Despite receiving a traditional guard of honour ahead of kick-off, Liverpool never found their rhythm against an organised Chelsea team.
Chelsea reignited their push for Champions League football next season with a spirited 3-1 victory over newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday evening. Arne Slot heavily rotated his Liverpool side as he made six changes from the one that secured the title against Tottenham.
Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer put on a superb display against Liverpool as he was involved in all three Chelsea goals. His confidence and vision in the final third lit up Stamford Bridge and set the tone for the home side’s victory. Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring after just three minutes, timing his run perfectly to meet Pedro Neto’s cutback following a precise pass from Cole Palmer.
Chelsea’s second goal came early in the second half, when Palmer’s run caused panic in Liverpool’s box and led to Virgil van Dijk’s clearance ricocheting off Jarell Quansah and into the net. Liverpool created chances to mount a comeback in the second half, but both Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah failed to convert promising opportunities.
Van Dijk did offer a glimmer of hope to the Reds by heading home five minutes from time to make it 2-1, but any hopes of a late equaliser were dashed moments later. After Quansah fouled Moises Caicedo in stoppage time, Palmer stepped up to calmly convert from the spot, ending his 18-game goal drought and sealing all three points.
Despite receiving a traditional guard of honour ahead of kick-off, Liverpool never found their rhythm against an organised Chelsea team. Chelsea took full advantage of the opportunity to close the gap on fourth-placed Newcastle United, who they now trail only on goals scored ahead of a crucial showdown at St. James Park next weekend.
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