Under Sarri's roar and the referee's warning, the Chelsea players could only quickly get back into the match.
In this game, Sarri and Chelsea's goal was actually very simple: just play the first half.
The reason, of course, was still the issue of stamina.
Core players like Hazard and Jorginho had only had a mere 48 hours of rest since their last match, not meeting the standard 72 hours.
In such a state, playing a 90-minute high-intensity match against Liverpool would be difficult.
If they wanted to win, they had to build momentum in the first half and ride that momentum until the end of the match.
If they were down by 3 goals at halftime, then there was no need to play!
In the 23rd minute of the match, Chelsea used Hazard's individual ability to successively get past Henderson and Robertson.
Van Dijk quickly moved to cover, and it took a foul to stop the number one forward under Messi and Ronaldo.
Hazard's talent was absolutely historic.
In the future, his teammates would share stories of Hazard's days at Chelsea.
Mikel claimed that when Hazard was at Chelsea, he basically didn't train, let alone do extra training. When others were training, he would always stand with his hands on his hips, not even tying his shoelaces properly.
But even so, he was still the strongest player at Chelsea and could help the team win!
This player was a typical example of someone blessed by the heavens.
A free-kick opportunity for Chelsea. Hazard shot directly but failed to help Chelsea equalize.
Liverpool immediately launched a counter-attack.
Tendou advanced through the center with the ball.
His step frequency, which a player of his build shouldn't have, allowed him to get past two players in one go.
But to Tendou's speechlessness, both of these players were the same person.
Kanté!
He had gotten past him once, and then he had stuck to him again like taffy.
Tendou pulled the ball back horizontally with a drag-back.
A classic Marseille Turn!
He had once again shaken off Kanté, but Kanté, as if tireless, stuck to him for a third time.
"The tireless Kanté!"
"He's stuck to TJ!"
"Excellent defensive ability and proactiveness!"
"He's even making TJ's ball handling seem sluggish this time!"
"..."
This was the first time the Liverpool fans had seen Tendou being pestered so uncomfortably.
Most of the time, after a defender was beaten by Tendou, they couldn't keep up.
But Kanté...
He stuck to him again and again, and even caused Tendou to make a misplaced pass.
Chelsea took the opportunity to counter-attack.
It was Hazard again.
One can only say that at this stage of Chelsea, their reliance on Hazard was excessive.
It is said that Salah is the eternal reference point of Liverpool's attack.
In fact, this sentence is more apt for Chelsea's Hazard at this stage.
Hazard's organizational skills were not as good as the midfield core, Jorginho.
But in the attacking third, in the penalty area, he was the invisible conductor.
Dribbling past players and then providing a through pass to assist a teammate—this was Hazard's specialty.
However, when Hazard got past two players and sent a through pass to find his teammate Hudson-Odoi, his pass was intercepted halfway by Tendou.
"Damn it, how can there be such a kid?" Hazard cursed in his heart.
Is this thing really only 18 years old?
This is too unscientific!
Even for a genius, at this age, with less than a season of match experience, how can he have such a comprehensive view of the game?
"TJ!"
"He has once again resolved a crisis for the team!"
"But Chelsea's offense is a bit fierce today!"
"So far, they have already completed 5 shots, one more than Liverpool."
"In terms of dangerous attacks, it's 24 to 20. Chelsea is still in the lead. They don't look like they're planning to go into the locker room trailing."
This match was not meeting people's pre-match expectations.
The expectation for this match was that Liverpool would dominate the field, and Chelsea would use a solid defense to withstand Liverpool's attacks and look for counter-attacking opportunities.
But so far, the two teams were not far apart in terms of attack and shots.
Liverpool was even the trailing side.
"Perhaps it's because they've taken the lead."
"Liverpool has been playing very steadily during this period."
"I don't think Liverpool wants to play steadily. It's that their engine, TJ, is having a bit of a difficult time in this match."
"Kanté, he has completely entangled TJ. He gets past him once, and he comes back again. In my memory, I have never seen TJ so uncomfortable."
Gerrard saw the problem.
If the engine, Tendou, was not playing comfortably, then Liverpool's attack could not be fluid.
Thinking of this, Gerrard felt a wave of fear.
Unknowingly, Liverpool had become so dependent on this 18-year-old genius.
And, if this was TJ's weakness, then in the subsequent matches, Liverpool's opponents would definitely make good use of it.
As he spoke, Chelsea completed another successful defense and, through a quick switch of play, got the ball into Liverpool's half.
In the midfield, it was Hazard again.
He used his flexible dribbling to actively seek out one Liverpool defender after another and get past them.
Seeing that Hazard was about to "dance" in their half again, Henderson and Van Dijk all surrounded the Belgian striker.
However, it was Van Dijk's move that gave Hazard the opportunity.
A powerful through ball!
With a swoosh, the ball shot straight towards the Liverpool penalty area.
And at this time, Hudson-Odoi had already started his run in advance.
Hazard saw the gap, and Tendou also saw the defensive loophole in his team.
His brain, his eyes, instantly ascended a dimension. In a flash, Tendou had captured Hudson-Odoi.
Without any hesitation, he stepped on lightning, let out a low shout of "Thunderclap and Flash," and then strode out.
"Hazard with a through pass! Danger!"
"FAK!"
"Another interception by TJ! What kind of prediction is that?!"
"Hudson-Odoi's eyes are wide open! He can't believe it!"
"In this match, besides the first header goal, TJ's offensive performance has been somewhat lacking."
"But on the defensive end, he is still outstanding today, even more so than before!"
The commentators could see it, and Klopp could also see it.
Tendou was clearly not very comfortable facing a "tireless" monster like Kanté.
Before he could find a way to solve this problem, he chose to put more energy into the defensive end.
"What a smart kid," Klopp lamented. This football IQ was truly heaven-sent.
In every aspect, he was even more amazing than the ancient god, Beckenbauer.
"But we need more goals."
Klopp was never one to be satisfied with a one-goal lead.
They needed to be at least 2 goals ahead for the victory to be secure.
"Here comes Liverpool's counter-attack!"
As he spoke, the commentator began to roar with excitement.
...
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