Liverpool 1-1

Independent:

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 1

John Terry and Steven Gerrard on target as draw hands Manchester United Champions League football

Sam Wallace

The 185th goal of Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool career was not one to put alongside all those last-gasp game-changers or trophy-clinching interventions of old, but it was at least one last reminder of just how much he will be missed at the club he has served for so long.
As Brendan Rodgers pointed out afterwards, his skipper has scored the important goals in both Liverpool’s previous games and now has just two more matches in the red No 8 shirt before he calls it a day at the only club of his life. Today was remarkable for the ripple of applause around Stamford Bridge when Gerrard was substituted with 11 minutes left in a stadium that is consumed with baiting the Liverpool captain.

It was led by Jose Mourinho who has gone to his usual lengths this week to tell everyone how much he loves his “dear enemy” Gerrard, the generosity he is prepared to show when the title is in the bag and non-one represents a threat any longer. He was at it again today, describing a career in the MLS as an “El Dorado holiday” and leaving no-one in any doubt that, as far as he was concerned, Gerrard was effectively retiring.
Even so, the applause was a strange moment given the animosity between the two clubs’ supporters which otherwise went on unchecked. It was hard to know what that gesture meant in the grand scheme of things and you got the feeling that there would have been much less of it if Chelsea were still involved in a title race.

It was the last time Gerrard would go head-to-head with John Terry too, another former England captain and a player with whom his career has been entwined. Seven months younger than Gerrard, Terry is readying himself for another season as a Premier League captain and he scored again against Liverpool, making him the highest scoring defender in the league’s 23-year history. In fact he was arguably man of the match.
Terry’s opening goal, a header after five minutes, was one thing but it was a brilliantly-timed penalty-box tackle late in the game on the powerful Jordon Ibe which summarised the Chelsea captain’s superb season.

Gerrard has now played his last game against one of the big clubs of English football and Liverpool have as good as lost that last Champions League place to Manchester United. They need a six-point and 14-goal swing to secure fourth place now and even the ever-optimistic Rodgers was in no mood to apply the power of positive thought when it came to the last two games of the season.
The Premier League season is slowly fizzling out and no amount of pre-game bells and whistles can change that mood. Not content with the pre-match guard of honour from Liverpool, Chelsea laid on a novelty blue carpet and the flame bursts that are de rigueur now at any match that feels a bit underwhelming in terms of atmosphere.

There was a strange start to the game when Cesc Fabregas kicked Raheem Sterling on the ankle with the kind of tackle that might have been a red card at a different time in a different game to this off-key, slowed-down occasion. Andre Marriner got himself in a muddle, getting out a red card first for John Obi Mikel, then a yellow before he corrected himself and booked Fabregas.
Later, Rodgers would say that Fabregas should have been dismissed for the tackle in a press conference in which he was scarcely able to conceal his despondency at how the season is finishing for Liverpool. Mourinho made some effort not to rise to the bait saying that he did not want any more of the “theatre” that had followed the two sides’ Capital One Cup semi-final.
The Chelsea goal came soon after. Rickie Lambert was badly static and allowed Terry to jump over him and head the ball in direct from a Fabregas corner. It was another slow start for Liverpool which their manager would have cause to bemoan later on.

Mourinho made five changes from the team that beat Crystal Palace with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the 19-year-old Lewisham lad from the Chelsea academy promoted for his first league start. This is, of course, Mourinho’s next challenge, bringing through a few of the kids from the all-conquering academy. But there will be no passengers with him. These kinds of games are precisely the sort of chances that will have to be seized by Loftus-Cheek and his peers.
Later, Mourinho said that he would give a chance to the Under-21s’ Nathan Ake and Isaiah Brown in next weekend’s game against West Bromwich Albion, with the West Midlands club having first developed Brown before he was signed by Chelsea. Against Sunderland at home on the last day of the season Mourinho pledged to play his best side which does not bode well for Dick Advocaat’s team if they need points to survive then.

