Diego Costa's second-half goal earned Chelsea a 2-1 win over liverpool on Saturday as the unbeaten leader negotiated another tough test in its relentless challenge for the Premier league title.
Dropped by Spain on Friday to allow him to recover from a string of nagging injuries, Costa started at Anfield and drove home his 10th league goal of the season in the 67th minute after Cesar Azpilicueta's cross was parried out.
Chelsea had to come from behind to secure a ninth victory in 11 games after German midfielder Emre Can scored for liverpool from a deflected shot in the ninth minute.
Gary Cahill equalized with a scrappy goal from a corner in the 14th that required confirmation from goal-line technology, and Costa capped the comeback to continue his prolific first season at Stamford Bridge. “In the second half, we showed something new, which is to be 1-1 at Anfield and not accept the result as a good result and play to win,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. “I think we were very impressive. We want to play. We want to win. We want the ball. The personality of the team is amazing.”
Asked if his team could go through the season unbeaten, Mourinho said it would be “the impossible job.” Chelsea's 2-0 win here in April — sparked by Steven Gerrard's slip for Demba Ba's first goal — was a key factor in liverpool losing out on the league title last season, and the two clubs' paths have gone in opposite ways ever since. Chelsea hasn't lost in 13 league games since and is the overwhelming favorite to capture the title this season, especially having played four of its toughest fixtures —liverpool, Everton and the two Manchester clubs away.
liverpool, meanwhile, is now 15 points adrift of Chelsea and has only won four of 11 matches this campaign. Rodgers was under pressure to get a result — and not just because of his team's huge deficit to Chelsea. He had also prioritized this game by fielding what many perceived as a weakened team against Real Madrid in the Champions league in midweek, a decision that was widely criticized.
His regulars, including Gerrard, Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli, returned in a lineup showing seven changes from Tuesday's 1-0 loss, but the gamble didn't pay off.