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Goal from Diego Costa inflicts more pain on Liverpool

Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho and Chelsea's Ramires battle for the ball Expand
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard appeals to referee Anthony Taylor for a penalty Expand
Liverpool's Raheem Sterling falls after a challenge by Chelsea's Nemanja Matic Expand

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Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho and Chelsea's Ramires battle for the ball

Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho and Chelsea's Ramires battle for the ball

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard appeals to referee Anthony Taylor for a penalty

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard appeals to referee Anthony Taylor for a penalty

Liverpool's Raheem Sterling falls after a challenge by Chelsea's Nemanja Matic

Liverpool's Raheem Sterling falls after a challenge by Chelsea's Nemanja Matic

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Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho and Chelsea's Ramires battle for the ball

Carl Markham

Diego Costa's 10th goal of the season maintained Premier League leaders Chelsea's unbeaten record and inflicted more pain on Liverpool.

Back in April their win on Merseyside signalled the beginning of the end of the Reds' title dream and while this victory was not as damaging for the home side, it was just as frustrating.

Midfielder Emre Can's first goal since his move from Bayer Leverkusen had given Liverpool an early lead but Gary Cahill's scrambled 13th-minute effort via the goal decision system ensured Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho could have no complaints and he would have been positively overjoyed with Costa's clinical effort midway through the second half.

Liverpool responded with Jordan Henderson's well-timed volley taking a double deflection off Azpilicueta and Nemanja Matic while Gerrard felt he should have had a penalty when his left-footed shot hit the arm of Cahill late on. Even the introduction of Rickie Lambert for Mario Balotelli, who had a first-half effort ruled out for offside but offered little threat otherwise, failed to produce an equaliser despite a more direct approach.

While Mourinho is sitting pretty at the top of the table, Brendan Rodgers finds himself under more scrutiny having placed particular emphasis on this game by making seven changes for the midweek Champions League defeat at Real Madrid.

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