There were still two big positives on show for Liverpool against Chelsea despite heart-breaking defeat - opinion
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Liverpool sank to a third straight defeat in heart-breaking fashion on Saturday with a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge.The Reds were improved at times against Chelsea, but paid the price for a sloppy final portion of the game in which they simply threw a point away.Once again, Arne Slot and his Liverpool coaching staff have plenty to ponder as they pick the bones out of another disjointed performance.Top spot in the Premier League table has been relinquished to Arsenal, and in reality fans will rarely have been happier to see an international break on the horizon.Slot and the Liverpool squad just cannot seem to get it right currently and the visit of Manchester United to Anfield upon the Premier League‘s return already looks ominous.Nevertheless, it was not all bad for Liverpool in west London. That might be hard to accept after the sting of an injury time sucker-punch, but there are still some positives shining through.Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesGiorgi Mamardashvili impresses on Premier League debutPerhaps the biggest plus point of a disenchanting evening was the performance of back-up goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.There is plenty of expectation on the Georgian after his relatively expensive £29m capture from Valencia.READ MORE: Liverpool player told he was ‘frustrating and annoying’ Arne Slot during Chelsea lossHowever, there are easier places to make a Premier League debut than at Stamford Bridge, and that was underlined when Moises Caicedo flashed home a rocket early into the game.Mamardashvili was not at fault for Caicedo’s goal, but he could easily have let his head go down as a result of it.Instead, the 25-year-old rather did the opposite.
He was decisive when coming to collect balls, assured with the ball at his feet and made two good saves in quick succession late on.There was nothing Mamardashvili could do to stop Estevao Willian’s late winner, and both he and the Liverpool fans will be encouraged by what they saw on Saturday evening. Alexander Isak is getting better by the gameIt may not feel like much of a straw to grasp at in the aftermath of another painful loss, but another positive for Liverpool was the performance of Alexander Isak.Isak has been slowly getting to grips with the system Slot wants to play – whatever that is right now – and has been building his fitness in real time.While it would be nice to start seeing more goal threat from the Swede, he does at least have his first assist on the board after bringing a ball expertly down on the turn for Cody Gakpo to finish.Isak and Mohamed Salah also linked up to some degree, with a header from the striker flashing just over in the first-half.The No.
9 was busy and secure in possession and is clearly working hard to build relationships with his new teammates. But this was a step in the right direction for Isak.