Gerrard, playing holding midfield, did not have the happiest of times in the first half. There was an unfortunate tumble when he tried to tackle Fabregas and the usual frustrations trying to get Liverpool going. Then, from nowhere, he arrived at the back post to head in a Jordan Henderson free-kick having been completely unmarked when Mikel and Gary Cahill got mixed up.
It was not the sort of goal that Chelsea, in full Mourinho-mode usually concede. Cahill, on for the injured Kurt Zouma, seemed to block the path of Mikel as he did a bad job of tracking Gerrard. There were no exuberant celebrations from Gerrard. It wasn’t one of those goals.
After half-time there was a much better performance from Liverpool and they had the best of the second half, although too few chances created to win it. The best opportunity  fell to Philippe Coutinho on 49 minutes when Sterling cut the ball back to the Brazilian, who missed the target. Chelsea struggled to create a treat in attack while their long-term injured striker Diego Costa amused himself by sitting among the fans in the east stand.

Latterly, Rodgers brought on the teenagers Jerome Sinclair, 18, and Ibe, 19, the former of whom was Liverpool’s youngest player of all time when he made his debut at 16 and six days in 2012. An indication, perhaps, of where the Liverpool manager’s thoughts are for next season. The Champions League will not be a concern this time around.


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Guardian:


Liverpool’s Champions League dreams end with draw at champions Chelsea
Chelsea 1 - 1 Liverpool

Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge


For Liverpool, the game is up. An afternoon which had begun with a grudging show of respect for the newly crowned Premier League champions, the visitors lining up along either side of a blue carpet to form a guard of honour as Chelsea trooped triumphantly into the arena, ended with Champions League football effectively out of their reach. Given the constant and bellowed reminders of the destiny of this season’s title, this was a galling occasion for those in red.

The deficit from the top four has been extended to six points with two games to play, and goal difference counting horribly against them. As “outstanding” as Brendan Rodgers insisted his team were after the interval, this performance failed to yield the victory which would have preserved those fading chances. Instead, the talk in the aftermath was of a “big summer ahead” when shrewd recruitment, and presumably plenty of persuasion if key targets are to be secured, will be required if their challenge is to prove more persuasive next year. A Europa League campaign most likely awaits, and that will create its own disruption.

In truth Liverpool, as the team with something at stake, had felt the more threatening of the sides on show with Chelsea, as José Mourinho conceded, struggling throughout to generate proper intensity to their approach having already secured the campaign’s most glittering prize. Yet, for all that Raheem Sterling, Jordan Ibe and the league debutant, Jerome Sinclair, buzzed disconcertingly in enemy territory, supplied by the elusive Philippe Coutinho, the visitors lacked the quality to prevail. The Brazilian saw a late shot deflected off Gary Cahill to wrong-foot Thibaut Courtois for a split second, though the chance played out in slow motion and the goalkeeper was able to flop down on the loose ball. It all rather summed up Liverpool’s season, a campaign when the goals of Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge have been so sorely missed. They lacked bite here to inflict proper wounds.
The goals that were mustered in a disjointed contest were supplied by the old guard. John Terry’s opener had been thumped in early, Cesc Fàbregas’s corner veering into the penalty area for the centre-half to rise too easily above Rickie Lambert and plant a header down and beyond Simon Mignolet and Steven Gerrard on the goal-line. The goal was Terry’s 39th in the Premier League, establishing him as the highest scoring defender in the revamped top flight.

Liverpool complained, with some justification, that his supplier should not have been on the pitch even then, Fábregas having been guilty of a nasty foul on Sterling’s right ankle in the opening 25 seconds. “He should have been sent off,” said Rodgers. “It was out of control, diving [in], stretching. A poor challenge.” Andre Marriner had actually flashed a red card at Mikel John Obi, so off the pace had he been in that opening minute, before correcting that to a lenient yellow for Fábregas. The confusion hardly inspired confidence.
The visitors’ response to the concession had actually been impressive, sparked as it was by Coutinho spitting shots at goal for Branislav Ivanovic to block and Courtois to save, though parity was only restored when their own captain made his presence felt. Ivanovic’s foul on Adam Lallana earned a free-kick which Jordan Henderson arced over the muddle in the six-yard box. Gerrard, having edged away from Mikel, was unmarked as he nodded in his first goal against these opponents in a decade.
It was his first ever reward at Stamford Bridge, an arena where he has been mercilessly heckled over the years, memories of which would not be erased by the charitable and admirable ovation granted him by all corners of the ground upon his substitution 11 minutes from time. Mourinho praised that reaction for the “dear enemy” who will not grace this stage again. Gerrard, himself, was not quite ready to forgive and forget.

