Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher broke down how his former club Liverpool were tactically outclassed in the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea on Sunday. With the Premier League title already secure, Arne Slot made a handful of changes for the trip to Stamford Bridge, while the hosts needed a win to maintain hope of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Goals from Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer and a Jarell Quansah own goal were enough for Enzo Maresca's side to pick up all three points. And while the Italian has been criticised for his approach at times this season, Carragher was full of praise for his work at the weekend.
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Carragher Breaks Down Chelsea Tactics Versus Liverpool
The former defender explained where the hosts won the game
Detailing Chelsea's success against Liverpool, Carragher mentioned how earlier in the season using a 'box midfield' set-up which nullified the Reds' play and allowed them to cause problems on the counter-attack.
And yet again. Arne Slot's side struggled to cope with the Chelsea tactics in the reverse fixture, with Carragher explaining how the distance between Fernandez and Cole Palmer caused real problems for the visitors.
"There's Fernandez, there's Cole Palmer. You're looking at that spread. Gakpo's inside because Caicedo is in there. He's not blocking the pass to Palmer. This gives Curtis Jones a problem. The ball comes across, it's at Cole Palmer's feet, Curtis Jones can't get there. It is too far to run and that is the problem Chelsea and Maresca were giving Liverpool throughout the game.
"[In second clip]. Stretching the Liverpool midfield. Almost 40 yards between Fernandez and Palmer. That's the problem. If you do go outside, you're too stretched. If you stay inside, you can't get there. Again, tactically brilliant from Maresca."
After the game, Liverpool boss Slot admitted to being surprised by Chelsea's tactics and the fact that his team maintained control of the ball for such large portions of the game.
"Dominating ball possession at Stamford Bridge is not something many teams do because Chelsea are so comfortable with the ball," the Dutchman stated. "I expected them (Chelsea) to be a threat this season, because they were at Anfield, they were better than us, they were so close to us, so it was a complete surprise to me that we are now 19 points clear of them."
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All statistics courtesy of Sky Sports - accurate as of 06/05/2025.