepare,” Klopp added. “We can do better and now we know more. I think we were well prepared but the game will help massively.”</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2018/9/27/17909222/jurgen-klopp-can-do-better-know-more-chelsea-league-cup-loss-prepare-premier-leagueNoel Chomyn2018-09-26T23:10:02+01:002018-09-26T23:10:02+01:00Liverpool 1, Chelsea 2: Quad Goals Dashed
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<img alt="Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Third Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cQR2WsZy8swesiiZTYsukfi6v6M=/0x0:2000x1333/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61555359/1041254270.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>In a clash of reserves, the Reds come out on the losing end, despite being the better team for most of the match.</p> <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="MGiYh8">
<h1 id="yZjag0">Liverpool 1 - 2 Chelsea</h1>
<h5 id="mOnYb5">Liverpool: Sturridge 58’<br>Chelsea: Emerson 79’, Hazard 85’</h5>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="IKbR06">
<p id="l2wwzY">It was largely a messy occasion, with the score bookended by two superb goals, and <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> exit the Carabou Cup on their very first go after failing to convert their chances and falling to the magic of <span>Eden Hazard</span>.</p>
<p id="1pxkfZ">Despite Jürgen Klopp’s quotes about wanting to win the competition, the Reds are in the middle of a hellacious run of fixtures, and when it comes down to it, the League Cup was always going to represent the very bottom of the manager’s list of competitive priorities. As such, heavy rotation was — in the eyes of some writers — expected for <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a>’s visit to Anfield, and Klopp did indeed make eight changes from the side that comfortably saw off <a href="https://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com/">Southampton</a> at the weekend.</p>
<p id="QoshUW"><span>Simon Mignolet</span>, <span>Nathaniel Clyne</span>, Alberto Moreno, <span>Dejan Lovren</span> and Fabinho all made their first starts of the season, with the latter making his full debut in the single pivot of Liverpool’s freshly composed midfield three. It was clear from the offset that the trio would need some time to find their rhythm.</p>
<p id="2kiiJn">With no coherence in their press, Liverpool’s midfield failed to close down Cesc Fabregas, allowing the Spaniard to pick his passes at will, and Chelsea to play into the final third whenever they had the ball. On 20 minutes, the Blues went extremely close, as a Fabregas ball over the top found Alvaro Morata running in behind Lovren, but the Spaniard’s chip was saved by Mignolet, before the follow-up effort from a narrow angle was volleyed well wide.</p>
<p id="b40knP">A minute later, Chelsea broke through midfield, Willian and Morata exchanged passes, and the former Juventus man was allowed to fire off another shot, again saved by Liverpool’s Belgian stopper.</p>
<p id="lF6rra">The hosts were struggling to put together spells of meaningful possession, instead looking to strike through verticality, and halfway through the frame they almost succeeded, as a long ball over the top found Sadio Mane. The Senegalese attacker cut the ball back for <span>Daniel Sturridge</span>, but the striker’s effort from the top of the box was blocked.</p>
<p id="98hnMd">On the half hour mark, Naby Keita cut inside from the left side of the box and went down under a challenge from Gary Cahill. The defender was predictably livid at what he perceived to be a dive, but while there was only negligible contact, the defender did swing his leg out at the Guinean midfielder, and on another day, could’ve been punished for it.</p>
<p id="1uqfYa">The home side had figured out their spacing now, and were pressing their visitors with much greater success. Keïta and Mané did well to win the ball on the left flank, allowing the latter to cut the ball back towards Shaqiri from the touchline, but the pass was cut out at the last instant. A few minutes later, they went close again, this time through Keïta, who cut inside and forced <span>Willy Caballero</span> into a solid save at his far post.</p>
<p id="U50dOf">Daniel Sturridge will never be <span>Roberto Firmino</span>, but with five minutes to go in the first half, he did his best impression, sneaking up on Fabregas from behind and winning the ball, before releasing Shaqiri down the right. The Swiss winger curled a cross into the far post for Mané, but the forward was forced to stretch for the ball and couldn’t get enough power on his header to put it past Caballero.</p>
