Jordan Henderson took a touch and bent the ball beyond Thibaut Courtois.
His finish into the top corner gave Liverpool a 2–0 lead at Stamford Bridge on 16 September 2016. By the end of a more demanding second half, it was the winning goal: Jürgen Klopp’s side beat Chelsea 2–1 and handed Antonio Conte his first defeat as their manager.
Liverpool arrived six days after beating Leicester City 4–1 at Anfield. They sustained that attacking momentum in London despite the absence of Roberto Firmino, who had a groin problem, with Daniel Sturridge starting up front.
Dejan Lovren opened the scoring after 17 minutes. Liverpool worked a free-kick on the left to Philippe Coutinho, whose cross found the defender unmarked at the far post. Lovren guided his finish past Courtois.
Chelsea struggled to bring Diego Costa into the first-half contest. Liverpool’s movement and energy gave them the initiative, and Henderson doubled the lead in the 36th minute after collecting Gary Cahill’s clearance outside the penalty area.
The captain set the ball in front of himself and curled his shot into the far top corner. Courtois could not reach it. Liverpool went into half-time two goals ahead, with both finishes having come from players outside their forward line.
Chelsea made the score closer after the interval. Nemanja Matić reached the byline and supplied Costa, who scored from close range in the 61st minute.
Liverpool still had almost half an hour to protect their advantage. They retained a threat of their own: Courtois had to save a close-range header from substitute Divock Origi. Chelsea’s late introduction of Cesc Fàbregas, Pedro and Victor Moses did not produce an equaliser.
The win took Liverpool to ten points, level with Chelsea. Having already won at Arsenal and drawn at Tottenham, they had collected seven points from three visits to London. Henderson’s goal was the most striking moment of this one; Liverpool’s response after Costa scored ensured it remained decisive.