Chelsea vs Liverpool live score, updates, highlights & lineups as James and Havertz goals ruled out

By | April 4, 2023
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Chelsea and Liverpool played out a goalless first-half at Stamford Bridge that highlighted the problems afflicting both struggling Premier League giants.

The hosts were playing for the first time since Graham Potter’s sacking but made most of the early running, only to be let down by poor finishing, with Kai Havertz a particular culprit.

Reece James was the outstanding player on the field and had a sweet strike ruled out for offside against Enzo Fernandez before the half-hour,

Interim head coach Bruno Saltor enjoyed his creative players cutting through a much-changed Liverpool side, with Jurgen Klopp making six changes from the XI that was thrashed 4-1 at Manchester City.

Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo were all benched and Virgil van Dijk missed out through illness. Alexnader-Arnold’s replacement Joe Gomez and Fabinho went closest for the Reds in first-half stoppage time.

The Sporting News is following Chelsea vs Liverpool from Stamford Bridge and providing live score updates and commentary.

MORE: Chelsea vs Liverpool live stream, TV channel, lineups, betting odds for Premier League clash

Chelsea vs Liverpool live score

  1H 2H Final
CHE 0 — —
LIV 0 — —

Goals:
 

Projected lineups:

Chelsea (3-5-2): Kepa (GK) — Fofana, Koulibay, Cucurella — James, Fernandez, Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell — Havertz, Felix.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson (GK) — Gomez, Konate, Matip, Tsimikas — Henderson, Fabinho, Jones — Firmino, Nunez, Jota.

Chelsea vs Liverpool live updates, highlights from the Premier League

50th minute: Havertz has scored…or has he??? The Germany forward had ample space to charge past what qualifies for a Liverpool defence nowadays. His effort is saved by Alisson, ricochets back against him and in. But replays show the ball his Havertz on the arm. No goal!

48th minute: Another awful miss! Joao Felix sashays into some room around halfway, he’s such an elegant player. A combination of Havertz and Kante get the ball through to Kovacic, but he lifts a shot wastefully over. Simply had to make Alisson work there. That’s a shocker.

47th minute: Joel Matip is the first player into the book for a foul on Joao Felix that’s nowhere near as bad as his first-half foul on Joao Felix.

46th minute: We’re back underway. Liverpool look to retain that late first-half momentum and Kepa needs two attempts to grasp a Jones cross.

Halftime: That late flurry from Liverpool shouldn’t obscure the fact that Chelsea have been the better side, but their lack of confidence in front of goal against a visiting back four playing like strangers is, frankly, a peculiar watch.

45th minute+4: Close! Tsimikas has found his range with these corners now. Fabinho is again the beneficiary and it requires a stunning diving headed block from Fofana to glance wide.

45th minute+3: Liverpool ending the half strongly. Joe Gomez was given the sort of room Trent Alexander-Arnold probably wouldn’t get in the attacking thrid and lets fly with a swerving 30-yarder that Kepa has to push over.

45th minute+2: This Tsimikas delivery is much better and skips across to Fabinho, whose shot from just inside the box is blocked by a sliding Fofana.

45th minute+1: We’re into three minutes of added time. Here’s Jota in the box and Cucurella has to charge across to clear behind.

45th minute: A speculative strike from Nunez bounces awkwardly for Kepa but the Chelsea goalkeeper eventually gets it under his spell.

44th minute: Kante, Havertz and James combine in slick fashion on the right. It’s a quality cross from James too, but Joao Felix wafts unconvincingly at the ball at the near post.

42nd minute: A rare chance for Liverpool to test the Chelsea defence. Tsimikas’ corner is wretched and is cleared by Kante, who is the first man.

35th minute: Good grief, what’s going on? Alisson takes a heavy touch from Tsimikas’ backpass. The Liverpool goalkeeper is under pressure from Havertz, who gets the ball but can’t control it and another chance passes him by.

29th minute: Kante plays in Havertz. The Liverpool backline looks like it’s been shoved in a particle accelerator. Havertz drags a limp attempt well wide. If Chelsea had any semblance of cutting edge they’d be in a handy lead by now.

25th minute: Oh, hang on a minute, There’s a very long VAR check going on…No goal. It was closer than we initially thought, with Konate’s big toe almost playing Fernandez onside. Things you would never have typed in the pre-VAR age!

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24th minute: Into the net but the flag is up! Havertz got up to flick on at the near post but Enzo Fernandez can’t turn home. The Argentina midfielder was just offside, meaning James’ sumptuous strike when the loose ball broke to him will not count.

23rd minute: A slight lull after that frantic start. Firmino drops into midfield and turns for a speculative shot. Koulibaly follows him and makes the block. Chelsea break well and win a corner.

