CHELSEA welcome Premier League champions Liverpool for a huge clash at Stamford Bridge on Super Sunday.
The Reds secured their 20th league title last weekend after Arne Slot’s men thrashed Tottenham 5-1 at Anfield.
Liverpool head to the Bridge for their first match since their status as champions has been confirmed.
Chelsea are in need of three huge points to give their top-five aspirations a boost as Enzo Maresca looks to lead the Blues back to the Champions League.
- Kick off time: 4.30pm BST
- TV channel: Sky Sports Main Event
- Live stream: NOW
- Chelsea team: Sanchez; Caicedo, Colwill, Chalobah, Cucurella; Fernandez, Lavia; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Jackson
- Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Elliot, Endo, Jones; Salah, Jota, Gakpo
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Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
35. Liverpool win a corner as Trent puts in a hanging cross and Neto has to head it out.
Wasn’t really a great corner as it’s dealt with by Chelsea easily.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
30. Few poor corners from Fernandez here as they don’t beat the first man.
31. Madueke’s quick feet are to good for Alexander-Arnold to contain.
The ball makes it’s way out to Caicedo on the right hand side of the box where he puts in a loopy cross and it hits the bar!
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
29. Liverpool really now starting to dominate the ball but still can’t really create any clear cut chances.
Chelsea win the ball back and attempt to counter as Palmer tries to shoot but Quansah does well to catch him and block the cross for a corner.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
24. Caicedo brings down Gakpo in a position where Liverpool can loft the ball in the Chelsea box.
Tsimikas puts it in and the ball drops to Van Dijk but it’s all a bit messy in the box and it is cleared.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
22. Nearly chance for Liverpool.
Trent fires the ball into Cheslea’s box and it finds Salah but he just can’t control it well enough making the ball go out for a goal kick.
An unexpected heavy touch from Salah.
View from Stamford Bridge
From SunSport’s Martin Lipton
Plenty of baiting by both sets of fans, with the home supporters going back 11 years to Steven Gerrard’s infamous, title-costing, Anfield slip and the visitors biting back with chants of “champions” as well as questioning Chelsea’s true footballing heritage.
Wide open at both ends so far as well.
Fernandez’ goal, coolly taken, came after Palmer and Neto unlocked the Liverpool left, but none of the midfielders in red were in the same post code as the Argentine.
Further up the same flank, Gakpo has looked too hot for Caicedo.
But Alisson would have been sent off for up-ending Jackson outside the box if the Senegalese striker had timed his run better.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
20. Palmer lofts the ball up forward and Jackson nearly finds himself in behind.
However, Alisson was alert to the danger and collected the ball.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
16. Chelsea win the ball back instantly.
Neto finds himself up 1v1 vs Tsimikas who defends well just using his body and strength.
Fans ask for a pen but it is not entertained at all.
View from Stamford Bridge
From SunSport’s Martin Lipton
Boos all round, then.
As soon as the Chelsea players lined up either side of the tunnel, the chorus of disapproval started. And it kept going as the Liverpool players made their way through.
Pretty shoddy, that. And might prove a massive mistake – if it provokes Liverpool to go through the gears rather than turn on cruise control.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
15. Sloppy from Trent giving the ball away straight to Palmer.
Neto puts the ball in, Fernandez is first to it but the ball really just bounces of the top of his head and over the bar.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
12. Good move from Liverpool here.
Liverpool seeing a bit more of the ball now.
Van Dijk plays a pass through the middle to Endo who shifts it out wide to Gakpo.
He puts in an alright cross but Salah just can’t reach it.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
8. Liverpool’s first chance of the game comes through the left hand side of their attack with Gakpo.
His shot is fairly tame as Sanchez clings onto to the ball.
9. Jackson’s looks like he’s before Alisson absolutely wipes him out but the flag is up for offside.
Alisson was definitely relieved when he saw that flag go up.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
5. Chelsea really have their tales up now!
The blues come steaming forward and Madueke pulls his shot just wide.Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool
3. WHAT A START FOR THE BLUES!
Some brilliant work from Palmer in the middle of the pitch who spins away from his marker and gets it out wide.
Neto puts the ball in and Fernandez is there to just slot the ball home in the bottom right corner.
Chelsea looking very much up for this!
Chelsea 0-0 Liverpool
1. And we’re off.
Quick start from Liverpool as Salah gets in behind Chelsea’s defence and tries to pull it back but Sanchez claws it away.
Chelsea will know a win here will be absolutely massive in the fights for top four and it will be interesting to see what kind of performance Liverpool cook up here.
Moments away from Kick Off
Chelsea come out first as they’re getting ready for the champion’s guard of honour.
Murmurs of boo’s from the home crowd but the away end are absolutely loving every second of it!
The away end bellows ‘CHAMPIONES’ ‘CHAMPIONES’ ‘CHAMPIONES’
View from Stamford Bridge
From Martin Lipton pitchside…
If Chelsea wanted encouragement in their desperate fight for a top five finish, then a glance at the Liverpool team-sheet would have been as big a boost as Newcastle dropping points at Brighton.
No Mac Allister, Gravenberch or Szoboszlai in the champions’ midfield surely represents an opportunity for three crucial points.
Blues boss Maresca reverts back to the team that started last week’s win over Everton. A chance for Cole Palmer to end what is now an 18-match goalless streak.
But real interest pre-match on how the home fans react to the “Guard of Honour” their team are expected to give Arne Slot’s side.
There is no love lost – to put in mildly – between the teams but you do think respectful applause, rather than a fusillade of jeers, might be the smart play. If a tiger is asleep, you don’t want to wake it up…
Guard of honour
Enzo Maresca has said that Chelsea will give Liverpool a guard of honour today at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues boss said: “It’s tradition. We have to do that, and we are going to do that.
“They won the Premier League, so they deserve it.
“I don‘t think we need to give a guard of honour to understand how good it is to win the Premier League – we know that it’s something very nice.“
Credit: Reuters Our teams are here
Team news recap
The Blues remain unchanged from their triumph over Everton last week because Robert Sanchez has recovered enough to start for Chelsea after missing the midweek victory in Djugarden.
For Christopher Nkunku, who had a slight injury during training, the game does come too soon with the Frenchmen’s name heavily involved in the transfer mill.
From the squad that defeated Spurs 5-1 to win the title last weekend, Liverpool has made six changes. Rotation was promised by Arne Slot, and the Reds head coach has fulfilled it.
Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate are replaced at the back by Kostas Tsimikas and Jarrel Quansah. Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott start in place of the whole midfield.
Diogo Jota replaces Luis Diaz as the last substitution as the No.9
Chelsea vs Liverpool line-ups
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
Head2Head
Storied game to say the least.
The Blues were edged out 2-1 in the reverse fixture at Anfield in early October.
Chelsea 65-46-87 Liverpool.
Super Sunday
Afternoon and welcome to the headline fixture of this weekend as Champions League-chasing Chelsea take on newly-crowned champions Liverpool at the Bridge.
It’s a fixture that, regardless of where the two are, still gets the blood pumping. Even more so, with quite a bit on the line for the hosts.
Champions League football has long been in short in West London. Three years out of the competition has sparked frustrations from supporters and has diminished the credibility of the fairly new ownership group. This year has prested the best opportunity, especially given the addition of a fifth place – which the Blues currently occupy.
Those worries are no more for Liverpool. Concerns about how Arne Slot would adapt to English football have been answered resoundingly and are firmly back on their perch after last week’s coronation as league champions.
82 points and continuing. It’s just about showing the rest why they are champions.
It’s Blue v Red. South v North. Chels v Pool. Kick-off at 4.30pm
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
