English Premier League Review: Thinking Through Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea’s Inability To Match Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool

At least, those were my thoughts as I covered the match, and although there may be a degree of group think involved, the idea of Chelsea not being that far from a result is also present in the match report at We Ain’t Got No History, SB Nation’s Chelsea FC community blog. As site manager Graham MacAree also notes, a couple of calls that would have evened the match may have gone against the Blues:

For more of Graham’s match report, you can visit We Ain’t Got No History, SB Nation’s Chelsea blog.

But for tmallows, another Everton striker deserves some consideration, something he covers in his review of Saturday’s match:

For the complete match report and full coverage of everything Everton, you can visit SB Nation’s community blog, Royal Blue Mersey.

Two matches with eight goals, another with seven, were part of a record breaking Saturday in England, though the buzz from that feat lasted less than 24 hours. By noon Eastern on Sunday, a different set of numbers were dominating the Premier League landscape: 3-6-1; 4-3-3; 0-1.

It’s a problem that could have been foreseen before Sunday’s kickoff. Just as Ancelotti should have predicted Liverpool’s defense would have success combating his strike tandem, he should have also seen Anelka was unlikely to replicate Tuesday’s success. Instead, Ancelotti deployed a narrow formation, hoped for the best, in the process costing his team the match.