LIVE BLOG

90+5min: FULL TIME. Ugh.

87min: Emerson on for Alonso, as both teams look consigned to the result.

84min: Goal. Liverpool. Gomez into the book for fouling CHO. Free kick Chelsea, wide left, level with the top of the penalty area. James swings it in, Liverpool defend it well and can counter, and they make it count indeed as Oxlade-Chamberlain finishes the cross. 5-3.

82min: Kepa out early to sweep up behind Alonso.

81min: Chelsea’s latest move breaks down as James overhits his pass for CHO this time.

80min: James and CHO combine well again, but the cross is blocked. Azpi picks up the ball just outside the penalty area, but slices his left-footed effort well wide and out for a throw, even.

77min: The game is becoming even more open and Rüdiger’s forced to conced a corner. TAA takes shot to Milner. His cross is blocked by Pulisic. TAA takes the throw, Zouma concedes a corner. TAA takes again, Kovačić heads clear. James can counter, with Pulisic, but he’s closed down and has to turn back. Chelsea keep possession

73min: GOALLL!!!! PULISICCCCC!!!! The Pulisic show continues. Liverpool make a mess of heading clear a throw from James, which gives CHO the opportunity to drive forward. He finds Pulisic in the area. He takes a touch, turns, and hammers it into the roof of the net. 4-3!!!

71min: James find CHO making the run down the right, but his cross only finds a Liverpool leg.

68min: Liverpool make a few changes as well. Drink break!

64min: It should be 4-3 as James finds Pulisic with a great cross. Abraham’s offside but Pulisic isn’t. He drags his shot just wide of the far post however.

61min: GOAL!!!! TAMMY! It’s all about Pulisic however, who goes on a breathtaking mazy run through three of our, before sliding the ball across for Tammy to slot home. Less than 2 minutes it’s taken. 4-2!

59min: Here come the changes, with the entire front three switched out. Giroud, Willian, and Mount off; Abraham, Pulisic, and Hudson-Odoi on.

58min: Salah in against, but Chelsea recover to block his shot for a corner, which is cleared.

55min: Goal. Liverpool. TAA with a perfect cross from deep. Firmino, in between Zouma and Azpilicueta, heads home without much problem. 4-1, Liverpool.

53min: Chelsea not wise to Liverpool’s corner routine, but Salah shot is straight down the throat of Kepa, who catches and holds on.

52min: James miscues a clearance, gifting Robertson a chance to cross. He hammers one across the area, Rüdiger clears for a corner.

51min: Salah behind again, and here comes the through ball, but Kepa’s out quickly to collect cleanly.

50min: Rüdiger goes walkabout as Salah’s in behind. Azpi tries to get back, but it’s basically a free shot for the former Chelsea man ... but he produces a rather horrendous effort that’s well wide. Letoff.

47min: Couple decent forays forward on the right, but the attacking trio not on the same page.

HALF-TIME: No changes for either side. Liverpool get the game restarted.

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45+3min: GOALLL!!! GIROUD!! Mount puts a ball in for Alonso, who produces a rather amazing flick for Willian. Willian’s snapshot is saving by Alisson, but Giroud’s there to dive on the spinning rebound and put it in the back of the net! 3-1!

45+1min: Liverpool looking for more, Chelsea scramble clear with Zouma and Willian wins a foul to gain possession.

44min: Goal. Liverpool. Giroud gets his head to the corner, but his clearance hits Jorginho on the arm and the ball falls to Wijnaldum, who lashes it into the roof of the net from 8 yards out. 3-0, Liverpool.

42min: TAA with a fabulous deep cross towards Salah. He almost gets it under control, but Azpi’s there to put it out for a corner.

40min: Giroud gets his head to a cross, but not much power behind it and Alisson collects.

38min: Goal. Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold hits a tremendous free kick. 2-0, Liverpool.

37min: Kovačić slides in with a tackle and appears to win the ball cleanly, but the referee eventually gives a foul after Mané falls down having taken an extra step. Free kick, 25-30 yards out.

35min: Chelsea combining well through midfield, but a poor touch from Mount breaks down one move, then the next one ends in Jorginho switching too strongly for James, and the ball’s out of bounds.

32min: Mount scores from a fantastic ball by James, but he looks to be offside. VAR concurns.

31min: Salah combines with Wijnaldum, then beats Rüdiger around the corner, then goes for the cutback, but fortunately Rüdiger deflects it for a corner. Wijnaldum has a free header at the back post from that, but he aims it weakly at Kepa, who catches easily.

