Chelsea host newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in a pivotal clash that could determine the Blues’ Champions League qualification hopes.
While Liverpool have already secured the title, Chelsea, under Enzo Maresca, are battling for a top-four finish and will aim to capitalize on any potential squad rotation by Arne Slot’s side.
Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Caicedo, Colwill, Chalobah, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
Subs: Jorgensen, Tosin, Badiashile, Acheampong, Gusto, James, Dewsbury-Hall, Sancho, George.
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Elliot, Endo, Jones; Salah, Jota, Gakpo.
Subs: Kelleher, Konate, Diaz, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Robertson, Bradley
Follow our live blog below..
FULL-TIME
CHELSE 3-1 LIVERPOOL
COLE PALMER FINALLY SCORES
3-1!!!!! TO CHELSEA
CHELSEA HAVE A PENALTY!!!!
92 mins: Gary Neville names Cole Palmer as his man of the match on Sky Sports.
Can’t argue with that.
He’s been terrific today, despite that goal drought looking set to extend once again.
90 mins: Chelsea force a corner but their big threats from defence are wisely told to stay at home by Maresca.
We will have FIVE added minutes at Stamford Bridge.
88 mins: Chelsea captain Reece James replaces Fernandez.
VAN DIJK GOAL
???????????????????????????????? GOAL | Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool | Van Dijk
VAN DIJK GETS ONE BACK FOR LIVERPOOL!pic.twitter.com/xSvaTwn9gp
— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) May 4, 2025
85 mins: A nervy finish ahead at Stamford Bridge as Van Dijk is again left in way too much space to power home a header from Mac Allister’s corner.
Game on…
LIVERPOOL FINALLY SCORE!!!!!!
GOAL!!!!!!!
VIRGIL VAN DIJK WITH THE HEADER!!!
IT’S 2-1!!!
PALMER HITS THE POST!
81 mins: Woodwork!
The influential Palmer’s wicked change of pace leaves Bradley in the dust and he deceives Alisson totally before hitting the post from the toughest of angles.
He’s been superb today, but still that goal just won’t come.
INSANE SAVE BY ALISSON!
79 mins: It should be 3-0 to Chelsea as Alisson makes an excellent stop to keep out Sancho’s driven effort.
78 mins: “You should have signed for the champions” is another chant aimed at Lavia from the away end as he makes way for the fit-again Malo Gusto.
77 mins: Liverpool continue to dominate in search of a reply that would set up a grandstand finish at Stamford Bridge, with a couple more corners coming to nothing.
Now Salah steers a header from Tsimikas’ cross narrowly wide of the far post.
74 mins: Chelsea have well and truly taken their foot off the accelerator since that second goal.
Liverpool have dominated possession since, but haven’t mustered a shot on target since the ninth minute.
72 mins: Cucurella heads Gakpo’s cross from the byline behind with Salah lurking.
Maresca has replaced Jackson with Jadon Sancho in the Chelsea attack.
70 mins: Still not happening for Nunez as he’s now thwarted by a fine last-ditch challenge from Chalobah.
Feels very much like these are likely to be the Uruguayan’s last games in a Liverpool shirt ahead of the summer transfer window.
68. Chance for Liverpool!
Salah puts in a lovely dink cross and Nunez just gets his header all wrong.
It’s been better from the Champions since they’ve conceded that second goal.
65 mins: Lavia clatters into Salah as Liverpool try to mount a comeback here.
Gakpo’s accurate cross is then well headed behind by Colwill with Nunez lurking.
Tsimikas’ corner from the left is cleared as Slot prepares to make more changes.
62 mins: End-to-end stuff now at Stamford Bridge as Jackson poses a big threat, until substitute Bradley steps up the intensity for Liverpool and invites a couple of key interventions.
Van Dijk has a free header at a corner that he steers over before Jones makes a pivotal challenge to thwart Palmer.
58 mins: Slot has responded to that second Chelsea goal by sending on both Darwin Nunez and the fit-again Conor Bradley.
Off go Jota and Alexander-Arnold.
THE OWN GOAL
???????????????????????????????? GOAL | Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool | Quansah (OG)
OWN GOAL FROM QUANSAH !!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/5cSlYP4hb1
— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) May 4, 2025
IT’S 2-0!!!!!
CHELSEA HAVE SCORED THE SECOND GOAL!!!
Jarell Quansah With the own goal
It’s great work by Palmer to win the ball back quickly high up the pitch and torment Tsimikas.
Endo makes a good intervention from his low cross to deny Madueke before Van Dijk’s clearance clatters into Quansah and in.
What a mess from Liverpool. But Chelsea won’t care a jot!
54 mins: Chalobah comes out second best in a battle with Jones and is then booked for preventing the resulting free-kick from being taken quickly.
A silly yellow.
50 mins: Referee Simon Hooper goes into his pocket for the first time today.
Van Dijk into the book for a bad challenge on the foot of Lavia, who had just got to the loose ball first.
