SUPER STUNDAY
Giants serve up a classic but Tuchel rages at Mane elbow call
THOMAS TUCHEL insisted Sadio Mane was lucky to see the second minute of this Sunday classic and blasted ref Anthony Taylor.
Tuchel was seething on the touchline after Mane caught Cesar Azpilicueta in the face with an elbow just six seconds into what turned into a thrilling contest.
Taylor showed him a yellow card, VAR Darren England did not intervene on the decision and it was game on.
Tuchel said: “I hate to say it normally as I don’t like a red card early in the game, it can kill it, but it is a red card.
“Sadio Mane should always be on the pitch because he is a brilliant player and a good guy but the elbow is in the face.
“It doesn’t matter if you do this after 20 seconds or 20 minutes.”
Mane rubbed salt in Tuchel’s wounds by scoring the ninth-minute opener. Chelsea youngster Trevoh Chalobah made a hash of a clearance and Mane nipped in before rounding Edouard Mendy to score.
Mo Salah made it 2-0 after 26 minutes. Trent Alexander-Arnold played the ball forward, Salah dummied Marcos Alonso to create some space and then he beat Mendy at the keeper’s near post.
It looked like it was going to be easy for Liverpool but Chelsea came roaring back. Alonso’s near post free-kick was beaten away by Liverpool’s stand-in keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, the ball dropped to Mateo Kovacic and he unleashed a sensational volley which flew in off the post.
That changed the mood in the stadium and Chelsea were level in first-half injury time. Antonio Rudiger made a great interception and N’Golo Kante released Christian Pulisic to fire past Kelleher.
Both sides had chances after the break but in the end the big winners were Manchester City.
Liverpool No.2 Pep Lijnders, standing in for Covid-hit Jurgen Klopp, said: “It is never boring with us.
“Incredible intensity from the start with both teams. We would have wanted more control, we had so many good counter attacks but it was just missing the last pass.”