Liverpool seduce then grit their teeth
Irresistible for more than half an hour, Liverpool had to turn their backs throughout the second half to bring back the three points from Crystal Palace, not rewarded for their efforts.
This success allows the Reds to have 48 points, four more than Chelsea, who played an extra game and who receive Tottenham later while the men of Patrick Vieira remain stuck in the second half of the classification, in thirteenth place with 24 units.
A draw would not have seemed unfair, however, as the Eagles were able to level up after having seemed totally helpless at the start of the match.
From the eighth minute, Virgil van Dijk opened the scoring with a header from a corner after a marking error (1-0), before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled the lead just after the half-hour mark ( 2-0, 32nd).
Aggressive, organized, sharp in their attacks, Liverpool seemed set for a quiet afternoon, but the machine went wrong after the second goal and Palace raised their level to create several clear chances.
Liverpool looked set to have a quiet afternoon, but the machine went haywire after the second goal and Palace raised their level to create several clear chances.
It was finally his French attacking duo, Jean-Michel Mateta, who went to the limit of offside, and Odsonne Edouard, who only had to push the ball deep after his compatriot’s pass, who gave hope to the Londoners (2-1, 55th).
A few minutes from the end, another Frenchman, Michael Olise, almost equalized with a lob attempt finally dismissed by Alisson (83rd).
A few minutes later, a generous penalty, granted after viewing the images by the referee, was transformed by Fabinho (3-1, 89th) to remove all suspense at the end of the match.
Chelsea, Tottenham’s nightmare
Beaten 3-0 at home in the first leg, then 2-0 and 1-0 in the semi-finals of the League Cup, Tottenham lost again against the Blues (2-0) who consolidated their place on the podium.
With 47 points, Chelsea are third one behind Liverpool, but above all they take nine points clear of fourth-placed Manchester United, even though the Reds Devils have played two games less.
For the Spurs, 36 points, and who would have taken fourth place, qualifying for the Champions League, in the event of victory, it is the first defeat in the league since Antonio Conte has been on the bench. But they still have three games behind to try to get back into the C1 race.
Between players about to leave, like Tanguy Ndombélé or Dele Alli, absent from the match sheet, and absences like that of Son Heung-min, injured, Conte had to deal with limited choices to make his eleven and he was clearly came to defend.
His team didn’t do it too badly, Chelsea creating few clear chances in the first half, while Harry Kane saw his opener canceled out for a push on Thiago Silva (41st).
The Blues made the difference at the start of the second half with a sublime strike from Hakim Ziyech which went into the right corner of Hugo Lloris, who remained on his support (1-0, 47th). Silva doubled the lead from a free kick (2-0, 55th), for a victory that could not be more logical.
Arsenal shoot blank
The Gunners could also have taken fourth place if successful, but they never managed to beat Burnley.
With 36 points, Arsenal are sixth ahead of Totenham on goal difference, two behind Manchester United.
With 75% possession, twenty shots but only five on target, the Londoners dominated the match without the Clarets, four points behind the first non-relegation player, Norwich, having great difficulty repelling their attacks.
Arsenal’s sterility in front of goal, with a fourth game in a row without scoring, in all competitions, could seriously thwart its ambitions.
