Chelsea strengthened their bid for a Champions League spot with a 3-1 victory over Liverpool, as the reigning Premier League champions showed signs of a title hangover at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Blues took the lead early through Enzo Fernandez’s strike, with Jarell Quansah scoring an unfortunate own goal in the second half. Despite a late reply from Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool, Cole Palmer’s stoppage-time penalty sealed Chelsea’s win, condemning Liverpool to just their third league defeat of the season.
While Liverpool, who had already secured their 20th English league title with a 5-1 victory over Tottenham last weekend, had little to play for, Chelsea were fighting to keep their Champions League dreams alive. The Blues, now in fifth place, are level on points with fourth-placed Newcastle, who drew 1-1 with Brighton earlier in the day.
Nottingham Forest, sitting in sixth place, could join Chelsea and Newcastle on 63 points if they beat Crystal Palace on Monday. Manchester City, in third, are only one point ahead of Chelsea, and with three games remaining, the race for the top five promises to be an exciting conclusion.
Chelsea’s attention now shifts to their UEFA Conference League semi-final second leg against Djurgardens on Thursday, where they hold a 4-1 advantage, putting them in a strong position to reach Maresca’s first final.
Liverpool’s only other league defeats this season came against Nottingham Forest in September and Fulham in April. However, their performance in west London was lacklustre, as they seemed to be still reeling from their title celebrations.
In a pre-match gesture, Chelsea players lined up to give Liverpool a guard of honour as the champions entered the pitch, though this was met with boos from parts of the Chelsea fanbase.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot made several changes, resting key players like Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Andrew Robertson, and Ibrahima Konate, a decision that may have worked in Chelsea’s favour as they seized the opportunity to capitalize on a vulnerable Liverpool side.
Chelsea were quick to take control, with Pedro Neto’s cross finding Fernandez, who slotted home in the third minute, unmarked in the box. Noni Madueke nearly doubled the lead soon after, but his shot narrowly missed the far post. Chelsea continued to dominate, with Nicolas Jackson hitting the crossbar and Neto firing just wide.
Chelsea’s second came in the 56th minute in an unusual sequence. Palmer’s low cross into the area was scrambled by the Liverpool defence, and Van Dijk’s hurried clearance rebounded off Quansah into the net.
Liverpool had their moments, with Van Dijk heading in from a Mac Allister corner in the 85th minute, but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around. In stoppage time, Palmer was fouled by Quansah in the box, and he converted the resulting penalty, securing Chelsea’s victory and marking his first goal since January.
