Chelsea boosted their European hopes with a 3-1 win over a rotated Liverpool side at Stamford Bridge — and while the result drew attention across the league, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe remained diplomatic in his response.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot made six changes to his team just days after clinching the Premier League title with a win over Tottenham Hotspur. The likes of Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo were handed their first league starts of the campaign, while Kostas Tsimikas came in for Andy Robertson. Jarell Quansah also replaced Ibrahima Konaté at the back, and Ryan Gravenberch, a regular under Slot, didn’t even travel to London.

The result? A 3-1 loss that raised eyebrows — particularly among clubs still fighting for Champions League qualification, like Howe’s Newcastle United.

Despite that, Howe refused to take aim at Slot’s decision-making.

“I am always watching other games! Naturally, you think of our position and want a result that suits our position,” Howe said. “I am human, I have no problem saying that, but I try not to get emotional in that. Ultimately, the only emotion I need to direct is for my team. If we don’t win games, we aren’t going to get there anyway, so I try to detach myself and say, what will be will be, it is about what we do.”

Howe, whose Newcastle side were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton, was later informed that Chelsea had taken the lead against Liverpool. His cheeky response? “Brilliant thanks for that!”

Still, he maintained a focus on his own team: “Liverpool have got to do what Liverpool have to do. I am not involved in their football club. We play Chelsea next week, so that’s all we focus on now.”

As for Slot, the Dutchman defended his selection decisions and praised the effort of his rotated squad despite the defeat.

“They deserve to play these games because they have trained so hard this season,” Slot said. “We don’t judge them only on this game. We judge them every day on the training ground and in the moments that they play for us.”

Slot admitted the Reds were a few steps off their usual level: “Maybe we missed that little bit which we usually have. We missed a few percentages to get that result.”

Still, he was proud of the fight his players showed: “If you look at how we reacted after being 2-0 down, we came back and we never gave up. Our fans didn’t give up. Playing against a good team like Chelsea, you can’t afford a lot and that’s what we saw.”

Slot also suggested the game offered him valuable insight into some of his fringe players: “It’s always good to see some fringe players playing now with starters. Now to see them playing with the other ones, it gives us insights. Nothing good comes from losing a game of football, but if I have to take positives, there were definitely a few.”

From a Chelsea perspective, the Blues will be delighted with the result and performance — and may feel they’ve seized their opportunity at the perfect time. But next week’s trip to St. James’ Park promises to be a real test, especially with Howe focused and determined to finish strong.

Chelsea fans — do you think Liverpool’s rotation helped us? Or was this just a case of Chelsea finally stepping up when it mattered? Let us know in the comments!