Carabao Cup: Hazard’s strike sink Liverpool

A goal-of-the-season contender from Eden Hazard gave Chelsea a 2-1 comeback win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup third round at Anfield.

Substitute Hazard danced past three Liverpool men on the right flank before hitting an unstoppable shot past Simon Mignolet from an acute angle as Chelsea came back from 1-0 down with just 11 minutes remaining.

Daniel Sturridge, who missed a sitter for Liverpool early in the second half, made up for it with a difficult acrobatic finish into an empty net (59) to put the hosts ahead.

But Chelsea equalised late on through defender Emerson, turning home from close range (79), before Hazard’s stunner won it for the visitors late on.

The result ends Liverpool’s 100 per cent start to the season, while Chelsea reach the fourth round of the League Cup for the eighth straight season.

Chelsea started the better in the first half, and could have been ahead as Alvaro Morata looked to lift the ball over Simon Mignolet from Cesc Fabregas’ superb 50-yard ball, but the Liverpool goalkeeper got enough on it before Morata’s rebound rolled across the line and clear.

Liverpool found their rhythm as the half wore on, and forced two fine saves from Willy Caballero, first from Naby Keita’s drive and shot from 20 yards, and then from Sadio Mane’s header back across goal from Xherdan Shaqiri’s deft cross.

Both sides made eight changes from the weekend. Liverpool gave a debut to Fabinho, a rare start for Clyne, Lovren and Moreno in defence, while Sturridge started up front.

For Chelsea, Caballero, Christensen, Cahill, Emerson, Fabregas, Barkley, Moses and Morata came in, with Hazard coming off the bench.

Sturridge’s shocking miss came in the first minute of the second half, attempting to round Caballero while one-on-one, before being forced slightly wide and swivelling to shoot wide with the open goal gaping.

Chelsea missed a chance of their own at the other end as Morata headed just over from Willian’s fine cross, and the frantic start to the half continued as Sadio Mane’s poked effort deflected off Caballero following another Chelsea mix-up at the back.

Sturridge made amends just before the hour mark, acrobatically turning home into the empty goal 10 yards out with the ball looping up slightly behind him as Caballero saved from Keita’s fierce effort.

But Chelsea levelled as Emerson turned home after Mignolet had beaten away Ross Barkley’s header from Hazard’s cross; Kevin Friend waited for a VAR review for a possible offside on Barkley, but the goal was legal.

After Sturridge hit the bar from range, Hazard, who was brought on in the 56th minute, then won the game for Chelsea, slipping past Keita and then Alberto Moreno before smashing into the far corner with his right foot.