Chelsea vs. Liverpool was already the biggest match of the weekend in England (perhaps all of Europe outside of Madrid). But after Wednesday’s clash between Eden Hazard and Jordan Henderson, we cannot wait to see the Blues and Reds go at it again on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool is the lone club with a perfect record in Premier League play, boasting six wins from six. Chelsea (along with Manchester City) is right behind with five wins and a draw. That in itself makes Chelsea vs. Liverpool one of the biggest September clashes in recent memory.
But there’s a delicious personal battle brewing between Chelsea’s Hazard and Liverpool’s Henderson after the two teams met at Anfield on Wednesday in the League Cup.
Both Hazard and Henderson were rested to start Wednesday’s match. By the 60th minute, both had been substituted on, with both Maurizio Sarri and Jurgen Klopp seeking control of the game.
Daniel Sturridge gave Liverpool a lead in the 58th minute, converting with a superb volley to atone for a shocking miss about 13 minutes earlier.
Then Hazard took over, and Henderson couldn’t do anything about it but get angry.
Hazard sent the ball into the box that Emerson turned in for the equalizer in the 79th minute. Six minutes later, he torched Alberto Moreno for the match winner.
But Hazard was just getting started.
With Liverpool desperate to score late to send the match to a shootout, Hazard fluttered around the Reds defense like a humming bird going flower to flower. In a manner of minutes, Henderson twice resorted to fouling Hazard to try to keep him from maintaining possession.
To make matters worse, Henderson lashed out with absurd anger at the whole situation.
Was Hendo mad at himself for not being good enough? Or was he mad at Hazard for being too good? Or maybe he was just mad about the state of tribal politics these days.
Whatever the reason, Hazard and Chelsea clearly got the better of Henderson and Liverpool in the first meeting of the season.
Fortunately for us, Chelsea vs. Liverpool Part II is Saturday when the teams meet again at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool has been one of the best teams in Europe of the past calendar year. The Reds reached the Champions League final and last week beat Paris Saint-Germain in UCL group play.
Chelsea has also started off brilliantly under new coach Maurizio Sarri.
Aside from a 0-0 draw with West Ham, the Blues are perfect in all competitions, including Wednesday’s victory and a winning start in the Europa League.
And Chelsea has had Liverpool’s number in recent years.
2 - Liverpool have won only two of their last 15 games against Chelsea in all competitions (D7 L6). Rare.
— OptaChelsea (@OptaChels) September 28, 2018
Admittedly, it’s hard to take too much from Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match between these two clubs. Both coaches opted to rest a number of regulars and Saturday’s lineups will be much stronger.
That just makes the Premier League matchup all the more exciting.
We can’t wait to see what happens between Hazard and Henderson.
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