Chelsea had actually been denied a potential farewell of their own, Petr Cech having cried off the fixture with a minor calf injury having been pencilled in to start the game. “The next game, at West Bromwich Albion [on Monday week], he plays,” said Mourinho, who intends to pick the likes of Nathan Aké and Isaiah Brown at the Hawthorns. “Izzy Brown came from West Bromwich so it’ll be special for the kid to play in that house … the boys deserve it, all of them, but I can’t give a special day for everyone.”

He offered Ruben Loftus-Cheek an hour here on his first Premier League start, with the teenager doing little wrong in a midfield brief before being withdrawn as his manager sensed Liverpool’s late urgency might leave him exposed. “Coutinho was getting more space between the lines, so it was best for the boy to leave,” added the Portuguese. “But it was a fantastic experience for him, to feel the intensity and the speed of the game. He’s going to be a Chelsea player, that’s no doubt. I’m happy.”
The same cannot be said for Liverpool, even with the point secured on a ground where Chelsea remain unbeaten in the league. For Rodgers, and the hierarchy at Anfield, a pivotal summer awaits.


Man of the match Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)

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Telegraph:


Chelsea 1 Liverpool 1
Steven Gerrard unable to rescue Liverpool's Champions League hopes
By Henry Winter, Stamford Bridge


Steven Gerrard hit Chelsea with a header during the match and a volley after it. Presented with an opportunity to commend Chelsea fans for their standing ovation as his farewell tour took in an otherwise bilious Bridge, Liverpool's captain responded by lambasting them for their abusive songs and "Caution - slip hazard" laminated placards about him.
He could have been diplomatic and decorous, could have been polite and thanked his hosts for the momentary cessation of hostilities but the Huyton kid in him came out fighting. "Chelsea fans have shown me respect for a couple of seconds but slaughtered me all day,'' he told Sky. "It was nice of them to turn up for once today". Ouch.
This was Gerrard unplugged, unconsidered, undignified. His barb resembled the verbal equivalent of his battering challenge on Manchester United's Ander Herrera at Anfield on March 22. Take that. The twilight of his career almost carries echoes of his early days, the reckless challenges and heated moments.
Gerrard is, of course, too professional, and too dedicated to Liverpool's cause to use these final moments to settle old scores but it doesn't half feel like it. Thoughts of his finest moments in that famous shirt are clearly at the forefront of his mind as he prepares to wear it for the final time. Last week, Gerrard was asked by a BBC reporter whether his goal against QPR "was your best ever header?" He replied: "Istanbul wasn't bad."
To which the reporter remarked: "I forgot about that." "I don't,'' was Gerrard's instant response.
The curtain falling on a celebrated career is inevitably emotional which might explain his outburst which actually left Chelsea fans occupying the moral high ground. It is, perhaps, slightly harsh to criticise Gerrard when only those who have been in his situation, taking corners as foam-flecked strangers a yard away berate him, his family and his faulty footing, can understand the pressure but he should take their caustic chants as compliments. Closing fast on his 35th birthday, a usually reflective character should note that rival fans rarely bother singing about poor opposition players.
He has endured it before and received plenty here. Walking towards the Matthew Harding stand to take a first-half corner, Gerrard was greeted with countless hand gestures which would not be found in nearby Knightsbridge etiquette schools. When Liverpool's captain fell over at one point, deceived by a turn from the outstanding Cesc Fabregas, the Chelsea fans crowed "he slips when he wants", harking back to Gerrard's stumble at Anfield last season that allowed Demba Ba to score and effectively end Liverpool's title dream.
