Chelsea dumped Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup with an Eden Hazard-inspired fightback.

Daniel Sturridge had given the Reds the lead in the second half with a bicycle kick from a parried Naby Keita effort, just minutes after spurning an open goal.

But Emerson equalised some 20 minutes later with a prodded close-range effort after Simon Mignolet had parried Ross Barkley’s header from a set piece.

Hazard completed the Londoners’ turnaround in the 86th minute with a brilliant individual run and finish to deny the Reds a place in the fourth round.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

Sturridge redemption is sweet yet short-lived

 

Everything appeared geared for Daniel Sturridge to score against his old club.

Andreas Christensen’s sloppy back-pass allowed the Liverpool striker to round Willy Caballero but ultimately fluffed his lines with an open goal at his mercy.

Even Jurgen Klopp could not hide his astonishment, but one thing which has defined Sturridge’s time on Merseyside has been an ability to atone in style.

He did exactly that when Caballero parried a Naby Keita shot into his path; executing a flawless bicycle kick to open the scoring on the hour mark.

It may have been short-lived but Sturridge is proving

Fabinho threatens to be a slow-burner

 

Questions had been asked of Fabinho’s lack of first-team action heading into this tie. Those who did not join the clamour may wonder what all the fuss was about.

Klopp handed the Brazilian midfielder a first start against the Londoners but it came with a caveat of patience as he adapts to Liverpool’s style of play.

Sitting deep in front of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip, he demonstrated glimpses but still appeared somewhat lightweight as he was shaken off the ball too easily.

Adjusting to a different team and league than the one he became accustomed at Monaco would always require a certain degree of bedding-in for Fabinho.

On the current evidence, that may take longer than many supporters anticipated.

Writing on the wall for Moreno

 

Chelsea appeared to have a clear strategy to undo Liverpool from the outset. Unsurprisingly, it involved targeting Alberto Moreno at any given opportunity.

The Spain international barely managed to contain Victor Moses’ perennial and pace-laden threat down the left-hand side for large parts of the first half.

It only worsened after the interval, notably as a key culprit in Liverpool’s defence unravelling as Eden Hazard slalomed through and delivered the visitor’s winner.

With Andy Robertson installed as first-choice and Joe Gomez acting as a more than capable deputy, Moreno was already facing a fight for his Anfield future.

This performance left the writing on the wall.

Reds need to stop the press

 

Gegenpressing has its obvious merits for Liverpool but only with players capable of successfully enacting it, and few of them were out on the Anfield pitch tonight.

Beyond Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne in the full-back roles, Klopp’s side were ill-equipped to formulate a style which had produced a seven-game winning run.

Jordan Henderson’s cameo from the substitutes’ bench saw his often relentless energy wasted on unsuccsssfully attempting to get the better of Hazard.

Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League will restore a sense of order to proceedings but Liverpool may need to consider a fallback approach.

Maintaining the status quo with a less than full-strength side is simply unfeasible.