Former England international Paul Merson was impressed with Chelsea’s spirit and determination against Liverpool and has predicted a top four finish for the Blues.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool came to Stamford Bridge to maintain their 100 percent start to the new Premier League season and they did just that after a 2-1 victory against Frank Lampard’s side. The Merseyside giants were cruising at the break after Trent Alexander Arnold and Roberto Firmino put the visitors in control of the game.
But Frank Lampard’s young Chelsea side refused to give up and kept knocking on the door in the second half. French midfielder N’golo Kante halved the deficit for the hosts and rallied Chelsea back into the game just 19 minutes from the final whistle.
However, Chelsea failed to find a late equalizer despite creating a lot of chances against the Reds and even with the loss, Paul Merson believes that he has seen more than enough from the West London side to fight for a top-four spot.
While speaking to Sky Sports, the 51-year-old said that he was impressed with the way Chelsea managed to buoy their way back after falling behind by two goals. Merson has also predicted Chelsea to be a strong contender to finish inside the top four, “People know I’m a Chelsea fan, and I was pleased with their performance on Sunday – not the result, but there’s a lot of positives to come out of that game. Look at Chelsea now and you think they could get in the top four. They’ve given a lot of people heart, and it’ll give Frank heart. I think expectations have gone up now. After that performance, you’re looking at the top four. When you see what’s around, you’re looking at the top four. With losing the game, it’s backfired in a way – the expectations have gone up rather than down. I’ve seen enough yesterday to say they’ll be in the mix.”
