Liverpool were very naïve against Chelsea, says Tony Cascarino

Tony Cascarino has accused Liverpool of being “very naïve” after a 2-0 loss to Chelsea dented their title ambitions on Sunday.

Brendan Rodgers refused to ditch his attacking philosophy despite a draw being sufficient to keep Liverpool’s title destiny in their own hands.

If Liverpool had attempted not to be ambitious, they would have got a draw and had a great chance of winning the league

Tony Cascarino

The Reds failed to beat goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer despite 26 attempts on the Chelsea goal, with Demba Ba and Willian scoring two counter-attacking goals at Anfield.

“Chelsea were fantastic. Totally what you expect from a Jose Mourinho side. He is a tactician at his very best,” Cascarino told Sky Sports News.

“Numbers all around the back four, always getting the blocks in. Coutinho and Sterling found it difficult because they had Matic and Mikel around them. This was typical all afternoon.

“It frustrated Liverpool. Liverpool have blown away teams early on in recent weeks, but as the game ticked on, they found it harder and harder to get through.

“There was a lot of naivety about Liverpool. If Liverpool had attempted not to be ambitious, they would have got a draw and had a great chance of winning the league.

“They were very naïve in their starting line-up. Going with Coutinho and Sterling against Chelsea is big ask. You know what Chelsea are going to do, and Mourinho is the best at it.”