Chelsea fans have long insulted the symbol of Liverpool because he rejected their overtures in 2004 and 2005, choosing to stay at Anfield, because of a decade-long duel with Frank Lampard and because of residual grief over the 2005 Champions League "ghost goal" semi-final. Spilling over into the national sphere, there has always been the issue over the England armband which the Shed and Matthew Harding ends felt belonged to John Terry. How fitting that Terry should score here, taking early control of the plot-line, before Gerrard equalised, claiming the focus back.
He refused to celebrate only his second goal in 40 games against Chelsea, seemingly because he wanted to get on with trying to secure all points but his withdrawal on 79 minutes was sportingly acknowledged by Chelsea fans. Jose Mourinho held his thumb up in appreciation of the crowd's salute, although moments later many launched back into the Gerrard "slip" song. At the final whistle, Mourinho embraced a player he called a "dear enemy", a powerhouse midfielder he tried to recruit for Inter Milan and Real Madrid as well as twice during his first Chelsea spell. Gerrard was finally in Mourinho's clutches, and then was gone, down into the tunnel, towards an inviting microphone.
Maybe there was also frustration at the outcome shaping his words. Maybe he felt time's unforgiving passage with a young English central-midfielder stepping into the fray and impressing. Ruben Loftus-Cheek did well on his full debut for Chelsea, making some good interceptions, snaking out those long legs to nick the ball, shadowing Philippe Coutinho, and distributing the ball simply and accurately. All of his 27 passes found their intended destination.
Maybe Gerrard was aggrieved that the draw all but condemned Liverpool to the Europa League, a fate that Chelsea fans certainly mentioned loudly. Liverpool are now six points and 14 goals adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United with only two games remaining. Gerrard would have loved to have left for LA Galaxy with the satisfaction of having helped his beloved club into the Champions League but it is not to be. United, another team Gerrard has issues with, have surely secured Champions League football - the season's main mission accomplished for Louis van Gaal.
Maybe it was simply a Chelsea v Liverpool thing. Amazingly, given the enmity between the sides, there were half-and-half Chelsea and Liverpool friendship scarves on offer outside Stamford Bridge for £10, although the salesman admitted he was prepared to negotiate. Maybe it was the sight of Terry scoring, meaning that Chelsea defenders have now contributed 20 goals in all competitions this season. With Luis Suarez gone and Daniel Sturridge injured, Liverpool have laboured for goals and Gerrard is their top scorer with 12, eight in the Premier League.
Whatever his post-match dig, Gerrard began the afternoon in gracious mode, forming a guard of honour as Terry and the new champions emerged and walked down a blue carpet. There was no standing on ceremony by the champions. Fabregas lunged at Raheem Sterling, catching the Liverpool attacker on the ankle. Andre Marriner deemed Fabregas' dangerous challenge worthy only of yellow, laughable really given the velocity and venom.
Fabregas was soon inflicting more damage on Liverpool with his 18th Premier League assist of the season. He curled in a corner that dropped towards a melee of players, holding and baulking. Terry wanted the ball most, attacking it with strength and timing, beating Rickie Lambert to head it powerfully past Simon Mignolet. In registering his 39th Premier League goal, Terry broke David Unsworth's record for a defender in the division. Terry's path of celebration took him close to the Liverpool fans in the Shed and he sensibly turned away, although not before a missile whistled past. Antagonism could be heard and seen all over, especially when Gerrard was in possession.
On the cusp of half-time, he scored. When Jordan Henderson lifted in a free-kick from the left, Gerrard escaped John Obi Mikel to direct a downward header into the net for his first goal against Chelsea since October 2005. Gerrard and his team emerged first for the second half, and played well. A mazy run from Sterling ended with a cutback for Coutinho, who shot just wide. Gerrard was then substituted, giving the Chelsea fans their chance to clap him and then castigate him. Old hostilities resumed, continued by Gerrard after the final whistle.