<p id="2S0QVj">In the dying seconds of the half, another pressing move saw <span>Ross Barkley</span> give the ball away in his own third, allowing Shaqiri to pounce, but the former Stoke man’s first time ball was a little too hot for Sturridge to handle, as the striker’s first touch let him down one on one with the goalkeeper.</p>
<p id="6zZF7I">Sturridge should have put his side up within a minute of the restart, as a sloppy backpass from Andreas Christensen, but having taken the ball past the goalkeeper, the striker failed to sort his feet out and placed a right-footed shot well wide of the post with the goal gaping.</p>
<p id="SuoJdI">At the other end, Chelsea went close again after a long dry spell, but Morata could not direct Willian’s gorgeous cross goalwards from eight yards. The visitors were unable to build on their foray into the opposition’s area, however, and five minutes later, Liverpool created three chances in the space of a minute.</p>
<p id="EKCYnS">First, a long, flowing move saw the Reds switch play from the right to the left, where Mané set Moreno free by the touchline. The Spaniard’s cross found Sturridge’s head six yards out, but the effort was blocked for a corner. As Chelsea looked to clear the subsequent set-piece, Barkley headed the ball towards his own goal, where Caballero was forced into a reactive save as Mané pounced on the loose ball. Dejan Lovren headed over the bar on the ensuing corner.</p>
<p id="NvmwZ4">The hosts could not be denied for much longer, and after another relentless pressing move and a Mané nutmeg, Keïta skipped past his man and unleashed another shot. Caballero got his hands to it, but could only get his rebound as far as Sturridge, who executed and exquisite scissor kick to give his side the lead.hin an unstaopp</p>
<p id="oNk0t4">The game largely settled down after the goal, as the Reds controlled the ball without creating anything of note, and Chelsea struggled to get back into the game. <span>Jordan Henderson</span> and Bobby Firmino came on for <span>James Milner</span> and Mané, and the match looked like it would peter out.</p>
<p id="lPpkTB">Then, ten minutes from time, and against the run of play, Chelsea equalised. Keïta was adjudged to have fouled Kanté down Liverpool’s left, and Barkley rose above Matip to direct a header at goal from the set-piece. Full-back Emerson reacted first to the rebound and poked home from five yards.</p>
<p id="jIszNN">As penalties with no extra time beckoned, Sturridge unleashed a long-range drive that crashed off the crossbar, before the Reds were made to rue the profligacy with five minutes to go. Eden Hazard got on the ball in midfield, exchanged passes with Victor Moses, slipped past Keïta and Moreno, before unleashing an unstoppable drive past Mignolet into the far corner. It was anything but deserved, but also representative of the sort of magic the Belgian playmaker is capable of.</p>
<p id="gkFbx4">The Reds failed to generate anything of note in the aftermath, despite bring on <span>Mohamed Salah</span>, and are eliminated from their first competition of the season.</p>
<p id="ysLJoS">Despite this writer utterly incapable of caring about the League Cup, the Reds will be right to feel disappointed in themselves after this early exit. Following some struggles in the opening twenty minutes, Liverpool were comfortably the better side and should have put the game away multiple times before Chelsea struck back.</p>
<p id="G0xJGC">Hopefully, Klopp’s men will rediscover their shooting boots by Saturday, as they travel to Stamford Bridge in an attempt to put more Premier League points between themselves and Sarri’s side. A loss in the League Cup can be shrugged off rather easily; a similar result in the league would be much harder to bear.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2018/9/26/17907324/liverpool-1-chelsea-2-efl-2018-match-recap-sturridge-emerson-hazardAudun Manum2018-09-26T22:19:33+01:002018-09-26T22:19:33+01:00Klopp Talk: We Have to Defend Better
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<img alt="Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Third Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BsAbByhXiXWwsNIxZuKupLwLMWU=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61554991/1041198368.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The manager talks frustrations on a disappointing night</p> <p id="gJRhbH">Well if we had to pick a game for the first loss of the season, I suppose we would’ve chosen this one.</p>
