Between the semi-final matches in the Conference League against Djurgardens IF, Chelsea FC faced champions Liverpool in the Premier League. The Blues won 3-1, securing fifth place in the Champions League.
Arne Slot and Liverpool FC celebrated the league title early on the last matchday with a 5-1 win over Tottenham. This means that the Reds have nothing left to play for this season. The situation is completely different for Chelsea FC, who are still fighting for qualification for the Champions League.
Chelsea get off to a dream start thanks to Fernandez
The Blues boosted their confidence during the week, winning the first leg of their Conference League semi-final 4-1 at Djurgardens IF, which was also their third competitive win in a row. The Londoners naturally wanted to carry this momentum into their home game against the champions – and they did just that: after only three minutes, Fernandez had too much space in the penalty area after a pass from Pedro Neto and put the hosts ahead. Madueke almost added a second, but his shot went just wide of the right post (6th minute).
With the lead behind them, Chelsea sat back, stood compact and left Liverpool to have the ball. However, the Reds hardly knew what to do with all this possession and were lucky that Caicedo’s cross only hit the crossbar (32′) and Pedro Neto’s shot hit the side netting (42′). The champions created very little going forward and failed to create any clear-cut chances. The Blues went into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Slapstick own goal by the Reds
The second half also started ideally for the Blues, with Liverpool lending a helping hand. Jackson’s shot was blocked, but then van Dijk shot at his teammate Quansah, who deflected the ball into his own net (56′). Liverpool had a lot of possession, as they did in the first half, but apart from Darwin’s header, which went wide from a promising position (68′), they couldn’t create anything against the Blues’ determined defense.
The Reds kept trying but couldn’t find the back of the net. Chelsea, meanwhile, had chances to seal the game through Sancho (80th minute) and Palmer (81st minute, hitting the post). That would come back to haunt them, as van Dijk’s header from a corner forced the Blues to sweat it out once again (85th minute). In the end, however, it was enough for a home win, with Palmer dispelling any remaining doubts with a penalty shortly before the end (90+6). The Londoners thus celebrate three important points in the battle for fifth place, which would be enough to qualify for the Champions League.
What’s next for both teams? On Thursday, Chelsea will face Djurgardens IF at home in the Conference semi-final second leg, while the Blues travel to Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday (1 p.m.). Liverpool host Arsenal on the same day (5.30 p.m.).
