Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (Caicedo 14’, Estevao 90+6| Gakpo 63’)

STAMFORD BRIDGE — It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Arne Slot realised it was happening again, for the third time in a week, but there were early clues.

At a wind-whipped Stamford Bridge, within five minutes Slot could be seen jabbing a finger at Dominik Szoboszlai, who seemed to be being blown rightwards out of his central role. The logic went that by just dropping Florian Wirtz and moving Szoboszlai away from full-back, Liverpool would revert to the midfield that won them the title. It was never going to be that simple.

Barely any of the components that made them champions are working in sync. Behind Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister is unfit. A fortnight ago, Ryan Gravenberch was being spoken about as the world’s best mid

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