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Mail:


Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool:
Steven Gerrard threatens to spoil title party with equaliser but Jose Mourinho's side extend unbeaten run to all but end the Reds' Champions League dreams
MATT BARLOW


The sense of awkwardness lingered long after Liverpool had formed a guard of honour to welcome their triumphant hosts.
Only a win would have changed that — and the fact that they could not produce one against a coasting Chelsea team means Brendan Rodgers requires a miracle if his side are to return to the Champions League next season.
Liverpool shuffled out uneasily for the new-fangled tradition of applauding the champions onto the pitch. And they shuffled off at the end, heads bowed, aware they were now six points behind Manchester United with two to play and 14 worse off on goal difference.
For all their dashing approach play, goals are a problem. They smashed the century last season as they finished second behind Manchester City, but Steven Gerrard's simple back-post header which equalised John Terry's opener was only the 50th this term.
It has left a black hole, which is pulling them towards the unloved Europa League after this campaign which has reinforced the theory that only Luis Suarez (helped perhaps by no European competition) lifted them briefly back into the elite.
Suarez is not about to return, Daniel Sturridge remains injured and Gerrard, having proved in the last two games he can still summon an important goal and influence results, is bound for Los Angeles.
It was nice that Chelsea supporters followed Jose Mourinho's lead and applauded Gerrard off, but they have taunted him relentlessly since his costly slip at Anfield, this time last year. And it is easier to be magnanimous with the title in the bag.
Mourinho's infamous 'little horse' was never that small, but it has grown and gathered pace as Liverpool lost ground which will be hard to reclaim.
Chelsea coasted through the occasion in a mood of self-congratulation set by the guard of honour and pre-match flamethrowers and boosted by Mourinho, who awarded a first start to teenager Ruben Loftus-Cheek and a recall for John Obi Mikel.
Kurt Zouma came in at centre-half for the experience, only to limp off with a knee injury before half-time, and Petr Cech would have played too, according to the manager, were it not for a slight calf problem.
Still, the champions had few problems keeping the visitors at arm's length and, compared to recent fiery clashes, it was all rather tame, despite a flashpoint which exploded inside a minute and caught out referee Andre Marriner.
Cesc Fabregas was late as he slid into a midfield tackle on Raheem Sterling, which left the Liverpool winger writhing in agony, clutching his right ankle. Marriner let play flow, but when the ball went dead he sought out Mikel and showed him the red card.
As Mikel recoiled in shock, the referee took advice from an assistant, made some hasty apologies, explaining it had been a mistake and showed a yellow card to Fabregas. Mikel was eventually booked in the second half.
In truth, the Fabregas tackle could easily have been interpreted as a straight red. Rodgers certainly thought so - and that might have made for a very different game.
As it was, Sterling completed 90 minutes, although in obvious discomfort and, a few minutes after his escape, Fabregas delivered the swerving corner from which Chelsea took the lead.
Terry was the man on the end of it, climbing high above Rickie Lambert to thump a powerful header past goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and Gerrard, who was covering on the line.
It was the eighth of the season for the Chelsea captain and the 65th of his club career. It also hoisted him clear at the top of the list of top-scoring defenders in the Premier League, with 39.
Stamford Bridge reacted as if that was that, but Liverpool responded well to the set-back and were level, two minutes before the interval.
Branislav Ivanovic fouled Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson curled the free-kick towards the far post, where Gerrard drifted away from Cahill and Mikel to nod in a simple finish from a couple of feet out, his second headed goal in as many games having grabbed the winner against Queen's Park Rangers.
Liverpool improved after the break. 'Outstanding,' said Rodgers, but, in all honesty, it fell quite flat. There were tantalising glimpses of skill from Lallana as he wriggled by Ivanovic and Philippe Coutinho rippled the side-netting after a burst of energy from Sterling.
On went Nemanja Matic in a bid to generate a healthier tempo and add aggression to the midfield and off came Loftus-Cheek. Mourinho hailed him 'a Chelsea player, for sure' and promised more academy products would be on parade at West Bromwich next week.
Willian and Fabregas went close in the closing stages but it didn't happen, and the manager shrugged and said this was understandable.
'After being champions, celebrating and a couple of days off, it's normal your intensity goes a bit down,' said Mourinho. 'We played at our limits for many weeks trying to reach the title as soon as possible. I knew today would be difficult.'
Liverpool's challenge faded, too. Rodgers sent on teenagers Jerome Sinclair, who made his Premier League debut, and Jordan Ibe, leaving 20-year-old Sterling as the oldest of a three-man front line.
Coutinho came closest to stealing the points. His ambitious effort hit Cahill and took a meaty deflection but it also took the pace off the ball and Thibaut Courtois was able to adjust, while sat on the turf and stop it rolling over the line.
A sitting-down save seemed a fitting way to end the affair and those in red put their heads down and left the scene.

