Liverpool

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

The wins...

• Liverpool 4-2 Bournemouth (Premier League) - Federico Chiesa 88' and Mohamed Salah 90+4'

• Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool (Premier League) - Rio Ngumoha 90+10'

• Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal (Premier League) - Dominik Szoboszlai 83'

• Burnley 0-1 Liverpool (Premier League) - Mohamed Salah (pen) 90+3'

• Liverpool 3-2 Atletico Madrid (Champions League) - Virgil van Dijk 90+2'

• Southampton 1-2 Liverpool (League Cup) - Hugo Ekitike 85'

The defeats...

• Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool (Premier League) - Federico Chiesa 87' and Eddie Nketiah 90+7'

• Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (Premier League) - Estevao Willian 90+5'

Late goals or otherwise, the brutal truth is that Liverpool have been a pale shadow of the side the cruised to the Premier League last season since the Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace, the tables being turned on them dramatically in the last week as the flaws that have been in evidence since that Wembley defeat have been exposed.

Liverpool have looked unbalanced after an influx of nearly £450m worth of new signings, the introduction of £116m Florian Wirtz into a role behind the strikers – whether it was £70m Hugo Ekitike or £125m Alexander Isak – leaving them more exposed through the centre.

The arrival of two new full-backs, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, with instinctive attacking tendencies has also left Liverpool more vulnerable on the counter.

Slot gave Liverpool a more familiar look at Chelsea by dropping Wirtz to restore the title-winning midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alex Mac Allister.

Liverpool were not quite as open, although Szoboszlai was moved to right-back when Conor Bradley was replaced at half-time, but for all Slot's positive messages this was another largely flat display. They still almost got a point through Cody Gakpo's equaliser after Moises Caicedo's magnificent early opener for Chelsea.

This was until Estevao intervened as the biters of early in the season were painfully bitten back.

"I thought Chelsea just wanted it a little bit more," said ex-England forward Wayne Rooney, who is a pundit on Saturday's Match of the Day. "They showed more bite and determination in how they played. It wasn't the Liverpool we've been used to watching and Chelsea definitely deserved the three points.

You can read the full analysis on Liverpool's late goals here

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

• Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland

• Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Slot gave his side a more familiar look as he dropped Wirtz to the bench, restoring the midfield triumvirate of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai.

The champions did not look as vulnerable as they have, although Szoboszlai was moved to right-back when Conor Bradley was replaced at half-time, but this was still a pale shadow of the side that cruised to the title last season.

Mohamed Salah was back in the starting line-up after being left out at Galatasaray in the Champions League but, as he has for most of the season, was desperately out of form.

The Egyptian's plight was summed up when he sent a second half chance wide with only Sanchez to beat - and fired off target on other occasions.

Isak can claim involvement in Gakpo's equaliser but looks way short of match sharpness after his protracted, acrimonious move from Newcastle.

It concluded a miserable week for Slot and Liverpool, in which they have twice received a taste of their own medicine - the side who had made a habit of scoring late winners having been on the receiving end in two straight league games.

After the last seven days, Slot may just be glad of the international break to try to regroup and fire up his side once more.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot speaking to BBC Match Of The Day after the defeat to Chelsea: "If you play at Stamford Bridge and create as many chances as we did today that is something positive we take. We conceded two goals in both games [against Palace last week and Chelsea today], the only chance they had in the first half - maybe you should compliment them - unfortunately we couldn't score."

On Ibrahima Konate: "Not 100% sure if he's injured, he felt his quad and if a player feels his quad when he's running then alarm bells go on for me. If the game had gone on like this I would've taken him off later anyway because we needed Ryan [Gravenberch] in that position. The main reason was he felt his quad but we wanted Ryan in that position at 1-0. That worked well with us being dominant in that part of the game.

"After we scored 1-1 it went our way and I think I was waiting for us to score the second. Decision making could've been better, last 10-15 minutes was end-to-end. We arrived in their 18-yard box with [Andy] Robertson, we couldn't control the ball but again it's fine margins like it's been for as long as I've been here. Last week, same as this week two difficult away games, the fine margins haven't been in our favour.

"In both games we've created more chances than the team we have faced - Palace and Chelsea - but the truth is that we have only scored once in both games and our opponent has scored twice."

Did you know?

• Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot both received yellow cards (Maresca also a red), the first game of the 2025/26 Premier League season in which both managers were shown cards.

• Arne Slot has lost three games in a row in all competitions for the first time in his managerial career.

Hear more from Slot and reaction from The Atletic's James Pearce on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella, Caicedo, James, Pedro Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho, Joao Pedro

Subs: Jorgensen, Slonina, Hato, Emenalo, Lavia, Buonanotte, Gittens, Estevao Willian, Guiu

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Salah, Isak, Gakpo

Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Robertson, Frimpong, Jones, Ekitike, Chiesa, Wirtz

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Leeds United v Tottenham (12:30)

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester United v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Chelsea v Liverpool (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Liverpool", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Chelsea's back-to-back league defeats by Manchester United and Brighton have been a classic case of them shooting themselves in the foot.

If they had kept 11 men on the pitch in both matches it would have had a huge impact.

So, that is their first aim here and if it is 11 v 11 then Chelsea can hurt Liverpool, even without Cole Palmer, because the Reds are at sixes and sevens at the back.

I am tempted to go with a draw but this is a big game and I want to be brave and pick a winner.

I am going to stick my neck out and back my old team to make it a hat-trick of defeats for Arne Slot.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea, who have lost back-to-back league fixtures, take on a Liverpool side beaten in their past two matches. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's game.

This match pits the Club World Cup winners against the reigning Premier League champions but neither side are exactly at their best right now.

Defeats by Manchester United and Brighton have left Chelsea at risk of losing three top-flight games in a row for the first time since May 2023.

The Blues did at least get back to winning ways in midweek, defeating Benfica 1-0 on Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge. However, the Londoners had Joao Pedro sent off in the closing stages, their third red card in the space of four games.

While it was not as costly as Robert Sanchez's dismissal at Old Trafford or Trevoh Chalobah's versus Brighton, it has led to increased scrutiny of Chelsea's poor disciplinary record under Enzo Maresca. They have received 118 cards in the Premier League since the start of last season, more than any other club going into the latest round of matches.

Could Reds lose three in a row for first time under Slot?

Liverpool's run of seven successive wins came to a juddering halt in the past week, with the Reds beaten at Crystal Palace and Galatasaray, and now in danger of losing three games in a row for the first time under Arne Slot.

The Dutchman has pinpointed small margins as the difference but insists his side "are not so far" away from the levels they showed last season.

One area where there is clear room for improvement is when it comes to defending set-pieces, with four of the seven Premier League goals they have conceded coming in this fashion.

At this stage 12 months ago, the Merseysiders had conceded just two top-flight goals, neither of which was from a set-piece. They also earned four clean sheets in their first six matches, twice as many as in the current campaign.

Despite changes to personnel leaving Liverpool with a slightly more attacking line-up, they haven't faced more shots or shots on target in the current campaign – those numbers are largely similar. But they are conceding far more high-quality chances, with the expected goals total by their opponents 2.4 greater than at the same stage last year.

As a result, there has been a dramatic drop in the Reds' save percentage, which has fallen from almost 90% to 56%. First-choice goalkeeper Alisson will miss the trip to Stamford Bridge through injury so a testing Premier League debut awaits for Giorgi Mamardashvili, who will need to be given better protection, particularly from set-pieces.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Analysis of Florian Wirtz's first nine appearances for Liverpool has generally landed at the same conclusion - it has been an underwhelming start.

Some have gone further. Former England striker Wayne Rooney said the £116m signing "damages the balance" of Liverpool's team.

Wirtz is receiving the ball deeper more often.

Alexander-Arnold was impressive in his ability to pass the ball when playing deep, and Liverpool appear to be sorely missing that quality.

Captain Virgil van Dijk's long switch to forward Mohamed Salah is a great way for them to get the ball up the pitch reliably. Otherwise, Liverpool lack the passing quality in defence to find team-mates up the field.

That responsibility has fallen on Wirtz at times. He has been dropping deep to get the ball before turning and trying to carry it up the pitch. He is able to do this because of his technical quality, but it is reducing the time he spends close to the opposition goal.

If build-up responsibilities can be shouldered by another player, it potentially allows Wirtz to position himself higher up the pitch.

Curtis Jones has the ability to do this in a double pivot or on the left wing, and may be an option Slot could turn to as he looks to complement Wirtz's natural game.

