LONDON — Captain Jordan Henderson scored a stunning goal as Liverpool ended Antonio Conte’s unbeaten record as Chelsea manager with an impressive 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge Friday.
In a dominant first-half display, Liverpool took the lead through Dejan Lovren before England midfielder Henderson curled home a superb effort from distance in the 36th minute.
Diego Costa reduced the arrears in the second half with his fifth goal of the campaign, but Jurgen Klopp’s men held out to register another eye-catching Premier League win.
“We played football like hell,” Klopp told Sky Sports. “It was really nice to watch. In the second half it was a bit more difficult. After their goal, we managed it well.”
Liverpool has also beaten Arsenal and champion Leicester City this season, the only blot on its league record being a surprise 2-0 defeat at promoted Burnley.
It moved level on points with Chelsea and Merseyside rival Everton in the early-season standings, two points below leader Manchester City. Only Manchester City and Everton remain unbeaten in the league.
It had been with a 3-1 victory on this ground that Klopp recorded his first win as Liverpool manager 11 months ago. On Friday’s evidence, his team are title contenders.
Chelsea would have gone top with victory, but instead Conte tasted defeat for the first time in his fledgling tenure as his side dropped points again following last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Swansea City.
“We must feel the danger and today, we didn’t,” said Conte.
“We have to reflect a lot on this game because it is important to understand the situation if we don’t want to repeat another bad season like last season.”
It was Conte’s first home league defeat since a 2-1 loss to Sampdoria with Juventus in January 2013.
David Luiz, meanwhile, lost to Liverpool on his second Chelsea debut, following his return to the club from Paris Saint-Germain — just as he had in his first appearance in February 2011.
AC Milan sinks Sampdoria
AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca came off the bench to win the ‘Battle of the Colombians’ with a late strike in a 1-0 win at Sampdoria Friday.
Bacca started on the bench amid reports of a midweek spat with Rossoneri coach Vincenzo Montella.
But amid the ever-present danger of a Sampdoria goal from friend and compatriot Luis Muriel, Montella introduced the Colombian on the hour — and Bacca didn’t disappoint.
Samp striker Muriel was a threat throughout the first half and emulated his Colombian compatriot by almost breaking the deadlock with a second-half strike that hit the woodwork.
But five minutes from the end Bacca produced some great skills to flick the ball past Emiliano Viviano in the Samp goal after collecting Suso’s perfectly-weighted pass following a Milan Skriniar error.
Cavani hits 4 goals
Criticized for his profligacy in the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani silenced his critics by netting four goals in a landslide 6-0 win over Caen in the French league Friday.
Cavani, who is now playing in his favorite center forward role after Zlatan Ibrahimovic left for Manchester United during the summer, scored PSG’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Champions League midweek but also missed three clear-cut chances.
Cavani, who took responsibility for his missed occasions after that game, made amends at Caen, scoring four goals in 45 minutes.
The Uruguay striker’s performance helped PSG end a three-game winless streak and move to the top of the league standings, level on points with Monaco. — Agencies
