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Luis Diaz an emblem of Liverpool’s transfer market intelligence
All that was missing was goals, at least legitimate ones.
On disallowed goals, Chelsea won the Carabao Cup final 3-1, but with the offside flag removed from the equation Liverpool were the ones who got their hands on the trophy after edging the penalty shootout 11-10.
Not many nil-nils will live as long in the memory as this one.
Both teams may have lacked cutting edge, certainly over 120 minutes, but it was in the attacking third where Chelsea and Liverpool showed their best side.
For the latter, this was a culmination of something, a fifth title triumph under Jurgen Klopp, but also hinted at the future to come. Luis Diaz’s performance illustrated this best.
Diaz has hit the ground running since joining Liverpool from Porto in January and has already evolved Klopp’s team. Deployed on the left, the Colombian had the freedom to cut inside and interchange with Sadio Mane. Having identified Trevoh Chalobah as a weak link in the Chelsea defence, this channel conducted the majority of Liverpool’s attacks.
In 90 minutes, no other player had more touches in the opposition box than Diaz (10). The 25-year-old registered more shots on target (two) than any of his Liverpool teammates and made five crosses - only Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson made more.
Diaz won six duels, won three fouls and was the ideal outlet for the Reds whether he was maintaining width on the left or getting on the end of crosses in the middle.
The late withdrawal of Thiago Alcantara due to an injury sustained in the warm-up had the potential to unsettle Liverpool, and the Merseyside outfit certainly lacked shape in the early exchanges of the match.
However, Liverpool quickly turned a disadvantage into an advantage as they overwhelmed Chelsea in the centre of the pitch.
N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic weren’t just outnumbered by Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita, they were hassled and harried at every opportunity.
Even when Klopp made changes to his midfield unit in the second half, Harvey Elliott and James Milner did all they could to press Chelsea and prevent them from maintaining possession for any great length of time.
On the defensive side, Diaz also contributed, registering two tackles and four successful pressures. The Colombian has only been at Anfield for 28 days, but already looks to be an emblem of Liverpool’s transfer market intelligence.
Not only has Diaz slotted straight into Klopp’s team, he is giving them different options.
Many believed Diaz had been signed by Liverpool to future-proof their attack in the event of Mane leaving at some point down the line. However, this performance proved the two can play together - it’s not necessarily one or the other.
In fact, with Diaz and Mane in the same team, Liverpool’s energy and drive was ramped up even further.
Encouragement for Tuchel and Chelsea
Despite periods of dominance for Liverpool, Chelsea will rightfully feel they had the opportunities to win the match. Even in defeat, there was encouragement for Thomas Tuchel.
The Blues might have drawn a blank, but they were more verve to their attacking display than there has been for a number of weeks.
Tuchel made a statement by selecting Kai Havertz so to play as Chelsea’s centre forward ahead of Romelu Lukaku who started on the bench.
Havertz has impressed of late. Not only has the German delivered goals, giving Chelsea cutting edge in the final third, he has unlocked many of the players around him.
Christian Pulisic, for instance, has looked more like his old self with Havertz to play off and around. When Tuchel made a change to his attacking lineup in the second half, Mason Mount was the one to come off.
Havertz, who became the first player to create five chances in a Carabao Cup final since David Silva in 2016, was kept on for the full 120 minutes, a recognition of his growing importance to this Chelsea team.
Perhaps most notably, Lukaku was a threat alongside Havertz. There was a fluidity to Chelsea’s attack that has been lacking for periods of the season so far.
At times, Lukaku would match up against Virgil van Dijk with Havertz on the left. At other points, Lukaku would drift out wide to pull away a defender and create space for Havertz to exploit centrally.
Just as is the case with Diaz and Mane, Chelsea don’t need to choose between Havertz and Lukaku. Whether it’s as a front two or as two thirds of a front three, they make Chelsea a more dynamic side.
Somewhat strangely for a match that finished 0-0, Sunday’s Carabao Cup final presented Chelsea and Liverpool with potential attacking solutions for the future.