Liverpool shrugged off last week's rollercoaster win over Leeds at Anfield with a composed, dominant 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Sadio Mane and new signing Thiago were the driving forces for Jurgen Klopp's side, who showed why they'll be difficult to dethrone in the Premier League this season.
The Reds began the brighter of the two sides and enjoyed plenty of possession, playing like the home side in the opening exchanges.
Yet the game didn't really turn until just before half-time, when Andreas Christensen was sent off for denying Sadio Mane a goal-scoring opportunity.
Having had just one shot on goal in the first half, the man advantage proved decisive as Mane scored twice in nine minutes after the restart: the first was a fine glancing header beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga following superb approach play by Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, while the second saw the Senegal international intercept Kepa's pass in the box and calmly sidefoot into the empty net.
Chelsea had a chance to get back into the game with a quarter of an hour remaining, when Thiago fouled Timo Werner in the box, only for Alisson to make a sharp save from Jorginho's spot-kick to keep the score at 2-0.
The win keeps Liverpool perfect to open the season and they'll need this momentum heading to in-form Arsenal in the league next Sunday.
Tags
Epl