<p id="UXlzCC"><a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> are out of the famous [insert sponsor here] Cup. <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> are into the next round of the Carabao at our expense, thanks to one questionably onside goal and another stunning strike from Eden Hazard. Liverpool did look strong for long periods of the game, but in truth neither side played especially well. It is what it is, and we can all hope for and expect a much stronger performance away to Stamford Bridge when we face Chelsea once again in the Premier League this weekend.</p>
<p id="ACTehO">Jurgen Klopp, as one would expect, had some frustrations.</p>
<p id="Auj4xL">“We knew how Chelsea wanted to play but we gave them too much space and weren’t compact enough”, Klopp told Sky Sports, as <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/football/45561598">reported</a> by BBC Sport. “We still had the bigger chances in the first half.</p>
<p id="qI2Vzc">“This is good preparation for [the league fixture against Chelsea on] Saturday but we have to defend better”.</p>
<p id="XwC6ni">Talking of Chelsea’s first goal, in which the free kick was debatable and then the equaliser itself was possibly offside, Klopp added that “I don’t think [it was a free kick]. The linesman is in a really good position. There was so much in the game. Unfortunately in the end we have to take it. We wanted to win it, we feel unlucky, we hit the bar.</p>
<p id="C3q9Ns">“I think the first goal is offside. Three players are offside - two for sure. They watched it and didn’t think it was offside. We have to take it”.</p>
<p id="gsuU0E">Decisions like these are always highly subjective, and even with VAR used it was still unclear whether the goal was offside. These are always the things that go against you when you lose tight games. The important game to Chelsea is to come, and this will all be forgotten if we win at the weekend.</p>
<p id="Mnc0Qz">Onwards and upwards.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2018/9/26/17907432/jurgen-klopp-talk-we-have-to-defend-better-liverpool-chelsea-carabao-cup-premier-leagueGraceOnFootball2018-09-26T21:50:01+01:002018-09-26T21:50:01+01:00Liverpool 1, Chelsea 2: Man of the Match
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<img alt="Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Third Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Uk0mbQKWikm0wSY_ykk4ctwE-Y8=/0x0:4319x2879/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61554431/1041240116.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>With an early departure from the Carabou Cup in the books, we want you to rate Liverpool’s players and choose your man of the match. </p> <p id="XnEpYK">They had plenty of opportunities to put it away, but <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> fail to take their chances and exit the League Cup at the first time of asking following a set-piece blunder and an <span>Eden Hazard</span> wondergoal.</p>
<p id="s7mxl3">Now let us know how you saw it. Hitting the up arrow is a vote to move the player up the list—or to help keep them on top. Hitting down is a vote to push that player closer to the bottom. It’s half man of the match poll and half power ranking, and we want to use it to find out who you think played well after each Liverpool match and, at the other end, who you’d maybe like to see given the next game off.</p>
<p id="r9FBaT">At the end of the month we’ll go through the results of that month’s polls and vote The Liverpool Offside’s player of the month and, come next May, those monthly results will help to determine your TLO player of the season for 2018-19. Anyone visiting on Google AMP who wish to vote will have to navigate to the front page and re-enter the story to access a non-AMP version of it.</p>
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https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2018/9/26/17906846/liverpool-1-chelsea-2-efl-2018-motm-vote-best-worst-performancesAudun Manum2018-09-26T21:38:55+01:002018-09-26T21:38:55+01:00Liverpool 1, Chelsea 2: First Thoughts
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<img alt="Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Third Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GyQO5bRypfEQXYG_Qa8N6J84tY0=/0x0:3929x2619/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61554413/1041252894.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Chelsea end Liverpool’s League Cup run before it began, with a little help from their Friend. </p> <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="qSxvWx">
<h1 id="yd6PHT">
