Mateo Kovacic scored a goal of the season contender during Sunday’s Premier League clash between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.The Croatian midfielder fired Chelsea back into the game after Liverpool scored two earlier goals through Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.Mane, who was fortunate to avoid a straight red card in the opening minute for an elbow on Cesar Azpilicueta, put Liverpool 1-0 up in the ninth minute.
Video: Mo Salah's goal vs Chelsea
Mohamed Salah made it 2-0 to the visitors with an outstanding goal against his former club.
The Egyptian forward, who many football fans believe is currently the world’s best footballer, killed the ball with a sublime first touch before leaving Marcos Alonso for dead with a magnificent body feint.
Salah then produced a beautiful finish past Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to double Liverpool’s advantage after Sadio Mane’s earlier goal.
This was Salah’s 25th goal contribution (16 goals, nine assists) of a quite remarkable season.
It was also his first goal at Stamford Bridge since scoring for Basel in September 2013.
Watch Salah’s brilliant goal here:
Superb.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher described Salah as the best player in the world on Twitter and it's hard to disagree.
Video: Mateo Kovacic's goal vs Liverpool
However, Salah’s moment of brilliance wasn’t the best goal of the half.
Kovacic sensational right-footed volley from the edge of the box could be a season for Premier League Goal of the Season.
Watch it here…
Check out Kovacic's little hop before striking the ball...
What else happened in the first half?
Liverpool trio Alisson Becker, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino were all ruled out for the visitors after returning suspected positive tests for COVID-19, while Jurgen Klopp was absent for the same reason.
Liverpool’s assistant manager Pep Lijnders deputised for Klopp in the Stamford Bridge dugout. Caoimhin Kelleher, meanwhile, came in for first-choice goalkeeper Alisson.
Much of the pre-match talk centered around striker Romelu Lukaku, who was left out of Chelsea’s squad by Thomas Tuchel as punishment for a controversial unauthorised interview.
Pulisic was deployed as Chelsea’s most advanced forward in Lukaku’s absence, flanked by Mason Mount and Kai Havertz.
There was controversy inside the opening minute when Mane avoided a straight red card for an elbow on Cesar Azpilicueta.
Tuchel was reportedly fuming on the touchline and shouted at the fourth official asking why Mane wasn’t sent off.
Mane then put Liverpool 1-0 up in the ninth minute, capitalising on a mistake by Trevoh Chalobah before rounding Mendy and converting with his left foot.
Pulisic had spurned a glorious chance to put Chelsea ahead moments earlier. The USA international was denied an opening goal by the alert Kelleher.
Salah’s 26th-minute goal left Chelsea with a mountain to climb, but a screamer on the stroke of half-time by Kovacic fired the hosts right back into the contest before Pulisic equalised.
Title race over? (Football Terrace)
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