Chelsea subjects Liverpool to another late loss
A stoppage- time winner from teenager Estevao Willian earned Chelsea a 2-1 victory over defending Premier League champion Liverpool, condemning the Reds to a third defeat in a row in all competitions.
Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace by the same scoreline last week, with Eddie Nketiah netting in the 97th minute, and on this occasion at Stamford Bridge, it was Chelsea substitute Estevao who wrote the headlines.
Estevao turned home from point-blank range to win it for the injury-ravaged Blues, who were without talisman Cole Palmer and a glut of key defenders.
Chelsea had gone ahead through Moises Caicedo's blistering 14th-minute strike – a finish that gave Premier League debutant Giorgi Mamardashvili no chance.
Alejandro Garnacho hit the post and had a penalty appeal turned down before the break, but after some attacking changes from Arne Slot, Liverpool restored parity when Cody Gakpo poked in from Alexander Isak's cushioned touch.
Yet Chelsea regained control, and after Enzo Fernandez's header against the woodwork seemed to have let Liverpool off the hook, there was one final twist.
Fernandez played in Marc Cucurella, whose low centre was diverted in by Estevao in the 95th minute to cap a dramatic victory for the Blues, as Liverpool dropped to second place in the standings after a week in which its indifferent performances seem to have caught up with it.
Liverpool has now lost each of its past four Premier League trips to London, its longest such run in the capital since another four-game streak between October 2009 and November 2010, which also included a loss at Stamford Bridge.
Slot, meanwhile, has lost three games in a row in all competitions for the first time in his coaching career.
"We were the dominant team but in the last 10-15 mins it was end to end, both teams could have scored," Slot said.
"Both teams arrived a lot of times at the 18-yard line. These are the margins that don't fall for us at the moment."
Chelsea has beaten the reigning Premier League champion for the first time since a 1-0 win against Liverpool at Anfield in March 2021.
Standing in for Enzo Maresca, assistant coach Willy Caballero said the Italian was very happy.
"He wants me to praise the players, because the effort that they've done today," Caballero said.
"We believe that we deserve the victory after the chances that we created and how we play, and thanks to football and thanks to the effort of the players, we scored in the last second, and we got the three points today."
