Player ratings as rampant Reds regain five-point cushion

Liverpool regained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after thumping Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield on Wednesday night.

With Arsenal winning on Tuesday and Manchester City earlier wrapping up a comfortable win over Burnley, three points were very much necessary for the Reds at Anfield.

However, it was clear from early on that Liverpool would have no issues as they romped past a tepid Chelsea side that offered little. While Jurgen Klopp’s team restored their advantage at the summit, the Blues remain tenth having suffered their first defeat since 24 December.

How the game unfolded

A poignant Anfield atmosphere greeted the two sides with the distinct contrast of red and blue setting the stage for some Premier League heritage.

Unfortunately, there was little by way of a contest as Mauricio Pochettino’s striker-less system failed to bear fruit – even if his Chelsea side were unlucky not to win an early penalty when Virgil van Dijk clipped Conor Gallagher.

From then on, Chelsea succumbed to a Liverpool barrage. The visitors, bereft of a focal point, couldn’t get out and failed to register a single shot in the opening 45 minutes. At the other end, Darwin Nunez’s attempt to get on the scoresheet was as relentless as the hosts’ vigour out of possession. It wasn’t the Uruguayan, but the in-form Diogo Jota who bundled home an opener.

The theme continued thereafter, with Liverpool adding a second after winning possession in midfield and breaking. Young Conor Bradley was on hand to superbly finish. Things could’ve gone from bad to worse for the Blues before the break, but Nunez’s penalty struck the woodwork after Benoit Badiashile was penalised for stepping on Jota’s foot.

Dismayed with his side’s first-half showing, Poch rung the changes at the break but continued with the absence of a recognised striker as Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku started to take up central positions. Substitute Mykhailo Mudryk should’ve halved the deficit early on in the second period as Chelsea finally got a footing in the contest.

Nkunku eventually found the back of the net for the Blues, but his pinpoint finish didn’t arrive until Dominik Szoboszlai had added a third for the rampant hosts.

Nkunku’s strike inspired Chelsea’s period of superiority in the contest, and they should’ve had a penalty when Van Dijk went through the back of the Frenchman. The VAR agreed with Paul Tierney’s decision, however, and Liverpool soon went down the other end and added a fourth…