The Chelsea midfielder felt that, but VAR John Brooks confirms Van Dijk’s foot was low enough to avoid any further punishment.
50 mins: The pacey Madueke drops his shoulder and streams down the Chelsea left, but his pass is played behind Jackson and the chance is lost to groans from the home fans.
49 mins: Chelsea are firmly in the ascendancy again at the start of this second half as a crucial last-ditch intervention from Endo denies Jackson.
Liverpool almost caught cold once more.
The players are back out on the pitch and we are underway again at Stamford Bridge.
No changes from Maresca or Slot just yet.
Can Chelsea go on to secure a vital win in their race for Champions League qualification next season?
IT’S HALF TIME!!
WHAT A GAME SO FAR!!
CHELSEA 1-0 LIVERPOOL
43 MINS: Chelsea have the ball in the net but it’s ruled out for offside
42 mins: Chelsea liven things up again as Palmer releases Neto, who drives at Tsimikas before lashing low into the side netting after trying to beat Alisson at his near post.
The Blues undoubtedly looking their best when Palmer drops deeper to the right, picking the ball up and firing passes forward.
40 mins: Some robust challenges going in but this game is suddenly suffering from a lack of quality from both sides.
Intensity levels have dropped noticeably all around with half-time fast approaching.
36 mins: A bit of a lull to this first half now after a couple of searching Chelsea deliveries into the Liverpool box are repelled.
The atmosphere has become rather subdued, with the title party in the away end briefly pausing.
35 mins: Liverpool are sluggish to try and connect with a dangerous Alexander-Arnold delivery to the back post, with Neto heading behind under little pressure.
Sanchez punches away the resulting corner under pressure from Van Dijk.
At the other end, Fernandez’s pass intended for Jackson is much too strong and the ball flies wide.
31 mins: More nervy moments for Liverpool as Madueke’s effort is blocked by Van Dijk inside the box before Caicedo’s follow-up cross from the byline then bounces off the crossbar and wide.
30 mins: The busy Palmer now pops up in the left channel for Chelsea, but he’s tracked all the way by an attentive Quansah as he earns a corner.
Neto’s volley is then blocked after a poor attempt at a clearing header by Tsimikas at the front post.
28 mins: Cucurella with a strong block to deny Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool continue to take control now.
Chalobah then has to be alert again to clear a delivery into the six-yard box.
25 mins: After a slow start, much-changed Liverpool are now finding some rhythm as Endo gets to the byline and is thwarted by a committed challenge from Chalobah.
Chalobah is then there again to fire away from Gakpo.
23 mins: Caicedo needlessly chops down Gakpo to give Liverpool a free-kick in a dangerous area to the left of the box.
Jota and Van Dijk both scramble to try and connect with Tsimikas’ decent delivery towards the back post, but Chelsea boot clear.
22 mins: Liverpool attack down the right as Jones roll back to Alexander-Arnold, whose fizzed first-time cross bounces off a frustrated Salah and wide.
It had some pace on it for sure, but he’d normally take those sorts of deliveries in stride.
19 mins: Palmer – whose long goal drought now stands at 18 games – has started brightly for Chelsea here and he drifts out right again and aims a long ball intended for Jackson, but Alisson hops to gather just inside the Liverpool box.
Chelsea are trying to spray it around when they can.
14 mins: A fair old tempo to this entertaining contest in the early going, with Fernandez steering a header well over from inside the Liverpool box after a battle with Quansah.
Tsimikas then stands firm in the area against Neto, backed up by Van Dijk.
Neto stays down and VAR are checking for a penalty, but the Greek left-back was just stronger there.
Nothing given.
9 mins: Chelsea release Jackson in behind the Liverpool defence with a dangerous low ball forward, with the Senegalese striker then taken out by Alisson as the Liverpool goalkeeper comes racing out of his box and badly mistimes the challenge.
Luckily for him, the offside flag is up.
8 mins: Liverpool are starting to wake up now after that early setback, with Sanchez holding Gakpo’s strike after Jota had fired well over.
5 mins: A chance for a quick-fire Chelsea second as Madueke gets into the box, but he declines to play in Palmer and instead loses his footing as he miscues a bobbling low shot well wide.
The Blues are well up for this.
ENZO GOAL
???????????????????????????????? GOAL | Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool | Enzo Fernandez
ENZO FERNANDEZ OPENS THE SCORING FOR CHELSEA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!pic.twitter.com/UFgmxcMqLh
— Tekkers Foot (@tekkersfoot) May 4, 2025
CHELSEA LEAD!!!!!! 1-0
IT’S ENZO FERNANDEZ!!!!!
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
1 mins: Immediate threat from Liverpool as Elliott and Salah combine neatly with a cute little one-two inside the box, with the latter’s low cross cut out well by Sanchez.
Out come Chelsea
And the Blues are giving Liverpool a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge as they clap the champions on to the pitch.
