Mauricio Pochettino conveyed his frustration regarding both the officiating decisions and Chelsea’s subpar performance during their 4-1 defeat against Liverpool. Chelsea found themselves on the receiving end of denied penalty claims, with Paul Tierney rightly cautioning Ben Chilwell for simulation but seemingly overlooking a challenge by Virgil van Dijk on Conor Gallagher. A clear penalty, according to former player Joe Cole, who criticized the referee’s hesitancy in making the call.
Liverpool seized the opportunity during Chelsea’s lackluster first half, establishing a lead through goals from Diogo Jota and Connor Bradley. Despite Darwin Nunez missing a penalty and Tierney awarding Liverpool a contentious foul leading to Jota’s goal, Chelsea struggled to mount a comeback. Even with Nunez hitting the post four times, Liverpool secured the victory with Dominik Szoboszlai’s header.
Although Christopher Nkunku’s consolation goal injected a glimmer of hope for Chelsea, controversy emerged when Nkunku appeared to be fouled in the box shortly after. Commentators, Ally McCoist among them, advocated for a penalty, pointing to contact from Van Dijk. However, VAR and referee John Brooks disagreed, further heightening Pochettino’s discontent on the sidelines.
Despite the contentious decisions, McCoist conceded that Liverpool deserved the overall victory, leaving Chelsea in a precarious mid-table position. The defeat compounded Chelsea’s struggles in away games, with six losses in their last seven matches on the road. What began as a week filled with aspirations of an eighth-place finish now looms as a potential threat to relegate the Blues to the bottom half of the table.