English Premier League: Giroud’s header enough for three Chelsea points
After being dominated through the first-half, Olivier Giroud’s header after a great cross from Victor Moses was enough to see off Liverpool.
In a sunny afternoon in West London, Liverpool and Chelsea met at Stamford Bridge in a battle to secure Champions League qualification through the top four. Chelsea came out as winners after Olivier Giroud’s header gave them huge three points in the top four race. The win is Chelsea’s first in the league against Liverpool since 2014.
Liverpool started the game with the upper-hand. They dominated possession and created the best chances. Sadio Mané, who was by far Liverpool’s most dangerous player, had two chances.
One was a powerful volley from distance that was defended well by Courtois. The other was a good shot from outside the area that forced another good save from Courtois and created a good scoring opportunity for Liverpool.
After the initial pressure from the visitors, Chelsea was finally able to get going. Tiemoue Bakayoko had an early chance with a header going close to Liverpool’s far post.
With 32 minutes played, Victor Moses was able to find some space and whip a cross that fell kindly to Olivier Giroud, who was able to direct his body and place the header into Loris Karius right corner.
After the break, Liverpool came back with a lackluster performance that was not able to earn them a draw. The win at Stamford Bridge would have placed them in the Champions League without needing a win against Brighton on Sunday.
Lack of focus may cost Liverpool’s place in the top four
Liverpool’s last four matches were played in between Champions League fixtures. Despite being a tournament that Liverpool have a real chance of winning, not focusing on the Premier League can cost Liverpool’s place in the Champions League next season.
Draws against West Brom and Stoke saw Liverpool’s controlling position in the top four race get tighter. Chelsea’s run of four consecutive wins may have helped for that, but Liverpool only needed a win against those sides to guarantee their place and they were not able to deliver.
Complacency can have a big impact on how Liverpool’s season ends, at least in the Premier League. Liverpool host Brighton in the last game of the season, needing a win to qualify for the Champions League.
Brighton’s fate in the Premier League is sealed after the Seagulls earned a 1-0 win over Manchester United. There is no place for complacency at this stage and Liverpool must make sure that it doesn’t happen.
Chelsea hoping to fix a miserable season
After winning the Premier League in dominating fashion last season, Chelsea was unable to repeat the feat and the pressure under Antonio Conte and the players increased in a spectacular way. Internal problems between the ownership and Conte, which have included transfers and poot results, have made Chelsea’s season look miserable.
Not being able to compete for the title and sitting in a position where Champions League qualification isn’t certain are huge factors that will determine how the future will look for Chelsea.
However, the Blues gave themselves a real chance to get into the top four after today’s win and with the FA Cup still left to play, Conte can turn around an underperforming season with a trophy and a place in Europe’s most important competition.
Next: Two Chelsea players listed by previous clubs
Chelsea still has two games to play in the Premier League. On Wednesday they host Huddersfield, a likely three points. The last game of the season, they travel to St. James’s Park to play Newcastle, a game that will be really difficult to end the long season.
Dropping points in any of those two games means that their hopes of turning around this season are over and both the players and Conte should avoid that at any cost.