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Mirror:
Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: Reds' Champions League hopes all but over after score draw at Stamford Bridge
By John Cross


Brendan Rodgers' side now need to win both final games, hope Man United lose theirs, and see a 15-goal swing go in their favour
There was to be no last fairytale. But a feisty farewell filled with bitterness and disappointment.
Steven Gerrard left the pitch when he was substituted in the 79th minute to a standing ovation from both sets of fans which was the sort of goodbye befitting one of English football’s all time greats.
But Gerrard’s very pointed dig post-match at the Chelsea fans for “turning up for once” showed any thoughts of kissing and making up are long gone.
The rivalry between Gerrard and Chelsea runs too deep and this was all too painful for any sugar coating to be applied to a hugely disappointing result for Liverpool.
Incredibly, it was Gerrard’s first ever goal at Stamford Bridge which, down the years, has been the scene of so much drama for Liverpool’s captain.
The match started with a guard of honour but finished honours even and a draw that was not enough to keep alive any realistic hope of Liverpool reaching the Champions League next season.
Gerrard gave everything but, while his mind is still willing, the legs are showing their age and the 34-year-old can no longer dominate games like he used to.
And make no mistake, this was a game that meant everything to Gerrard. The chants from the Chelsea fans about him slipping at Anfield a year ago clearly rile him.
That fatal slip - when Gerrard’s mistake let in Demba Ba as Liverpool blew the title - will never be forgotten, not least by the Chelsea fans who held up placards all around the ground to remind him.
It was cruel but not perhaps as painful as Gerrard and the rest of the Liverpool players having to applaud Chelsea’s newly crowned champions onto the pitch before the game.
And the sort of humiliation must have been another motivating factor for Liverpool who knew it was win-or-bust to try and catch Manchester United in fourth place.
They tried but just could not dig deep enough even if their recovery from John Terry’s early opener and second half performance probably deserved all three points.
For Chelsea, it felt as if - with teenager Ruben Loftus-Cheek given a chance in midfield - they are winding down with the title in the bag. But their rivalry with Liverpool is such that they were never going to just stand aside.
Perhaps that was illustrated by Cesc Fabregas’ fierce challenge on Raheem Sterling within the first minute. Referee Andre Marriner gave Fabregas a yellow, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers claimed it should have been red.
But while Sterling and Liverpool were still licking their wounds, Chelsea went ahead and suddenly Rodgers was left facing mission impossible.
Fabregas put over a right wing corner, Liverpool striker Rickie Lambert lost Terry in the penalty box and the Chelsea captain was left unmarked to power home a header. Gerrard was on the post but ended up on his backside as he tried in vain to clear.
But, typically, it was Gerrard who led the Liverpool fight back. Jordan Henderson’s 44th minute free kick found Gerrard unmarked at the far post and the Liverpool captain headed powerfully into the net.
Suddenly it was game on. Liverpool were always chasing a miracle to pip United into fourth but no-one does that better than Gerrard.
Philippe Coutinho, buzzing around the Chelsea box, caused problems as he fired into the side netting after 49 minutes as Liverpool bossed the second half with Martin Skrtel’s never-say-die spirit epitomising their battling display.
When finally Gerrard was substituted after 79 minutes, it seemed as if Liverpool’s last hope went with him. Coutinho’s 89th minute shot deflected off Gary Cahill and Thibaut Courtois recovered in time to make a fine save.
Gerrard’s battle with Chelsea has been entertaining down the years but even Liverpool’s captain can no longer bridge the gap.
Liverpool’s season will end in disappointment outside of the top four and their failings this season mean Rodgers will have to overhaul his squad this summer.
But one player they will never be able to replace is Steven Gerrard.

