We’ll wrap this blog up now. Here’s a report on the Sunderland v Everton game; we’ll have the Liverpool-Chelsea match report shortly:
Thanks for reading. Bye!
Well, Liverpool finally managed to breach Chelsea’s defence. They huffed and puffed in the second half without really creating a clear chance, but they kept at it, and the substitute Christian Benteke got his reward in the second minute of stoppage time. Chelsea played pretty well, but didn’t extend themselves in attack after the break, although Pedro might have sealed it with two minutes to go. A decent away point for Chelsea, but they’ll feel it should have been three.
Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters
Updated
Full-time: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
And overall, a point is probably a fair result.
90 min +4: Kenedy and Allen do some pushing and shoving after the former’s foul. Seconds to play, and Liverpool launch it. Too late – that’s the whistle!
90 min +3: Oh dear: it was an error by Begovic. Ojo crossed from the left, Begovic got caught underneath it, could only paw it out – and Benteke made no mistake with his header.
Updated
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea (Benteke 90 +2)
The substitute in stoppage time!
Updated
90 min: Three added minutes. Baba is whistled offside after being put through by Hazard. Hazard’s been brilliant this evening.
89 min: And now Pedro with a chance to seal it … denied by Mignolet! Great chance: Pedro cut inside, hit it early with his left, but Mignolet came up big!
88 min: Ojo at the back post! It was his first touch, and he cushioned a volley across the face of goal, but no one could get to it!
87 min: Blatant bodycheck by Azpilicueta on Coutinho, and a booking for the Chelsea player. One final change for Liverpool: Ojo on for Toure.
86 min: Liverpool are still trying gamely, but they’ve been repelled by a giant blue wall. Begovic catches cleanly, not for the first time, as Liverpool looked long for Benteke.
84 min: Can looks for Clyne, but it’s overhit, and out for a goal kick. Time running out.
82 min: Coutinho wins a corner, and the crowd is on its feet. Firmino’s ball in is won by Benteke, but Baba does very well to win the second ball, and Chelsea counter-attack with Hazard.
80 min: They’ve finished at Sunderland. Newcastle and Norwich have been relegated. More here:
80 min: Chelsea aren’t defending with the greatest composure: one or two attempted clearances have smacked off team-mates and found their way back into Liverpool hands. Toure goes off on a salvo down the left, but his centre is well read, and hacked clear.
79 min: Clyne feeds Coutinho, who is tackled cleanly by Matic, but the ball breaks for Can … who can only shove it down the throat of Begovic. He tried to place it with the side of his foot, but the accuracy was lacking.
78 min: More urgency from Liverpool, but Chelsea are strung out across defence and midfield, and space is at a premium. Firmino looks for Allen in the box, but he’s crowded out, and Chelsea break. Hazard feeds Abraham, who shows nice feet, but he can’t quite release Kenedy.
76 min: Played in under the bar, but Firmino pushed Begovic, and a foul is called.
75 min: Firmino. Deflected. Corner.
74 min: Coutinho is impeded on the edge of the box, and this is a great shooting chance. In the meantime, Joe Allen replaces James Milner, and Christian Benteke is on for Adam Lallana.
Updated
73 min: Change for Chelsea: Tammy Abraham, the tall 18-year-old striker from Camberwell, is on for Bertrand Traore.
72 min: Milner slides crudely in on Fabregas, and is booked. No argument from the Liverpool captain.
71 min: Chance! Moreno’s ball in was delicious, and Lallana connected at the back post, but Chelsea got bodies in the way, crucially, and now Chelsea attack with Hazard. Switched to Pedro, who feeds Traore, who draws a fine save from Mignolet! Chelsea with a superb riposte on the counter.
69 min: Liverpool are definitely showing more energy, but they’re not quite clicking. Benteke is warming up on the touchline.
68 min: Hazard with an excellent run on the left, but Kenedy, up in support, is dispossessed by the backtracking Can, and Liverpool can start again.
66 min: Liverpool showing more purpose and direction. Chelsea happy to stay compact and play on the break.
65 min: Liverpool corner, Begovic punches, but Lallana’s volley is wide of the mark.
63 min: That was a great pass from Lallana, and Sturridge was free, but he had to take the shot on his right foot, and didn’t quite look comfortable doing so. Still, Begovic did really well to stay big and block.
62 min: Oh, Begovic saves from Sturridge! Great reaction stop from the keeper, but Sturridge possibly should have found the corner after being released by Lallana. Then Toure with a free header – but he couldn’t connect!
60 min: Kenedy is going to play from the left, it seems, with Hazard central and Fabregas in a deeper role. Milner goes down the left and crosses, but Mikel takes it on his chest and passes it out of the back. That was extremely cool from Mikel, and mightily effective.
