All the stats as Liverpool miss the chance to confirm a top-four finish…
Liverpool’s six-match unbeaten run against rivals Chelsea came to an end on Sunday with a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
The result means the Reds must now beat Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield next weekend to ensure they finish above the Blues and secure a Champions League qualifying spot.
Such uncertainty looked unlikely when Jürgen Klopp’s side comfortably beat AFC Bournemouth three weeks ago to build a 12 point cushion between the two.
But back-to-back draws with West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City, as well as victories for Chelsea against Southampton, Burnley and Swansea City, have sent the outcome to the wire.
In truth, neither side excelled on a balmy afternoon in London and a simple headed goal by Olivier Giroud would prove enough to decide the outcome in the hosts’ favour.
Following their stalemate with Stoke City last time out, Liverpool have now failed to score in consecutive Premier League games under Klopp for the first time.
The German made just the one alteration to his starting X1 from the 4-2 defeat in Rome on Wednesday night; Nathaniel Clyne replacing captain Jordan Henderson, who would later enter proceedings as a 59th-minute substitute.
After hosting Huddersfield Town in their game in hand on Wednesday, Chelsea finish their campaign at Newcastle United.
What do you think about this article? Let us know your thoughts and opinions below or via social media…
Follow me on Twitter @superbag
| At Vital Liverpool we’re always looking for contributors so if you’re an LFC fan who wants to share his or her opinion with the masses, simply email articles/blogs to liverpool@vitalfootball.co.uk | ||
Stamford Bridge
Premier League
6/05/2018 4:30 pm
Attendance: 41314
Referee: Anthony Taylor
| Chelsea | Liverpool | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giroud 32’ | |||||||
| Thibaut Courtois | Loris Karius | ||||||
| César Azpilicueta | Nathaniel Clyne | 59 | |||||
| Gary Cahill (c) | Dejan Lovren | ||||||
| Antonio Rüdiger | Virgil van Dijk | ||||||
| Victor Moses | 89 | Andrew Robertson | 74 | ||||
| Marcos Alonso | Trent Alexander-Arnold | ||||||
| N’Golo Kanté | James Milner (c) | 89 | |||||
| Tiémoué Bakayoko | Georginio Wijnaldum | ||||||
| Cesc Fàbregas | 90 | Sadio Mané | |||||
| Eden Hazard | 86 | Mohamed Salah | |||||
| Olivier Giroud | Roberto Firmino | ||||||
Substitutes |
|||||||
| Willy Caballero | Simon Mignolet | ||||||
| Andreas Christensen | Ragnar Klavan | ||||||
| Emerson | Alberto Moreno | 89 | |||||
| Davide Zappacosta | 89 | Jordan Henderson | 59 | ||||
| Willian | 86 | Ben Woodburn | |||||
| Ross Barkley | Dominic Solanke | 74 | |||||
| Pedro | 90 | Danny Ings | |||||
Game Statistics |
||
| 8 | Goal attempts | 5 |
| 4 | On Target | 5 |
| 3 | Corners | 1 |
| 11 | Fouls | 8 |
| 3 | Yellow Cards | 2 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 33 | % | 67 |