Chelsea earned a big Premier League victory over reigning champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

It was Moises Caicedo who broke the deadlock in Chelsea’s favour with a thunderous strike in the 14th minute, and Cody Gakpo who poked home from close range to equalize for Liverpool in the 63rd. But the last word fell to Chelsea’s wonderkid Estevao Willian, who also converted from a few yards to snatch all the points for the hosts in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Teams

Chelsea’s victory is all the more worthy with the numerous injury problems manager Enzo Maresca had to work around in mind. The defence was hit particularly heavily, with Tosin Adarabioyo (calf), Wesley Fofana (concussion), Levi Colwill (knee), and Trevoh Chalobah (suspended) all absent, along with midfielders Anrey Santos (knock), and Dario Essugo (thigh), as well as forwards Cole Palmer (groin) and Liam Delap (thigh).

Therefore, the only centre-back options Maresca had at his disposal – Benoit Badiashile and Joshua Acheampong – were always going to start in front of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella covered the defensive flanks, with captain Reece James shifted into the midfield alongside Caicedo. Enzo Fernandez had a bit more freedom to roam further up, while wingers Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho flanked Joao Pedro in attack.

As for Liverpool, head coach Arne Slot was without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker (hamstring), young defender Giovanni Leoni (ACL), and midfielder Stefan Bajcetic (hamstring).

Giorgi Mamardashvili stepped into Alisson’s role between the posts, with Ibrahima Konate partnering captain Virgil van Dijk in the heart of defence. Conor Bradley was chosen ahead of Jeremie Frimpong at right-back, while Milos Kerkez started on the left. Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai formed the usual midfield trio, leaving Florian Wirtz on the bench, and record signing Alexander Isak started in attack, with Mohamed Salah and Gakpo on the flanks.

Match recap

Chelsea struck first in electrifying fashion. Barely a quarter of an hour in, Caicedo received the ball in the middle of the park after Liverpool overplayed their build-up, moved past Mac Allister and unleashed a thunderous strike from nearly 25 yards that hammered into the top corner. Mamardashvili actually did well to get his fingertips to it, but he could do no more.

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The goal ignited Stamford Bridge and set the tone for a night when Chelsea’s energy matched their tactical discipline. Liverpool, stung but relatively composed, began to find rhythm midway through the half, with Szoboszlai and Gravenberch probing from midfield, though their efforts were largely contained by Chelsea’s compact structure.

The game’s intensity never waned after the break. Just past the hour mark, Slot’s side found their breakthrough: Isak dropped a cleverly flicked pass into Gakpo’s path, and the Dutchman finished calmly from close range to level the score at 1–1.

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The goal briefly turned the momentum Liverpool’s way, but Chelsea refused to fold. Maresca’s substitutions injected fresh pace, with young Estevao offering direct running and energy.

As Liverpool pressed for a late winner, gaps began to appear, and at that point, it was only a question of either team losing defensive focus amid attacking intentions. And it happened to the visitors, with Andy Robertson, who had replaced Kerkez earlier at left-back, caught on his heels at a crucial moment.

In stoppage time, Cucurella surged forward on the overlap and whipped in a low cross that zipped through the six-yard box. Estevao darted in at the back post past Robertson to slide the ball home in the 95th minute, sparking wild celebrations in the Stamford Bridge stands.

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Maresca, already on a yellow card for dissent, was sent off for his exuberant reaction, but Chelsea held firm through the remaining seconds to seal a dramatic victory.

Maresca’s mid-block

Maresca set Chelsea into a disciplined mid-block that dared Liverpool to force play into narrow channels. The pattern was simple: sit compact in the centre, invite the ball into half-spaces and then free quick runners on the break.

That structure bought Chelsea the time and space they needed to launch vertical transitions — the sequence for Caicedo’s 14th-minute rocket (a lay-off from Malo Gusto after an incisive Badiashile pass) came straight out of that script.

Because Liverpool were routed into playing laterally, Chelsea could turn turnover into threat quickly. Once Mac Allister was beaten, Joao Pedro and Garnacho rotated intelligently around the remaining opponents and prevented them from charging at Caicedo, who took full advantage of the pocket of space created for him in this fashion and fired with great accuracy and power.

The goal was not a fluke – it was the payoff to a mid-block that was prepared to attack the moment Liverpool lost rhythm.

Slot’s team lacked usual vertical bite

Slot set Liverpool up to control possession and probe with the Szoboszlai–Mac Allister–Gravenberch spine, but Chelsea’s compactness bluntly removed the vertical lanes Liverpool usually exploit.

Without clean vertical injections into the box, their front three — Isak, Salah and Gakpo — were forced to chase scraps or rely on moments of individual brilliance. The half-time introduction of Florian Wirtz briefly lifted them, and Isak’s inspired touch set up Gakpo’s 63rd-minute equalizer, but the visitors never sustained a prolonged spell of control in the final third.

To put it simply, Liverpool had the ball more at this point, but not the incision. Chelsea’s mid-block and aggressive counter triggers removed the usual overloads and overlaps from Slot’s blueprint, leaving the Reds to manufacture half-chances rather than construct clear, high-quality opportunities.

That predictability cost the champions time and, ultimately, points.

Late Estevao strike – a mission statement

The stoppage-time winner — a Cucurella cross met by the teenager Estevao — encapsulated what Maresca is trying to build: structure plus bravery. Chelsea survived multiple injury setbacks (centre-backs changed midgame with Badiashile added to the long list of injuries) yet maintained the discipline to defend in numbers and still commit late bodies into the box.

Cucurella’s involvement and Estevao’s finish (a 95th-minute moment after coming off the bench) underlined the balance between defensive organization and attacking intent, which separated the two teams in the end.

What it means and what comes next

Chelsea’s 2–1 win moved them to sixth place with 11 points, providing a morale boost and demonstrating progress under Maresca despite injury concerns.

Their upcoming fixtures are Nottingham Forest (Premier League) on October 18 and Ajax (Champions League) at Stamford Bridge on October 22, both tests of squad depth and tactical consistency.

For Liverpool the defeat deepened a worrying run: it extended their recent run of poor results to two consecutive Premier League defeats – three in all competitions – and allowed Arsenal to overtake them at the top of the table.

Slot’s side must regroup quickly — their immediate schedule includes a heavyweight Premier League test against Manchester United at Anfield on October 19, followed by a Carabao Cup fourth-round rematch with Crystal Palace at Anfield on Oct 29.