59 min: The first ball is headed clear, but Fabregas wins a second corner off Lallana. Good defending from Lovren from Hazard’s telling cross, and Liverpool clear.
Updated
57 min: Oh, Mignolet just held on: Hazard picked up a loose ball, drove at the Liverpool defence, went past Touré, and drew a decent save from Mignolet, who just about stopped Traoré feasting upon the rebound. Change for Chelsea: Kenedy on for Willian.
55 min: Milner’s ball in is over everyone, and into the Kop.
54 min: Antics on the touchline: Klopp left the technical area to talk to Emre Can, so Hiddink, miffed at the blatant disregard for the rules, left his technical area too! What larks. Now Coutinho breaks and feeds Sturridge, who wins the free kick after a silly foul by Azpilicueta.
52 min: Matic looks for Baba on the left flank, and hammers it out of play. Duh. But Chelsea have looked pretty comfortable so far in this period.
50 min: Now Firmino goes for goal from 25 yards. Again, it’s over the bar. Liverpool have had several efforts from outside the box, but too many have been off target.
49 min: Sturridge spots Begovic off his line and tries to embarrass him from 50 yards, but it’s wide. Klopp applauds the striker’s audacity.
48 min: Touré is booked for a pretty cynical body-check on Hazard as Chelsea broke. Hazard’s been Chelsea’s best player by a distance.
47 min: A fairly sedate start to the second 45. Chelsea quite happy to sit deep.
We're back!
46 min: Liverpool get the second half going. No changes for either team.
And Sunderland have scored again! They lead 3-0. Newcastle and Norwich can only hope for a miracle.
Sunderland look they could be staying up:
It started brightly, but then tailed off, and the only really moment of note in the last 30 minutes was Hazard’s excellent goal. Liverpool have struggled to get it going in attack, and their shooting has been way off. Chelsea have looked OK on the counter-attack, and Traoré might have done better after Mignolet came off limits, but they’ll be pretty happy: there’s space between Liverpool’s defence and midfield for them to exploit.
Updated
Half-time: Liverpool 0-1 Chelsea
That’s the whistle, and Hazard’s excellent goal is the difference.
45 min +1: Milner lobs it in, Begovic punches clear unconvincingly, and Baba hacks clear after it was turned goalwards.
45 min: One minute of stoppage time. Can advances and is tripped by Fabregas on the edge of the box, left side. Final chance before half-time.
44 min: One or two grumbles among the Liverpool fans as Chelsea keep possession. Liverpool have just lost their way a little bit here.
43 min: Chelsea break, Emre Can trips Hazard in compellingly lumbering fashion, and is deservedly booked. Then there’s some “afters”, which is a little strange: it was as clear a booking as you’d wish to see.
42 min: Hazard is clipped by Firmino, who didn’t like the call and complains to the ref. Fabregas tries one from distance, but it’s wide.
40 min: Liverpool’s motor has sputtered after a promising start. Klopp looks really angry on the bench, albeit in a vaguely cartoonish fashion.
39 min: Big chance by Traoré, and Mignolet breathes a sigh of relief. The keeper came when he should have stayed, and then realised he couldn’t get to it, so backed off, which gave Traoré time to measure a shot – but the forward’s effort was just off target! Mignolet got himself into a jam there; he got lucky.
37 min: Fabregas, looking ever more like Diego Costa, with that full, dark beard, is penalised for a trip. But Liverpool choose to take it short rather than put it in the box, and the momentum is lost.
35 min: Sturridge does well to skip clear of the Chelsea midfield, but his shot is weak: straight at Begovic.
33 min: Liverpool’s defending was rather flabby just then, but the quality of the finish from Hazard was of the highest order. Coutinho tries to match the Belgian’s effort, but it’s too straight, and Begovic comfortably pushes it clear.
32 min: That’s a seriously good goal from Eden Hazard. The game was just entering a lull, but Hazard picked it up 30 yards out, danced past a posse of defenders, with quick feet and deadly control, and speared a delicious shot, right-footed, low, past Mignolet, from about 25 yards. Mignolet was nowhere near: the strike was supremely accurate. Brilliant. Chelsea lead!
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Chelsea (Hazard 32)
Hazard with a beauty! And Anfield is silent.
Updated
28 min: Long throw from Chelsea, Cahill at the back post, but it loops up and over for a goal kick. Chelsea much more settled here: they looked out of sorts defensively in the first 10 minutes.
26 min: Chelsea win a corner, but it’s headed clear by a clutch of Liverpool defenders. Then Willian tries to cross from the right side, and it’s really disappointing.
Richard Preston makes a perceptive point:
@timmyhilleh taken me 20 mins to realise Liverpool are playing in their new 2016/17 kit. 20 mins. With all those changes
— richard c preston (@richardpreston_) May 11, 2016
Yes, that’s right: all red with yellow trim. An early 1980s Crown Paints feel to it, I reckon.
