23′ GOAL! 1-0 LIVERPOOL! Van Dijk’s pass is intercepted by Willian but Fabinho nips in to win the ball. Keita dribbles forward and spanks a shot in off the crossbar from 20 yards out. It’s a satisfying goal.
22′ Mane takes the ball to the corner and tries to jink back inside. James does enough to see the Senegal winger off but van Dijk wins the ball back and…
20′ Willian drops deep into his own half and wins a foul off Fabinho. Chelsea don’t get very far through Liverpool’s press though. Rudiger holds off Salah to get the ball roll out of play for a goal-kick.
18′ These two teams look reasonably evenly matched at the moment. Keita turns Azpilicueta and bursts forward, passing to Firmino. The Brazilian can’t do anything with it though and Chelsea win possession.
17′ James ventures forward from his position on the right flank and uses Azpilicueta on the overlap to thump a shot towards goal. It’s well over though.
16′ Willian almost gets a shot off on the edge of the box as Liverpool are caught napping at the back. The Brazilian’s touch is poor though and it gives Robertson time to nip in and put a stop to the attack.
14′ Salah gets blocked off for the second time in the game as he tries a quick one-two with Wijnaldum. This time it’s Rudiger impeding Salah’s progress in the box. The referee is unmoved.
12′ Mount has time to fire a cross in from the left but it’s way over Liverpool’s defence. Liverpool regroup and put together some lovely play on the edge of Chelsea’s box. James only half-clears Salah’s ball forward and Liverpool remain in control.
10′ Mount has Alonso to the outside of him but elects to ignore him. Alexander-Arnold gets in the way but can’t fully clear it and Chelsea keep possession. Chelsea are here to win this game, make no mistake.
9′ Mane latches onto a decent pass over the top but is forced out wide by a combination of Azpilicueta and Rudiger. Chelsea eventually end up winning the ball.
7′ The first half-chance of the game falls to Mount as James slips in Willian down the right. Willian returns the pass to James and his cross finds Mount who’s slipped between van Dijk and Gomez. The young midfielder heads over the bar.
5′ Salah dribbles down the right channel and looks to play a one-two with Firmino. The Egyptian looks to get the ball back from the Brazilian but finds his path into the box blocked by Alonso.
3′ It’s a lively start to the game as both teams get a feel for the ball early on. Salah chips a promising pass into the box but Chelsea’s back three quickly deal with it.
1′ The two sides quickly take the knee and Chelsea get this game underway!
You’ll Never Walk Alone rings out at Anfield for the last time this season as the two teams take to the field. It’s Liverpool in all-red against Chelsea in blue shirts and shorts with white socks.
Liverpool will believe they can see off Chelsea here. Klopp’s team are unbeaten in their last 58 Premier League home games and have won their last two league games against Chelsea. However, they’ve taken their foot off the gas since becoming champions, dropping eight points in five games. Can Chelsea spoil Liverpool’s party?
Liverpool make one change to the team that lost 2-1 at Arsenal last week. Keita replaces Oxlade-Chamberlain who starts on the bench. Lallana, who’s leaving the club soon, is also named in the squad. Chelsea also make a single change from their FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester United as their first-choice goalkeeper Kepa starts ahead of Caballero.
SUBS: Pedro, Christian Pulisic, Fikayo Tomori, Emerson, Tammy Abraham, Andreas Christensen, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Willy Caballero, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
CHELSEA (3-4-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Cesar Azpilicueta (c), Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rudiger; Reece James, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Olivier Giroud, Mason Mount.
SUBS: James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri, Adrian, Curtis Jones.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk (c), Andrew Robertson; Naby Keita, Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane.
Chelsea, meanwhile, still have something to play for. Frank Lampard’s team are fourth but their place in the Champions League next season isn’t yet confirmed. With Man Utd and Leicester looking to have dropped points this gameweek, a win now would put the Blues in a strong position ready for the final day.
This is the game that Liverpool have been waiting for. The new champions will finally lift the Premier League trophy once again after 30 years of waiting. Anfield may be empty, but Jurgen Klopp’s Reds will still be keen to get a home win to get the party started.
Hello! Welcome to our live text commentary of this Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield.
N. Keïta
Goal