3️⃣ points on Liverpool's Super Cup win over Chelsea | OneFootball

It took a penalty shootout to eventually decide an exciting Super Cup affair, with Liverpool ultimately overcoming English rivals Chelsea.

There may have a European trophy at stake in Istanbul but let’s be honest, this was little more than a final pre-season game.

Nonetheless, we dig the bones out of this ‘cup final’.

How underrated is Giroud?

Social experiment: Ask your friends to name the top 10 or 15 strikers in the Premier League.

Chances are that few will bring up the name of Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud.

Those that do, well those are very clever friends indeed because he showed once again in Istanbul how deadly he is.

Giroud never seems to get the credit he deserves, whether it be for plowing a lone furrow in attack for France or banging them on a Thursday night for the Blues.

He got another big-game goal with a composed finish that he made look easier than it was.

It is time we start appreciating him a lot more.

No go Joe

Jürgen Klopp surprised many people by deploying Joe Gomez in a right-back berth at the expense of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

If there is one thing that his performance showed, it is how much the 20-year-old is missed when he isn’t on the park.

Gomez offered very little going forward, particularly compared to the man he was replacing.

Defensively, he was all over the shop and looks decidedly less comfortable there than he does in a more central role.

Fingers should be pointed at his positioning for Giroud’s goals and he was also exposed for Christian Pulisic’s marginally offside strike.

It highlighted once again just how key Alexander-Arnold is and how nobody, especially Gomez, is a capable fit to slot in instead.

A tale of two ‘keepers

Both men between the posts in Turkey are Spanish stars but it is essentially there that the similarities end.

Liverpool’s Adrián wouldn’t even have expected to play in this game a week ago, only for Alisson to pick up an injury against Norwich City.

His display was jittery, culminating in giving away a penalty (admittedly the wrong decision) and while he made some decent stops, he didn’t quite convince with the ball at his feet and with some parries.

At the other end of the field, this was the kind of performance which convinced Chelsea to make Kepa usurp Alisson as the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.

He had an exceptional game, making a number of important interventions, none better than his double save to deny Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk in quick succession.

Despite some frustrating shootout moments, it was an overall fine outing for Kepa but for the elder statesman, his display did give some reasons to worry.