Updated
24 min: This game is end-to-end already. Liverpool worry the Chelsea back line, and Lallana might have done better, and then Pedro is a whisker away from finding Traoré running in beyond. Both sides are keen to attack.
23 min: Lovely switch of play by Willian, and Pedro skitters clear, cuts inside, lays one off, and Hazard stings Mignolet’s fingers from long range! That was a super hit, with almost no backlift. Mignolet did well to push it clear, and then Touré was first there to deny Traoré on the rebound.
21 min: Sturridge hits one well wide. Liverpool’s shooting has not been up to par today.
20 min: Oh, that was a chance for Firmino! Coutinho released him down the left, and Firmino raced clear of Azpilicueta, but his touch just let him down, which forced him wide, and his left-footed shot dribbled wide of the post as Begovic came out to narrow the angle. Had his control been surer, he’d have had a free shot at goal.
Updated
19 min: Lovren smacks one well over the bar from long range.
18 min: Moreno fizzes one across the six yard box, but Begovic catches well, low down, as a posse of Liverpool players looked to pounce on the loose ball.
17 min: Pedro did well to breeze past a feeble challenge from Lovren, but Touré did well to block the shot, and then it bobbles off Pedro and out for a goal kick.
15 min: Liverpool happy to keep possession in the back line. A few away supporters start some chants of “Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea!” but it doesn’t sound as if their heart is really in it.
Mayur Gupta writes: “Today was a perfect opportunity to give a youngster a chance at centre back – end of season, nothing to play for. Surely Chelsea must have a half decent centre back in their FA youth cup winning team who is better than Mikel?”
Yes, quite. Although it suggests Matt Miazga hasn’t impressed too many people.
14 min: Lovren comes into the midfield line at pace, but he pushes Fabregas over, and it’s a Chelsea free kick. Chelsea have just settled these past five minutes. Liverpool started like a train.
12 min: That’s a fabulous reverse pass from Azpilicueta to release Traoré, but the Burkinabe forward is just offside. Traoré has shown some good energy early on.
10 min: Panic stations in the Chelsea defence, and it’s a corner to Liverpool. Milner takes, and Lovren wins the header, but he can’t quite get the power, and it skids wide. It’s been an entertaining opening 10 minutes.
9 min: This has been a lovely open start. Liverpool on top, but Chelsea have looked dangerous on the break. Traore does well to go past Touré in the box, but he can’t quite get hold of his shot, and Mignolet makes an easy save.
8 min: Liverpool win a corner after Can’s bullet from distance was deflected. Milner takes it short, and Lallana has a go from distance, which is beaten away by Begovic! Now Coutinho has a go: straight down Begovic’s throat, though.
7 min: Headed clear by Lovren. Disappointing ball in from Fabregas.
6 min: Oh, what a block to deny Coutinho! Was that Mikel? Whoever it was, that was brilliant: Liverpool cut Chelsea open on the left side, and Moreno pulled it back to Coutinho, but the block was superb. Now Chelsea attack, and Lovren trips Fabregas on the edge of the box, left side. Great area for a cross.
4 min: Chelsea just about hustle it clear, and Fabregas looks for Pedro, who’s playing in a Zorro-style mask to protect his nose, which was broken in what the British newspapers breathlessly reported to be a “mystery incident” in his home. Lovren is quickly over, though, and the chance is gone.
3 min: The free-kick was pretty terrible, but it was lovely skill by Sturridge in the inside-right channel: he completely fooled Mikel. Liverpool have started with purpose, and Clyne wins a corner after driving at Baba.
Updated
2 min: And Sturridge lifts it into the top tier. Oh dear.
And we're off!
1 min: Chelsea get us underway. And immediately Sturridge is at Mikel, who brings him down on the edge of the box! Right on the corner of the penalty box, and that, really, should be a yellow card: it was a clear trip. But Michael Oliver has been lenient. Great chance from the kick, though.
We’re about five minutes away. Any predictions? Chelsea fans might be concerned about their makeshift centre-back partnership of Cahill and Mikel: Firmino, Coutinho and Sturridge have looked in good form recently. Firmino has 10 league goals and seven assists this year – he’s been involved in more Premier League goals than any other Reds player.
We shouldn’t forget Norwich. We at the Guardian aren’t liveblogging their home game with Watford, unfortunately, but Norwich desperately need to win – and then hope Everton do them a favour by beating Sunderland. City have failed to score in their last four games, though – and they’ve lost each of them. They looked to be OK after their thrilling, last-minute 3-2 victory over Newcastle at the beginning of April – but they’ve since plummeted.
“Tonight is really important, we want to make sure we take it to the last day,” says Alex Neil. “Hopefully Everton can do us a turn, and get us a result as well.” But if Norwich don’t win tonight, they’re down, regardless of what Sunderland do.