Courtois 6 - One excellent save when Coutinho shot was deflected.
Ivanovic 6 - Another strong performance at right back.
Zouma 5 - Went off injured before having chance to shine.
Terry 7 - Superb again, another magnificent defensive display.
Luis 6 - Steady but nowhere near as good as Azpilicueta.
Mikel 6 - Some brutal challenges showed he’s still a force.
Loftus-Cheek 6 - Steady if not spectacular. Showed he can cope.
Fabregas 6 - Brutal tackle on Sterling, corner for Terry opener.
Willian 7 - His work rate is sensational. Chelsea’s best player.
Hazard 6 - Not even Hazard can be brilliant every time.
Remy 5 - Not at his peak match fitness and struggled at times.
Subs: Cahill 6, Matic 6, Cuadrado

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Express:


Chelsea 1 - Liverpool 1: Old guard on scoresheet as Reds Champions League hopes fade
ONE year ago today, the campaign finished with Liverpool in second place and Chelsea two points behind in third.


By MATTHEW DUNNE


Canvass the opinion of any of the Liverpool fans making their way out through the Shankly Gates for the final time that season and many were predicting that 12 months down the line they would be genuine contenders for the leadership.
So much for exit polls. Although Liverpool gamely fought to hold Chelsea in their own constituency yesterday, they remain a massive 22 points behind them.
Mind you, we are getting used to massive swings from red to blue, and in keeping with Ed Miliband’s departure, perhaps it is no wonder that the leadership credentials of Brendan Rodgers are also being called into question.
Certainly, after just five minutes of yesterday’s game, Liverpool were in desperate need of somebody to whip them into shape. They couldn’t win even the simplest of crosses in the box.
It was a straightforward corner swung in by Cesc Fabregas towards the obvious candidate John Terry. Unlike in politics, it is no good just standing against your opponent, you have got to jump.
However, Rickie Lambert’s leaden-footedness afforded Terry a trademark header into the corner and enabled him to collect the39th Premier League goal, taking him clear of the record for a defender that he had previously shared with David Unsworth.
That’s not to say the Blues were fighting an entirely clean campaign. Within the first minute Fabregas had slid in studs-up on Raheem Sterling’s ankle, which provoked something of a card fiasco from referee Andre Marriner.
In initially showing a yellow card to John Mikel Obi, arguably the West Midlands official had not only got the player wrong but the colour of the card. The mistaken identity, at least, was corrected – a good job as Mikel was subsequently shown a “second” yellow in the second half. But Fabregas was lucky.
Marriner chose to keep his cards in his pocket when Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a 19-year-old making his first start for Chelsea, collected Philippe Coutinho moments later but it was clear he was going to have a busy afternoon.
Indeed, even after the early Chelsea goal the tetchiness of a supposedly post-title run-around continued to detract from the football.
The home side were playing well within themselves yet remained comfortably in control. Nevertheless, Fabregas’s easily saved near-post shot was all they had to show for their, for want of a better word, efforts.
Then, a minute before half-time, it happened. Jose Mourinho said he had spent hours over the years working out how to stop Steven Gerrard – marking him from set-pieces would seem to be a good starting point. Henderson’s free-kick from just shy of the corner flag gave him time to pick the perfect spot inside the upright to send the teams in unexpectedly level.
Undeniably, Liverpool were the better side. Fabregas remained a threat for Chelsea and Liverpool never looked entirely comfortable with Willian’s direct running style.
Behind them, Loftus-Cheek continued an impressive debut. Early adrenalin out of his system, he showed rare composure for a 19-year-old, happy to tidy up around the Chelsea defence in elegant, unhurried style.
Although Nemanja Matic replaced him for the final half-hour, Liverpool continued to build in strength, thanks mainly to the introduction of another substitute, Jordan Ibe.
When Jordan Henderson’s injury-time shot went inches wide of Thibault Courtois’ post, Rodgers may have been denied a rare victory over his former mentor, but at least he could take some encouragement that a reinvented team maybe can emerge from the disappointment of this season.
Sterling is apparently staying, Ibe growing, Henderson maturing into an accomplished defensive midfielder and Coutinho proving a consistent playmaker.
A strong right-wing presence, a strong left-wing presence, a bit of austerity thrown in, and somebody with decent No10 material. But all the time Chelsea have Mourinho in the house, even New Liverpool have a long way to go.


CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6; Ivanovic 6, Zouma 5 (Cahill 35, 6), Terry 7, Filipe Luis 6; Mikel 7, Loftus-Cheek 7 (Matic 60, 5); Willian 7 (Cuadrado 83), Fabregas 8, Hazard 6; Remy 6. Booked: Fabregas, Ivanovic, Mikel, Luis. Goal: Terry 5. NEXT UP: West Brom (a) Mon, PL.


LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Mignolet 5; Johnson 6, Lovren 6, Skrtel 6, Can 5; Gerrard 7 (Lucas 79), Henderson 7; Coutinho 7, Lallana 6 (Ibe 71, 7), Sterling 7; Lambert 5. Booked: Lallana, Skrtel, Lambert 6 (Sinclair 68). Goal: Gerrard 44. NEXT UP: Crystal Palace (a) Sat, PL.
REFEREE: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).

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Star:


Chelsea 1 Liverpool 1: Reds set for Europa League as captains cancel each other out
IT WAS a goal-scoring afternoon for two 34-year-old skippers who once led England.

By David Woods

But while Steven Gerrard has a life in Los Angeles with LA Galaxy to anticipate, his opposite number in blue, John Terry, can look forward to plenty more glory with Chelsea.
And once again there was bitter disappointment for Gerrard.
In 2013-14, his infamous slip at Anfield let in Demba Ba to score in Jose Mourinho’s men’s 2-0 win, a loss that all but signalled the end of Liverpool’s title challenge.
Yesterday, there was no Stevie G catastrophe as he continued to try and bow out with a flourish.
But this draw ensured that, barring some goal-scoring frenzy in their last two games and successive Manchester United defeats, there won’t be any Champions League football for Brendan Rodgers and his men next season.
Having wrapped up the title a week earlier, Chelsea played with a bit more freedom yesterday, particularly in the first half.
But even with some of them possibly thinking more about somewhere like the West Indies rather than West Brom in a week, the Kop lot couldn’t take them down, to make it eight games without a win against the Blues.
Terry became the Premier League’s all time goal-scoring defender with No. 39 in the fifth minute.
Cesc Fabregas sent over a corner from the right and Rickie Lambert lost Terry, whose header was too strong for Simon Mignolet, with Gerrard also unable to stop it crossing the line.
To highlight Liverpool’s season of striking woe, it made it ten league goals combined from Chelsea defenders Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill, compared to eight by Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini, Lambert and Daniel Sturridge.
Fabregas probably should not have been on the pitch. His late challenge on Raheem Sterling in the first minute was a shocker and could easily have justified a red rather than a yellow from Andre Marriner.
The Spaniard also tugged Sterling’s shorts in the 18th minute and somehow avoided giving away a foul.
But having benefitted from some poor marking, the Blues were uncharacteristically sloppy themselves in the 45th minute.
Jordan Henderson’s free-kick from the left picked out Gerrard, who lost marker Mikel all too easily to nod home at the far post from close range.
His celebration against the team and manager who tried so hard to sign him was extremely restrained, running back to the half-way line like a player you’d expect to see in black and white footage.
How Rodgers must wish he had Diego Costa in his squad to replace Luis Suarez. The 19-goal striker sat with the Chelsea fans in the Upper East Stand due to his latest hamstring injury.
He will have seen more exciting games, although this was a much more open one than a week earlier when the 1-0 defeat of Crystal Palace landed the title.
In the 49th minute Sterling set up Philippe Coutinho, but he fired into the side-netting. Willian then dragged a shot just wide of the far post.
Fabregas did manage a tame shot on target and had another, better one deflected for a corner by the excellent and brave Skrtel.
Bizarrely, when Gerrard came off in the 79th minute the Chelsea fans, led by Mourinho, clapped him off, having taunted him all game about that cock-up a year ago.
Funny old game, as Jimmy Greaves is famous for saying.
Courtois did well late on to react when Sterling tried to sneak in a shot at his near post, but the game petered out to leave Liverpool on 62 points, 18 less than at this stage last season.