"Laid down the marker" - Rio Ferdinand evaluates Premier League title race after Liverpool's thrashing of Chelsea
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has offered his take on the Premier League title race following Liverpool's 4-1 win against Chelsea. Jurgen Klopp's side absolutely demolished the Blues at Anfield on Wednesday, January 31 to make their title bid even stronger.
Ferdinand has claimed that Liverpool have secured a statement victory over Chelsea, which will make everyone take them even more seriously. The former England defender insisted that the performance from Klopp's boys was a challenge to reigning champions Manchester City.
He said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:
"I think it’s a good yard stick for where they are in the season. They will have laid down the marker, saying to City you have to come and catch us. This performance today will definitely make people think the Liverpool we saw five years ago is back now and they have younger, fresher legs."
Ferdinand has also insisted that Jurgen Klopp's announcement of leaving the Merseyside giants at the end of the season will act as further motivation for the players. He added:
"And with that announcement they had during the week, they will have the bit between their teeth. This team tonight, this was the first time I have watched them and thought they could push Manchester City. When I have watched them previously I thought they weren't firing on all cylinders. This performance will breed confidence."
Liverpool now lead the table, with a five-point advantage over Manchester City and Arsenal. However, the Cityzens have a game in hand. Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa are both eight points behind the Reds and are also very much in the title race as well.
Liverpool forward creates a record against Chelsea but not one he would want
Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez became the first player in Premier League history to hit the woodwork four times in the same game. The Uruguayan struck the post four times against Chelsea on Wednesday night at Anfield as the Reds secured a 4-1 win over Mauricio Pochettino's side.
Diogo Jota, Conor Bradley, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Diaz scored for Klopp's side, with Christopher Nkunku scoring one for the visitors. However, the scoreline could have been much more emphatic if Nunez had a better day in the office in terms of finishing.
According to Opta, Nunez became the first player ever in Premier League history to hit the woodwork four times in a single game. The attacker has hit the woodwork seven times in the Premier League this campaign, which is also the highest.