<a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a> 1 - 2 <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a>
</h1>
<h5 id="T6VLIb">Liverpool: Sturridge 58’</h5>
<h5 id="MbOzPS">Chelsea: Emerson 79’, Hazard 85’</h5>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="VycKGl">
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<li id="CsrGwg">
<strong>Pre-Match Thought: </strong>Ah, the League Cup. The silverware no one cares about unless you win it, and even then it can’t make up for an otherwise shitty season. But we have a big opponent in the way of Chelsea, so that makes an “Meh” evening a little bit interesting. Kloppo promised between the minimum and maximum number of changes, and true to his word, he was somewhere in between 0 and 11. Though, at 8 changes, he is closer to the latter. Still, it’s a relatively strong lineup, at home, and a full debut for Mr. Rebeca Tavares (AKA Fabinho). </li>
<li id="BJfPRT">Chelsea are the first to threaten, playing the ball into Liverpool’s box several times, including the first shot on target from a corner. Thankfully it was straight at Mignolet, and weak enough for the Belgian to catch. </li>
<li id="JmFrXN">Alberto Moreno not really making a strong case for his spot early, being beaten easily several times on the flank and giving away a free kick in a very dangerous position. </li>
<li id="eOLGnD">A strong appeal for a penalty from a Chelsea handball in the box falls on deaf ears. See. VAR can’t fix everything. </li>
<li id="PkrP7K">
<em>CLOSE! </em>Chelsea really should have opened up the scoring there, with Morata absolutely fluffing his lines, not once, but twice, after making a perfectly-timed run to get one-on-one against Mignolet.</li>
<li id="CchSG8">Twenty minutes in and <span>James Milner</span> picks up a well-earned yellow after hauling down a Chelsea attacker. Professional foul, that. </li>
<li id="7CwBkI">And now Matip goes in the book. No Chelsea players booked yet for making very similar fouls to Milner and Matip. Typically “consistent” from Kevin Friend. </li>
<li id="mMAyB0">There’s shit refereeing, then there’s Kevin Friend. Another strong penalty appeal denied after Keita appears to be impeded by Cahill’s outstretched leg. Um, this is a VAR match, no?</li>
<li id="KB8Rc5">
<em>ANOTHER fucking handball!</em> Is this the Europa League final again?</li>
<li id="waKHpZ">Liverpool have started playing their way into this match as the half approaches. The best move of the night came from a perfectly-weighted chipped pass to the back post by <span>Xherdan Shaqiri</span>, but <span>Sadio Mane</span> could not beat the keeper with his header. </li>
<li id="6puvPm">
<strong>Halftime Thought: </strong>On one hand, Liverpool are lucky they didn’t concede from Morata’s pair of golden chances. On the other, they can feel aggrieved at not being awarded at least one penalty from the multiple handballs. An eventful and open first half. Liverpool have shown the sort of defensive and attacking struggles you’d expect from such a changed and out-of-sync side. </li>
<li id="qDJ3uY">Oh Danny...Sturridge latches on to a poor back pass, rounds the keeper and...puts the shot several feet wide of the open net. Wow. Did not expect that from the typically clinical striker. </li>
<li id="CL8fs9">Fabinho earns his first yellow in Red. Welcome to Anfield. </li>
<li id="rTBi0A">
<strong>GOAL! </strong>Danny made amends, and then some! Naby Keita drives into the box after Milner recovers the ball deep in Chelsea territory. The keeper palms away Keita’s shot, but Danny latches onto the rebound with a beautiful scissor kick, putting the hosts up 1-0. </li>
<li id="Pw4n75">Klopp makes his first change of the night, <span>Jordan Henderson</span> coming on for James Milner. It appears to be a straight-swap, with Fabinho maintaining his spot as the deepest holding midfielder. </li>
<li id="HX1wps">Shaqiri seems to have a bit of a Coutinho “I want to score a worldie” problem. He’s fired a few low-percentage shots from outside the box tonight, with options ahead of him. He’s largely impressed tonight, but this is a habit that Klopp should try to temper. </li>
<li id="diQCjU">Mane should have won a corner with his last action tonight. But. You know. This referee. Anyway, <span>Roberto Firmino</span> comes on for the Senegalese international. </li>
<li id="70ex06">David Luiz basically puts a boot through Shaqiri then drags him to the ground. But you know, no foul is given, let alone a card. </li>
<li id="OLvAWn">And now Keita goes into book. Naturally.</li>
<li id="aBT00v">
