Amid the late show at Stamford Bridge, former Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle was left blown away by what one of Enzo Maresca’s most impressive players did against Liverpool.
Caballero: Chelsea "deserved" Liverpool victory
After racing into the lead against the Premier League champions before Cody Gakpo’s equaliser eventually pegged them back, the stage was set for Chelsea and teenage star Estevao Willian to steal the spotlight, and that he did. The talented Brazilian was perfectly placed to tap home at the back post to hand the Blues a major scalp against Liverpool in the 95th minute.
The last-gasp winner sent Stamford Bridge wild and even had Enzo Maresco doing his best impression of Jose Mourinho down the towards the corner flag. The moment led to the manager’s second booking and subsequent red, but he won’t care. Chelsea, having won two of their opening six Premier League games prior, may finally now have lift off.
Speaking in Maresca’s absence, assistant manager Willy Caballero claimed that Chelsea “deserved” to beat a lacklustre Liverpool side even if it came in dramatic fashion.
The former shot-stopper told reporters: “He (Maresca) was so happy and wanted me to praise the players because of the effort they showed. We believe we deserved the victory after the chances we created and how we played. Thanks to our football and the effort of our players, we scored in the last seconds and got the three points.”
It’s hard to argue with that claim. The Blues were the ones pushing for a winning goal and got what they had been searching for against the Reds. Several stars deserve plenty of praise, but Hoddle was left in awe of what one particular star did in Saturday’s stunning victory.
Hoddle blown away by "excellent" Caicedo
Moises Caicedo has arguably been Chelsea’s most important player in the last 12 months. After a mixed start to life at Stamford Bridge, he has proven to be worth every penny of the £100m fee that the Blues paid for his signature in 2023 and is even beginning to add goals to his game.
After unleashing an incredible strike into the upright to open the scoring against Liverpool, Caicedo received high praise from club legend Hoddle, who said:
“Absolutely sensational from Caicedo.That first touch is excellent, takes [Alexis] Mac Allister out of the game, he goes to hit it, sees there’s no Liverpool player coming towards him, and what a strike to keep it in that top corner. Wonderful goal.”
Caicedo is unlikely to hit a sweeter strike all season. Chelsea’s star just about summed up an afternoon for the Blues to savour and one that they must now push on from after the international break. As for the midfielder himself, he must simply just pick up where he left off.