Christian Pulisic, once again, showed today how and why he’s on the path to becoming world class. Although he started on the bench at Liverpool tonight, when he came on in the second half he almost single-handedly brought the Blues back to a result.
When Pulisic came on, along with Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi, the complexion of the game entirely changed. Down 4-1 Pulisic assisted on Abraham’s goal (61′) and then scored one of his own (’73), arguably the prettiest and most impressive that we’ve seen from him in his English career so far.
every time Mason Mount (who came with Frank Lampard from Derby County) gets selected ahead of Christian Pulisic (who was acquired under the previous manager, Maurizio Sarri) it disputes the "sports is a meritocracy! it's NOT all about who you know" narrative
— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) July 22, 2020
That cut the deficit to 4-3, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would get one back in the 84′ to end any Chelsea hopes of a comeback.
“I thought the momentum was really changing I thought we had ’em, just that one counter-attack and it changed really quick,” Pulisic said on the Anfield pitch as John Lennon’s “Imagine” played in the background (Liverpool were starting their title trophy lift celebration at the time).
“We were very close. Obviously, we needed a big result today, we didn’t get it, but luckily it’s stil in our hands and we have one more game to go,” added Pulisic, whose been on a purple patch since the restart.
Take a look at what the Pennsylvanian does here to set up Abraham’s goal, beating four Liverpool defenders handily, all by himself. It’s reflective of what his national team coach, Gregg Berhalter, just said yesterday on a media call- Pulisic is asserting himself more and more within his club team.
https://twitter.com/Chelsea_ENG_/status/1286037476235251720
Then, in scoring a goal of his own, Pulisic conveyed excellent composure, balance and awareness. It was an extremely aesthetically pleasing play to watch, and you then saw the look on Jurgen Klopp’s face.
So many emotions, some of them conflicting, going through the German at that time, as he saw his former pupil at Borussia Dortmund continue to develop right before his eyes.
He was absolutely electric in his 32 minutes on the pitch, with 100% passing accuracy, a goal and an assist.
https://twitter.com/stuholden/status/1286042455310127104
He’s currently a top trending term on the internet and some of the world’s biggest and best known football pundits are saying superlative things about him.
Pulisic will be the first American footballing (soccer for you guys) star.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) July 22, 2020
Next Season a powerhouse Premier League team will embark on a title campaign with an American player as their creative heartbeat. The first time that has happened in our nation’s history. Live out your dreams Christian Pulisic ??? pic.twitter.com/ZaFKdC6Hcx
— roger bennett (@rogbennett) July 22, 2020
Liverpool’s win over Chelsea completed the slate of games pre-Championship Sunday, and here’s where we stand now for top four. Manchester United are in with a win or draw or a Chelsea loss. Chelsea will clinch a slot with a win, a draw or a loss should United win.
Leicester City need a win or draw and a Chelsea loss.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for Chicago Tribune.com, on Twitter and his cat on Instagram.