Red machine finds sufficient calm in the storm to get the better of callow Chelsea

Everything had been relatively serene for Chelsea at Anfield until the 25th minute when Levi Colwill flapped in a gale. Mohamed Salah thought he had been fouled on the edge of the area but John Brooks made the wrong decision, leaving Liverpool irritated and began a new case study in chaos theory.

- Will Unwin

Enzo Maresca's side had dominated possession with Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke causing the hosts plenty of problems but football can change in a moment. Colwill morphing into a morpho caused him to trip Curtis Jones for a penalty seconds after getting away with another indiscretion, which was still infiltrating his thoughts when he caught the Liverpool midfielder. The tone had been set in the space of a few minutes.

After Salah wheeled away in celebration, Diogo Jota sat on the floor and his game was cut short after he failed to overcome a problem caused by Tosin Adarabioyo falling on him. Arne Slot could have brought on Luis Díaz and rejigged the forward line but with access to one of the great architects of chaos, there was only one thing in the Liverpool head coach's mind and he called for Darwin Núñez. The Uruguayan repaid the crowd with a mid-air flick for his first touch as he levitated in the Merseyside wind. Chelsea had gone from looking composed to confused, with a defence eager to play themselves into trouble. Liverpool, without the level of possession to which they are accustomed, were playing more often on the break, regularly releasing Salah down the right against an increasingly confused Malo Gusto. It was a case of thinking smarter to find new methods of creation.