<strong>Goal. </strong>And Chelsea score on the resulting free kick. Mignolet does well to keep out the initial <span>Ross Barkley</span> header, but cannot keep out the follow up. There is a VAR review for offside, but it is not given. Of course. </li>
<li id="YlCIxC">
<strong>Goal. </strong>Well, if the first one was controversial, the second one was world class. Hazard picks up the ball on the flank, weaves through about four defenders, and beats Mignolet with a venomous strike. </li>
<li id="cn6C4N">
<span>Mohamed Salah</span> is the last substitute of the night, coming on for Fabinho. </li>
<li id="1U0l7O">
<strong>Final Whistle Thought: </strong>It was a largely sloppy affair, and the visitors had more than their fair share of help from the refs, but Liverpool’s League Cup run is over. On to bigger and better fish. </li>
</ul>
<p id="9ekreJ">We’ll be back shortly to take an in-depth look at everything that happened in today’s game with the full recap. Until then, let us know your take on the ups and downs of the match in the comments, and if you haven’t already, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/account/setup?community_id=373"><strong>join the community on the Liverpool Offside</strong></a>, where we’ll have full coverage and lively in-game discussion for every match this season.</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/2018/9/26/17906618/liverpool-1-chelsea-2-match-recap-report-efl-league-cup-carabao-2018Zachary Marx2018-09-26T18:00:02+01:002018-09-26T18:00:02+01:00Jürgen Klopp Wants to Win the League Cup
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<img alt="Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool FC - Premier League" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gAYmoPto4JED4wGPhSQotG9-N3s=/266x77:2656x1670/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61547115/1033554070.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Liverpool may make changes to their starting eleven, but they’ll still be taking the competition seriously.</p> <p id="YyZ8SK">One of the first things Jürgen Klopp learned when he arrived in England was that people didn’t seem to care about the League Cup—aka the Carabao Cup formerly known as the Capital One Cup formerly known as the Worthington’s Cup formerly as the Milk Cup.</p>
<p id="23lAsn">For Klopp, though, there’s no such thing as a competition that can be overlooked. If you’re in it, and if it’s an honest to goodness trophy on the line and not a pre-season joke like the Premier League Asia Trophy or International Champions Cup, it’s worth winning it.</p>
<p id="QKrYoz">“When you first come to a new country there are a lot of things you maybe have no clue about,” he said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s cup tie against <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a>. “One of them is how people judge cup competitions before you play them.”</p>
<p id="w1o9NL">“When I came in I think my first was playing Bournemouth—and everybody told me that you play the kids or whatever. You have a competitive game and you play the kids? It’s nice to play kids but you cannot use all of them—I was never interested in that, to be honest.”</p>
<p id="9sgLkC">There will be changes to <a href="https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/">Liverpool</a>’s starting eleven today, certainly—rotation is necessary and even if you’re taking the League Cup seriously, the priority has to be on the Premier League and <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/champions-league">Champions League</a>, particularly with how Liverpool have started the season.</p>
<p id="wyxv7D">But Klopp isn’t writing off the League Cup. And he has a strong enough, deep enough squad now that even with changes with an eye to the coming games against Napoli and <a href="https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/">Manchester City</a> and Chelsea again in the league he can send out a very serious side.</p>
<p id="SgZ2eO">“We make decisions because of the situation and not the competition,” he added. “It’s not about judging the silverware. You cannot do it like that. We have to be always 100% in our concentration, rhythm, focus—only be there and don’t think about where it leads.</p>
<p id="5zwPm2">“If I see one player tomorrow have the feeling it’s ‘only the League Cup’ then he will have a problem, but I know there will be no player. It’s a football game in a sold-out Anfield, so we will be there with all we have. That’s all we are thinking about.”</p>
https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2018/9/26/17904872/jurgen-klopp-wants-win-carabao-league-cup-take-seriously-strong-starting-eleven-chelseaNoel Chomyn