Chelsea welcomed Liverpool to Stamford Bridge in Sunday's evening kick off in what was undoubtedly the game of the weekend in the Premier League. Both teams secured all three points in their season opener last time out and looked to bolster their title aspirations in west London.
A Sadio Mane brace saw Liverpool secure a 2-0 win at Chelsea, who were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time as Andreas Christensen saw red for a foul on the Senegal international.
Here, we look at five talking points from the clash in the capital...
Fabinho in defence
Joe Gomez and Joel Matip both missed Liverpool's trip to Chelsea through injury and after Dejan Lovren's sale to Zenit St. Petersburg, Fabinho was tasked with playing centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk at Stamford Bridge. It was only the second time the Brazilian had operated at the heart of the defence in a Premier League match following his move to Liverpool, that a 1-0 win at Brighton in January 2019, where he garnered a WhoScored rating of 7.35.
However, even without a recognised centre-back alongside Van Dijk, Fabinho put in an accomplished performance at Stamford Bridge. The Brazilian marshalled Timo Werner with ease to help gain a WhoScored rating of 7.44. He found a teammate was great efficiency, with 96.6% of his 89 passes hitting their target, and chipped in with four tackles and four interceptions. Gomez's absence could have hindered Liverpool in west London, but Fabinho ensured the Reds needn't have worried.
Kepa's last game as first choice?
Much has been made of Kepa's future at Stamford Bridge. The Spaniard became the most expensive goalkeeper in history when he moved to Chelsea in 2018, but he has very much failed to live up to expectations for Frank Lampard's side. Indeed, Kepa's save success rate of 53.9% was the worst in the Premier League last season and his campaign hasn't started much better.
He was at fault for Leandro Trossard's goal at Brighton last week and followed that up with another error on Sunday evening, committing a gaffe for Sadio Mane and Liverpool's second. Kepa did make three saves in total, but with Edouard Mendy's transfer edging closer to completion, today's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool is likely to be his last as Chelsea's first choice goalkeeper.
Thiago's debut
On Friday, Liverpool secured the services of Thiago from Bayern Munich. The Spanish midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield for weeks now and late last week, the deal was confirmed. Thiago started the clash on the bench, which was to be expected having had little time to get up to speed with his new Liverpool teammates, yet Jurgen Klopp introduced the 29-year-old for the second half.
🎯 Thiago completed more passes (75) than any other Chelsea player in Liverpool's 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) September 20, 2020
😱 Thiago only played 45 minutes... pic.twitter.com/k4Dp3uDUoU
It was an eventful debut to say the least. Thiago was solid enough in possession, but he conceded a penalty for a foul on Timo Werner with a little over 20 minutes to play. Fortunately for the former Bayern man, Alisson was able to deny Jorginho from 12 yards. Looking at the positives, though, Thiago also completed more passes (75) than any other Chelsea player, and the fourth most overall. All in all, it was a positive first 45 minutes, save for the penalty, from the Spain international.
Andreas Christensen's dismissal did nothing to change Chelsea's gameplan
Chelsea came into the welcome of Liverpool with a specific gameplan - sit deep and attempt to maximise Timo Werner's pace on the counter. Andreas Christensen's red card on the stroke of half time didn't necessarily change that, but Liverpool's numerical advantage is what ultimately saw them secure all three points.
The hosts managed just one shot in the opening 45 minutes, that coming courtesy of Werner on the half hour mark as he pulled a low effort just wide of the far post. Even with 46% possession, they struggled to test Alisson in the Liverpool goal in the opening 45 minutes. They were presented with a way back into the game with a little over 20 minutes to play, but Jorginho saw his penalty saved by Alisson, the first time the Italian has been denied from the spot for Chelsea.
Man of the Match - Sadio Mane
Two goals in five second half minutes proved the difference between the two teams at Stamford Bridge. Sadio Mane did superbly to get on the end of Roberto Firmino's cross five minutes after the break, beating Reece James in the air, to nod past Kepa before pressuring the Chelsea goalkeeper to add his and Liverpool's second. He hit the back of the net with two of his three shots and was on the receiving end of an Andreas Christensen foul that resulted in the Dane's dismissal, that one of four occasions he was fouled.
A further three successful dribbles and three tackles contributed towards Mane's WhoScored rating of 9.04, that enough to land the man of the match gong.