Read a detailed analysis of how Wirtz is playing at Liverpool

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He does not know how long goalkeeper Alisson will be sidelined for but he "would be surprised is he is there for the first game after the international break".

• He said Giorgi Mamardashvili is "a quality goalkeeper" and showed "how well he had adjusted to the club" when he replaced Alisson in the defeat by Galatasaray.

• Forwards Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa will train on Friday and then a decision will be made on whether they can be available.

• On back-to-back defeats: "I saw a team [against Galatasaray] that wanted to try from the first to the last second to get a result. We won much more second balls [compared to the Crystal Palace game] and we were close to a result. I said last season that the margins are so small, and it's the same again this season."

• Alexander Isak is "getting fitter and fitter" and Slot believes he will add goals to the team once he has built a relationship with the players around him. He added: "The more you play together, the better things will work."

• He said teams scoring from set-pieces is the "new reality in the Premier League" and they "have to find answers" to defending them as a team.

• On their drop-off in goals scored: "We don't score as many open-play goals as we did in the first half of last season. The more we play together in the new set-up, the better it will go. I'm very happy with the amount of chances we generate from set-pieces."

• He defended the criticism around centre-back Ibrahima Konate's start to the season and said: "If you are losing a game of football, then it doesn't help if you lose the ball a few times easily. He has been one of them [doing that], but not the only one. In the past two games, it has been obvious and clear that we have made a few errors that we are not used to."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Chelsea v Liverpool on BBC Radio 5 Live at 17:30 on Saturday

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United's record goalscorer Wayne Rooney believes Arne Slot's decision to play Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back in the Champions League in midweek "backfired".

"I thought they were really poor," he told The Wayne Rooney show.

"I think a worry for me would be losing the game. It looked like, even with still quite a bit of time left to go, he [Slot] has just put every attacking player on the pitch and just said 'right go and figure it out' and then it could have got a lot worse for Liverpool during the game.

"There was a lot of times they give the ball away at the back and losing it and getting broken on. Alisson obviously getting injured comes from a mistake where they give the ball away.

"I thought they didn't look good and I think since the start of the season really. Of course the results have papered over some of the cracks which they've had and where they haven't performed well, but I think there's a concern in terms of if they don't get it together then teams can catch them up.

"What they don't want to do is give the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal a bit of momentum to believe they can go and take that title off them.

"I think when you win the league, like Arne Slot did last season with Liverpool, then sometimes some of the decisions you make get overlooked. I think the decision to play a midfield player at right back, and a right back at right wing - for instance, if that was Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, he'd get absolutely slaughtered for making that decision.

"And that shows you the difference in the Champions League. Szoboszlai played there in the league and did well. You go into the Champions League and you get found out.

"So I think that was a big decision which backfired."

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Alisson Becker's hamstring injury after boss Arne Slot announced he would not be joining up with Brazil and would probably not be ready in time for the first game back after the international break.

Here are some of your comments:

Ken: Alisson is undoubtedly a world class goalkeeper but is also, unfortunately, world class at picking up muscle injuries. Liverpool is the one club where the number two goalkeeper will play more than their fair share of games. It presents an opportunity for big Mamardashvili to announce himself on this stage, especially with huge fixtures ahead in the next six weeks.

Paul: We are used to Alisson being injured a couple of months each season so this is expected. How much we miss him will depend on how well Mamardashvili does. I think we bought him due to Alisson's injury record and perhaps because he's in the latter part of his Anfield career. That said, Alisson is the world's best, absolutely unbelievable on one on one's, also a fantastic person. Klopp's favourite player.

Sukie: Injury prone goalkeepers are rare. Seems to be the same injury reoccurring with the hamstring. Unsure if the club have considered surgery to fix it more permanently. He's a big miss when you look back to key performances like the PSG match last season. Let's see how the new man does. Hear he is a great shot stopper but distribution not so much.

Liverpool have "far too many players who aren't at the level we need", says BBC Sport fan contributor Chloe Bloxam.

Arne Slot's side lost to Galatasaray in the Champions League this week, leading to further questions over the Reds' defence and overall team imbalance.

"We've not got the balance for me," adds Bloxam.

So what are the fixes?

Find more from Chloe Bloxam at The Redmen TV, external