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Chelsea gave a good account of themselves against Liverpool but Enzo Maresca ultimately lost the tactical battle to Arne Slot at Anfield.
Chelsea were unbeaten since the opening weekend's defeat to Manchester City, and for the first time in a while, they arrived at Anfield with real expectations.
Despite losing 2-1 to Arne Slot's rampant Reds, they gave a decent account of themselves and manager Enzo Maresca will feel they had a chance.
Looking back at the game, here are three things we feel the Chelsea boss should have done differently.
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18:47 - 20.10.2024
Liverpool vs Chelsea: Salah outshines Palmer as Slot's Reds return to top of Premier League
Mohamed Salah inspired Liverpool to a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield to return to the Premier League summit.
Starting Tosin Adarabioyo was a mistake
There is a reason Adarabioyo has made just two starts this season. The 26-year-old is simply not good enough and his early yellow card (that could easily have been a red) set the tone for the entire game, adding to the panic in the Chelsea backline. His inclusion was the wrong call.
Nkunku deserved to start
Nkunku is Chelsea's joint top scorer with 6 goals this season, yet the France international continues to be overlooked by Enzo Maresca.
He was eventually introduced in the 78th minute, with Chelsea chasing the game, but he has shown a knack for scoring goals and deserves a chance to start ahead of either Jadon Sancho or Noni Madueke.
Maresca failed to get Palmer into the game
Cole Palmer had one of his poorest games in a Chelsea shirt, struggling to impose his talents on proceedings.
Slot's gameplan worked to perfection as left-winger Cody Gakpo stayed narrow out of possession in an attempt to block those passes into Palmer and Curtis Jones followed the Chelsea man into wide areas.
In the end, his influence was limited and Maresca failed to make any adjustments, failing to make the most of one of the best players on the pitch.
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