Chelsea kept their Champions League dream alive with an important 3–1 win over newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The result means the Blues have now lost just once in their last nine league games.
Liverpool, who sealed the title last weekend against Tottenham, made six changes to their side, with nothing but pride to play for. Chelsea, on the other hand, showed far more urgency from the start—and it paid off.
Just three minutes in, Enzo Fernández gave the home side the lead after a slick move involving Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto. The Argentine almost had a second soon after, but Noni Madueke went for goal himself instead of passing, and the shot drifted wide.
Although Liverpool saw more of the ball for parts of the first half, Chelsea stayed dangerous on the break, though Alisson wasn’t tested much before half-time.
After the interval, Chelsea stepped up again. A Palmer cross caused chaos in the Liverpool box, and a mix-up between Virgil van Dijk and Jarrell Quansah led to an unfortunate own goal to make it 2–0.
That woke Liverpool up, and they created several chances. Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah both went close, while Van Dijk eventually pulled one back with a header from a corner to set up a tense finish.
Chelsea had chances to finish it off—Palmer hit the post and Sancho saw a low shot saved—but the final word came in stoppage time. A foul on Moisés Caicedo gave Palmer the chance from the penalty spot, and he calmly slotted it home for his first goal since January.
Chelsea are now three points clear of Nottingham Forest, though they’ve played a game more. Next up, a massive clash away to Newcastle in the race for a UCL spot. Liverpool may already be champions, but they’ll want to bounce back before their title parade in front of the fans.
