Liverpool have taken a significant step towards their Premier League title bid with a fantastic 4-1 victory over Chelsea.
The match was played on Wednesday, and it saw Liverpool move five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
They now have 51 points after 22 games, while second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand, are level on points with third-placed Arsenal on 46.
In contrast, Chelsea are languishing in 10th place with only 31 points.
Liverpool’s victory was their 200th under the management of Jurgen Klopp, who announced last week that he would leave the club at the end of the season.
However, Klopp’s shock revelation has not stopped the momentum of a team that is challenging for silverware in four competitions.
The match was played at Anfield, where Liverpool is unbeaten this season in all competitions.
The Reds played with great intensity from the opening whistle and made it difficult for Chelsea to get out of their half.
Darwin Nunez peppered Chelsea’s goal with seven shots in the first half, but it was Diogo Jota who broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute when he bundled past two Chelsea defenders to score.
Conor Bradley, a twenty-year-old Liverpool player, scored his first goal for Liverpool in the match and claimed two assists.
Bradley whipped the Anfield fans into a frenzy in the 39th minute when he hammered an angled shot into the far corner after a surging run.
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The youngster from Northern Ireland left a defender in his wake in the 65th minute before launching a pinpoint cross that Dominik Szoboszlai leaped to head past Djordje Petrovic.
Szoboszlai scored Liverpool’s third goal, and Luis Diaz capped the hosts’ dominant display by scoring the fourth goal.
Christopher Nkunku replied for overwhelmed Chelsea, but it was too little too late.
Liverpool had 27 shots to Chelsea’s four, with 12 on target, many of them by Nunez, who also hit the post with a first-half penalty.
The Uruguayan became the first player since 2003-04 to hit the woodwork four times in a Premier League match.
Chelsea had two penalty appeals turned down after VAR checks.
The first was when Virgil van Dijk brought down Conor Gallagher, and the second was when the Dutch defender appeared to kick Nkunku.
Chelsea will have to improve significantly to win the rematch after a limp display that underlined why they are languishing in 10th place.
Liverpool’s next match is against third-placed Arsenal on Sunday, which will be another test of their title credentials.
Liverpool will meet Chelsea again in the League Cup final at Wembley on February 25.
The Reds are also still competing in the FA Cup and Europa League.
