Chelsea might finally be finding its stride under Graham Potter while Liverpool’s up-and-down season took another nosedive in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Chelsea made it three straight wins in all competitions for the first time since October by beating Leicester 3-1 away, another sign that the expensively assembled team is starting to gel under Potter.
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Liverpool, though, followed its record 7-0 win over archrival Manchester United by losing 1-0 at relegation-threatened Bournemouth — a team it beat 9-0 at home in August.
That threw away much of the momentum Liverpool generated recently after a woeful first half of the season, and Jurgen Klopp’s team is six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham in the fight for the final Champions League place, albeit with a game in hand.
Tottenham beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at home after Harry Kane scored twice in the first half.
Bournemouth began the day in last place but climbed up to 17th, with Everton also leaving the relegation zone after Dwight McNeil scored just 35 seconds into a 1-0 win over Brentford.
Leeds fell to 19th place despite rallying for a 2-2 home draw against Brighton.
The battle against the drop is exceedingly tight, though, with only four points separating Leeds from 12th-placed Crystal Palace.
Manchester City visited Palace in the late game trying to keep up the pressure on leader Arsenal, which plays at Fulham on Sunday.
CHELSEA THRIVING, LIVERPOOL STUMBLES
After knocking out Borussia Dortmund from the Champions League to reach the quarterfinals, Chelsea followed with a first away win in the league since Oct. 16.
Kai Havertz netted one of the best goals of the day to make it 2-1 just before halftime by volleying in a delicate lob over the goalkeeper after being teed up in the area by another lofted ball from record-signing Enzo Fernandez.
Ben Chilwell put Chelsea ahead in the 11th minute after meeting a high cross into the area with a low first-time shot from a difficult angle. Patson Daka equalized in the 39th. Mateo Kovacic added the third for Chelsea in the 78th.
Chelsea remained in 10th place but just five points behind fifth-placed Liverpool after Klopp’s side showed their inconsistency once again.
Philip Billing scored the only goal in the 28th minute after being teed up in the box by Dango Ouattara and Bournemouth managed to contain a Liverpool attack that was rampant against United last weekend.
Mohamed Salah summed up a frustrating afternoon for the Reds when he missed a penalty in the 70th by sending his effort wide, the first time he has missed the target from the spot in the Premier League.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
