Chelsea: Three lessons learnt in massive Anfield win

Chelsea took on a struggling Liverpool side on Thursday night at Anfield knowing full well that a win here would see them back into the top four, a mere four points off second placed Manchester United and only three behind third placed Leicester City. What followed was Chelsea’s most complete performance under Thomas Tuchel thus far as the Blues dominated the first half and ground out the second to secure a first league win at Anfield since 2014. With excellent performances all over the pitch and interesting narratives to breakdown, here are the lessons learnt from Liverpool 0, Chelsea 1.

1. Keep calm and Andreas Christensen on

At 24 and having last had a decent run of games when Antonio Conte was in his second season with the club, it has been a long time since Andreas Christensen was viewed as the John Terry successor at the heart of Chelsea’s defense. Poor displays, sometimes attributed to the lack of a proper physique and at times simply due to a lack of confidence, have littered the young Dane’s career since and performances this season during Lampard’s tenure have not been up to scratch either. The reverse fixture against Liverpool which saw the Dane get himself sent off just before half time is a case in point and with his contract running out in 2022, rumors have already begun to surface regarding a potential departure from SW6.

On and along comes Thomas Tuchel in place of Frank Lampard and it may have taken four years but Christensen may have finally found another manager willing to put his complete faith in the 24-year-old’s abilities as a centerback. Operating in the center of a back three, Christensen’s introduction into the team at half time in place of the injured Thiago Silva has now seen just one goal conceded in over 550 minutes of football across all competitions. Against Liverpool, Christensen was once again immaculate at the heart of Chelsea’s backline. Confident in his passing as he is when it comes to his reading of the game, the 24-year-old completed 91.5% of all his attempted passes whilst making a game high nine clearances. While it is true that his passes may not be the most penetrative, Christensen’s composure, especially in the second half of the game in face of relentless Liverpool pressure was crucial in allowing Chelsea to see out the match completely unscathed.

It was a performance that Thiago Silva would have been proud of and with the Brazilian on a cusp of a first team return, perhaps the biggest compliment that can be paid to Christensen’s recent displays would be the fact that Chelsea’s best center half is no longer a nailed on starter in the middle of Tuchel’s back three. A truly impressive few weeks it has been for Andreas Christensen.