29min: Liverpool play around Rüdiger and Firmino’s in. He goes for a back across instead of a shot, and Azpilicueta slides down to block. Almost two, that.

26min: Chelsea attack down the right after the drink break, Willian combining with James and putting the ball across, but Giroud stopped his run and Alisson easily collects.

23min: Goal. Liverpool. Liverpool keep the ball for a while, but just as Chelsea look to have won the ball back, Willian gives it away to Keïta with a poor touch/pass. He has space to shoot behind the midfield line and absolutely blasts it into the roof of the net. In off the underside of the bar, in fact. 1-0, Liverpool.

18min: Azpi presses but is turned by Keita, who has space to run into. James drops smartly to cut out the pass.

16min: Jorginho switches to James, in acres of space. He drives forward and goes for goal, but his powerful piledriver swirls just wide of the top corner.

15min: James produces a bad cross. He is human after all.

14min: Deep early cross from Alonso finds Willian in space, but his first-touch is terrible and Liverpool clear. Would’ve been a great chance.

13min: James tries to pass out casually, but gives the ball away. Salah’s cross only finds a Chelsea head, but Liverpool maintain possession. Salah then runs into Rüdiger while trying a 1-2 in the penalty area and falls down. Referee unmoved.

11min: Mount runs into trouble, then wins the ball back. Chelsea recycle possession, then work the left flank again. Mount’s cross is wayward however and Liverpool have the ball.

10min: Long ball to Mané is covered well by a combination of Azpilicueta and James, and ends in Mané tumbling over the advertising hoardings. Emerges unscathed.

8min: James combines well with Willian, then puts in a cross from the layoff. Mount wide open six yards out making the near post run, but can’t keep his header down.

7min: Firmino and Salah combine on the right, but the latter is brushed off the ball by Alonso on the edge of the penalty area. Salah wants a foul, but there’s nothing there.

6min: Zouma miscues a clearance, but he’s there at the second time of asking to prevent Salah from breaking behind.

4min: Willian making progress through the center, plays through to Mount in left channel, but he’s caught on his heels and the ball’s shepherded out for a goal kick.

2min: James turns the ball over, but Zouma this time cuts out a through ball to prevent danger. Chelsea looking to keep the ball, but a few shaky early moments.

1min: An early giveaway calls Rüdiger into action, to head clear.

KICK-OFF: Chelsea form the traditional guard of honor as Liverpool walk out. The trophy will have to wait until after the match. Chelsea need a draw to clinch the top four. It’s Blues vs. Reds, and it’s live! The teams take a knee in tribute of Black Lives Matter, and we’re underway. Chelsea get us started.

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Welcome to the penultimate match of the Premier League season. It’s Liverpool’s long-awaited coronation day, but we’ve got more important things to worry about. Chelsea need three points from the last two games to guarantee a top-four finish.

Leicester City have already lost their penultimate match and United are currently losing to West Ham (I’d laugh, but we’re all too familiar with that situation), but Chelsea aren’t quite home free yet even if that result holds, since a last-day draw between those two and Chelsea losing to Wolves would still see us drop to fifth thanks to goal difference.

UPDATE: United now back level, 1-1.

So, here we go!

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Liverpool starting lineup (4-3-3):
Alisson | Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold | Keïta, Wijnaldum, Fabinho | Salah, Firmino, Mané

Substitutes from: Adrian, Lovren, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino, Lallana, Shaqiri, Origi, Jones

Chelsea starting lineup (3-4-3):
Arrizabalaga | Rüdiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta (c) | Alonso, Jorginho, Kovačić, James | Mount, Giroud, Willian

Substitutes from: Caballero, Christensen, Tomori, Emerson, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, Pedro, Pulisic, Abraham

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Date / Time: Wednesday, July 22, 2020, 20.15 BST; 3:15pm EDT; 12:45am IST (next day)

Venue: Anfield, Liverpool, England

Referee: Andre Marriner (on pitch); Stuart Attwell (VAR)

Forecast: More rain, more cool temperatures because England

On TV: Sky Sports Liverpool Main Event (UK); NBCSN, Universo (USA); Star Sports Select HD1 (India); SuperSport 1, SuperSport 3 (NGA); elsewhere

Streaming: Sky Go (UK); NBCSports.com, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Hotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)

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Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!