Late Willian Strike Hands Chelsea Win Over Liverpool

Liverpool fell 2-1 at Stamford Bridge after 18-year-old Estêvão Willian struck a 95th-minute winner; Moisés Caicedo had opened the scoring and Cody Gakpo levelled, leaving the champions with their third straight defeat in all competitions. The result has intensified concerns over defensive fragility and a lack of fluency in the final third, with pundits — led by Gary Neville — harshly criticising the attack as “absolutely useless” and singling out Milos Kerkez as “naïve” and Ibrahima Konaté for poor on-ball play. Injuries have compounded problems: goalkeeper Alisson remains sidelined, Konaté left the match injured, and centre-back Giovanni Leoni has undergone surgery. Transfer shortcomings were also highlighted after the club failed to sign Marc Guéhi before the deadline. Manager Arne Slot urged calm but acknowledged fine margins have not gone Liverpool’s way and faces pressure to shore up the defence and revive creativity before competitive action resumes.