Liverpool and Chelsea end in a draw at “Anfield” » The fight for Europe remains open

The 200th clash between the two teams came at an extremely important time for both clubs. Liverpool continue to fight for qualification for the next edition of the UEFA Champions League, while Chelsea try to keep a mathematical chance of a European place after an extremely poor end to the season.

Liverpool started the game perfectly

The hosts got off to an ideal start and opened the scoring as early as the 6th minute. Youngster Rio Ngumoha, one of Liverpool's most promising players, made an excellent move down the left flank and passed perfectly to Ryan Gravenberch, who finished spectacularly, leaving Jorgensen with no chance.

For Ngumoha, transferred from Chelsea himself in 2025, the performance against his former team represented one of the best moments of the season. Liverpool continued to control the game in the first half, but without creating many clear chances.

In the 20th minute, the atmosphere at “Anfield” became emotional, after the “Cormorants” fans sang the famous song dedicated to the late Diogo Jota.

Chelsea came back before the break

Although the Londoners were coming off the back of six consecutive defeats in the Championship, Calum McFarlane's side found the strength to get back into the match. In the 35th minute, Enzo Fernandez restored parity with a long-range free kick. The ball crossed the crowd in the box without being deflected and surprised Giorgi Mamardashvili, who could not intervene.

Chelsea took courage after the equalizer and started the second half better. In the 51st minute, Cole Palmer even managed to score for 2-1, but the goal was disallowed for offside after VAR intervention.

The final match belonged to the hosts. Liverpool forced the win and their biggest chance came in the 79th minute when Virgil van Dijk headed in a corner but the ball hit the crossbar. However, the score remained 1-1, a result that maintains the suspense in the fight for European cups before the last two stages.

The situation in the ranking remains complicated

Following this result, Liverpool reach 59 points and occupy 4th place, but may lose their UEFA Champions League position if Aston Villa beat Burnley. Arne Slot's formation continues to suffer defensively. The Cormorants have conceded at least two goals in 16 league games and conceded 17 goals from set-pieces, one of the worst stats of the Premier League era.

On the other side, Chelsea remain in 9th place and still hoping for the Conference League. However, the Londoners' situation could get seriously complicated if Brentford manage to beat Manchester City at this stage, with the gap to the European places potentially increasing to five points with just two rounds remaining.

The game at “Anfield” represented the 200th episode of the rivalry between the two clubs. Liverpool still lead in the number of victories, with 83 successes, while Chelsea has 67. Another 50 duels have ended in a draw.

FINAL » Liverpool – Chelsea 1-1

• HERE, match stats – H2H, form

• bullets: Gravenberch 6' / E. Fernandez 35'

• Min. 79: Great opportunity for Liverpool! After a corner, Virgil van Dijk heads in again, but the ball hits the crossbar.

• Min. 51: Cole Palmer had managed to double the advantage for Chelsea, but the success was canceled for offside, after the intervention of the video referee – VAR.

• Min. 35: GOAL! Enzo Fernandez restores parity on the scoreboard after a long-range free kick. Nobody intervenes to deflect the ball and the ball catches Giorgi Mamardashvili.

• Min. 20: Exciting moment at Anfield. As usual, Cormorants fans paid tribute to the late Diogo Jota, singing the famous song dedicated to the Portuguese striker.

• Min. 6: GOAL! Ryan Gravenberch opens the scoring with a superb execution on the very first play of the match, sending an unstoppable ball past Jorgensen

The starting teams in Liverpool – Chelsea

Liverpool (4-2-3-1) Mamardashvili – Jones, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez – Gravenberch, Mac Allister – Frimpong, Szosboszlai, Ngumoha – Gakpo
reserves: Woodman – Chiesa, Gomez, Isak, Morrison, Ndiaye, Nyoni, Robertson, Wright
Absent:Bradley, Leoni, Endo, Ekitike, Allison
Coach: Arne Slot

Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Jorgensen – Colwill, Fofana, Hato – Gusto, Santos, Caicedo, Cucurella – E. Fernandez, Palmer, Joao Pedro
Reserves: Slonina – Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Delap, Eboue, R. James, McQueen, Lavia
Absent: Estevao, Derry, Sanchez, Garnacho, Neto, Gittens, Colwill
Coach: Calum McFarlane