London, Sep 17 (IANS): An energized Liverpool defeated Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, a home loss that exposed some weaknesses in the London side.

The Blues, who had to come from behind last weekend to secure a 2-2 draw with Swansea, seemed at least a step slow against the visitors throughout the first half on Friday, reports Efe.

Liverpool took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute, when defender Dejan Lovren posted his first-ever Premier League goal with the Reds, redirecting Philippe Coutinho's cross.

The hosts failed to react and the outlook grew darker for them with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson's magnificent goal in the 36th minute.

Chelsea was markedly better after the half-time break and the improvement paid off at the hour mark, as Diego Costa scored his fifth goal in five matches with an assist from Nemanja Matic. He also had a chance to equalize minutes later, but he fired the ball straight at goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

The outcome leaves both Chelsea and Liverpool with 10 points each, but the Blues are ahead of the Reds in the Premier League table by virtue of goal difference.

Speaking about the match, Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, who took over at the club last October said: "Yeah, it was nice, really deserved. He is such a hard worker and there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders."

"It was very intense, very lively and very flexible. Our build-up was brilliant in the first half. Everybody could see what Chelsea wanted to do. they wanted to win the ball. But I was really happy with the style of play and the confidence," he said.