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Champions League is all but out of reach for Liverpool after they failed to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Reds showed a lot of spirit despite having slim odds of qualifying for next years Champions League after Manchester United beat Crystal Palace yesterday. But failed to grab a winner against a Chelsea side that struggled upfront without Diego Costa.
John Terry put the hosts a head with a header after five minutes, the goal means that Terry is now the record scoring Premier League defender. But Steven Gerrard equalized for the visitors with a header at the far post on the stroke of half time.
Liverpool had the better chances to win, with Philippe Coutinho coming close twice.
Liverpool were strong in defense, but that may have something to do with Chelsea’s lack of fire power up front. Gerrard rolled back the years as he controlled the midfield, while Raheem Sterling and Coutinho posed a threat upfront with their pace and vision.
Chelsea feel that they should have capitalized on their lead and that Gerrard’s goal should have been avoided. The midfielder was able to peel from his marker to head home unchallenged.
It was almost fitting that Gerrard and Terry scored on the last time they would play each other after a decade long rivalry between their clubs. However today will be remember by a couple of youngsters who were given their senior debuts for the club.
Jose Mourinho gave Ruben Loftus-Cheek a full Premier League debut, and the athletic 19 year old did not disappoint – a tidy performance underlined by the fact he did not give the ball away once when making his 27 passes.
Liverpool also gave a youngster his debut when they brought on 18 year old striker Jerome Sinclair in the second half.
Both teams could have won the match in the second half, with Coutinho and Willian both wasting chances. Whilst Cesc Fabregas was luck to stay on the pitch after a late tackle on Sterling.
Overall the game was a respectful draw between two of the leagues top teams as their season comes to an end.
Man of the Match was Steven Gerrard. The midfielder controlled the game today and pulled his team leveled with a goal before half time.