Here’s Peter Oh: “Hi Tim, I wonder if the Chelsea shirt sponsor (Yokohama) will also end its relationship with the club given the massive tyre problems that flattened the club’s title defence after just a few laps?”
Oh, Peter!
Tim writes: they’re playing for pride!
@timmyhilleh lots to play for for both lfc and cfc - pride!! P.s. Great name
— Tim (@timmythehill) May 11, 2016
A bit of news about Chelsea: they’ve terminated their kit deal with Adidas.
Here’s a statement from Adidas: “Chelsea Football Club and Adidas announced today that they have mutually agreed to terminate their existing partnership agreement prematurely.
“The agreement will now end on June 30 2017 and not, as originally agreed, on June 30 2023. This mutual agreement on early termination of the agreement will allow Chelsea to enter a new equipment agreement with a competitor of Adidas.
“As compensation for the early termination of the contract, the adidas group will receive a payment from Chelsea in 2017 that will already positively impact the group’s net income this year.”
So Chelsea will wear Adidas for 2016-17, but after that, who knows? Chelsea used Umbro for almost 20 years between 1987 and 2006, and had Le Coq Sportif during their “red trim” period of the early 1980s. Could they go back to “Chelsea Collection”, the marque used by Ken Bates at his cost-cutting best in 1986-87?
This game might lack end-of-season implications, but Sunderland v Everton doesn’t: if the Black Cats win, they stay in the Premier League, and Newcastle and Norwich are down. But Everton need a win, too, to show they’re not a completely abject shower: their performance against Leicester was their worst of the season, which is saying something. Another loss tonight and Roberto Martinez’s grasp on the manager’s job becomes even looser. You can follow that game here with the peerless Scott Murray:
Liverpool are basically at full strength: this could be the team that starts against Basel in a week. Chelsea make changes: John Terry is suspended, Diego Costa and Branislav Ivanovic are injured, and Thibaut Courtois is ill, so in come Begovic, Baba, Pedro and Bertrand Traore. John Obi Mikel is expected to partner Cahill at centre-back.
Tonight's teams
Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Toure, Lovren, Moreno, Lallana, Milner, Can, Coutinho, Firmino, Sturridge. Subs: Benteke, Lucas, Allen, Bogdan, Skrtel, Smith, Ojo.
Chelsea: Begovic, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Mikel, Baba, Fabregas, Matic, Pedro, Willian, Hazard, Traore. Subs: Alexandre Pato, Kenedy, Amelia, Loftus-Cheek, Palmer, Abraham, Tomori.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
Hello and welcome
Two more Premier League games to play, but not much to play for, as far as Liverpool and Chelsea are concerned. Liverpool have all eyes on Basel for their Europa League final with Sevilla, and Chelsea have eyes wide shut after a horror season where their title defence not so much malfunctioned as completely gave up and had to be sent back to the factory. Chelsea have had extremely little to cheer, and they’ve lost three of the last five: they can’t finish any higher than ninth, but could be overtaken by Stoke, Swansea, and possibly Everton, if they’re not careful. It’s the worst defence of a championship title since Leeds United finished 17th in 1992-93.
Liverpool were out of title contention in the autumn, are pinning their hopes of Champions League qualification on victory over Sevilla next Wednesday. (The Europa League winners qualify for next season’s Champions League, of course.) They’ve shown glimpses of brilliance under Jürgen Klopp, and are unarguably improved since the dismal final days of Brendan Rodgers, but their wait for a title goes on: it’s now 26 years since Liverpool were champions of England – a hugely damning statistic for one of the game’s grandest clubs.
Tonight’s game could be an end-of-season dud, but then again, with the pressure off, we could be in for a spectacle to savor. Klopp and Guus Hiddink, unlike some Liverpool and Chelsea managers of previous years, are committed to attack, so let’s hope for goals, goals, goals. Kick off is 8pm local time, 3pm ET. Join us!
Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, read why Liverpool hold the key to Manchester United’s European hopes. It’s all very complicated:
Should they beat Sevilla in the final of the Europa League, Liverpool will play in next season’s Champions League as one of five English representatives. If they can also win at West Brom on the final day and end up finishing in the top seven, that would mean the Premier League loses one of its spots in the Europa League, which is potentially bad news for Manchester United, Southampton or West Ham. However an eighth-placed finish for Liverpool and victory in the final would mean the Premier League has eight representatives in Europe next season.
Of course, the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace will give United another shot at qualification if they miss out through their league placing with the winners moving straight into the Europa League group stages.
Meanwhile, Southampton must beat Palace on Sunday and hope they can at least overhaul one of the sides above them to book a second successive season of European football, while victory for West Ham at Stoke City would guarantee them at least sixth place.