17th minute: James brings order to a frankly rubbish passage of play when both teams kept giving the ball to each other. The England wingback got Chelsea going with a smooth dribble forward. The attack ends with Joao Felix having a shot blocked by Matip, but in less-dramatic fashion than before.

12th minute: Koulibaly lofts a lovely, raking pass over the top of the Liverpool defence. Chilwell crosses for Havertz, who is denied at close quarters by Alisson. The Germany forward’s finish lacked conviction.

11th minute: Nice link up from Jota and Firmino, who has started brightly. Jota spreads play to Tsimikas, who is in a good crossing position but his delivery is pouched by Kepa.

6th minute: That chance also came from Tsimikas coughing up possession. He really needs to settle down and sharpish. Matip clatters into Joao Felix and is very fortunate to escape a booking, even at this early stage.

5th minute: Chelsea get in again down the Liverpool left. A low cross drops to Kovacic, who rounds Alisson and Konate needs to make a goal-saving clearance on the line. Klopp’s much-changed defence is all over the place right now.

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4th minute: It’s been a shakey start from Tsimikas, who gives the ball away near halfway and Joao Felix is on his way, jinking and dribbling. Matip belatedly makes a vital block.

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2nd minute: The Van Dijk-less Liverpool backline deal with the danger.

1st minute: Kante has an early maraud down the right flank and Tsimikas makes the foul. Early set-piece opportunity for the hosts.

5 mins from kickoff: The Stamford Bridge light show is underway and here come the teams to some pyrotechnics. A reminder that this is one of the biggest games in English football’s modern era most of the time. It’s definitely not usually 11th vs. 8th.

30 mins from kickoff: Here’s Jurgen Klopp on that startling Liverpool team sheet. He says it’s mainly down to the need for fresh legs after the quick Saturday-to-Tuesday turnaround.

55 mins from kickoff: Bruno might just be grateful that his maiden Chelsea teamsheet will get to slide under the radar when put alongside the carnage that’s emerged from the away dressing room. Two changes for the Blues, including the welcome and long-awaited return of N’Golo Kante.

1 hour from kickoff: Here’s the Liverpool team. Blimey! Six changes from the team that started at City, with Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Robertson, Elliott, Gakpo and Salah all out. As mentioned, Van Dijk is ill. The others are all on the bench with the exception of Elliott. Gomez, Matip, Tsimikas, Jones, Nunez and Firmino come in.

1 hr 20 mins from kickoff: Well, well. it looks like hard talking’s Virgil van Dijk will not be with us tonight.

1 hr 20 mins from kickoff: Jurgen Klopp’s team sheet could also be an interesting one. The Liverpool boss made little attempt to hid his disgust with his team’s efforts in Manchester, namechecking Alisson, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Cody Gakpo as the only players who turned in vaguely acceptable performances in his starting XI.

Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson were among the players hauled off in a quadruple substitution with 20 minutes to go, while Trent Alexander-Arnold endured his latest torrid outing of a season that has turned into something of an ordeal. “If you’re losing the way we lost, then definitely there will be some hard talking. That’s really normal – we’re grown men,” said Virgil van Dijk afterwards. We’ll soon find out how effective those clear-the-air talks were.

MORE: Virgil van Dijk promises ‘hard talking’ as Liverpool face up to crunch Chelsea and Arsenal clashes

1 hr 40 mins from kickoff: Potter’s assistant Bruno Saltor has been elevated to the role of interim head coach for Chelsea this evening. The team news will be with us in around 40 minutes and the simple act of handing in the teamsheet will breach new ground for Bruno, who has never picked a starting lineup before.

“I have been coaching for four years and have been coaching under Graham,” he said at yesterday’s pre-match news conference. “Obviously, he has been the manager and he always had the last word. It’s quite clear that it’s not been the case [Bruno picking a team]. Tomorrow is going to be the first time.” 

Bruno Saltor Chelsea

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2 hours from kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Chelsea vs Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. One of the most notable fixtures on any Premier League calendar, this edition sees both clubs in a state of disarray.

Liverpool were thrashed 4-1 at Manchester City on Saturday and are languishing eighth in the table, with time running out to salvage their top-four hopes. They are at least in the top half, unlike Chelsea, who slipped to 11th after a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa that prompted Graham Potter’s sacking as head coach.

Chelsea vs Liverpool lineups

Despite the change in management, Bruno Saltor is dealing with the same defensive injury concerns as Potter, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva still sidelined.

However, N’Golo Kante makes his first start since August, with Wesley Fofana the other alteration to the XI that lost to Villa. Raheem Sterling takes a place on the bench after recovering from a hamstring problem.

Chelsea starting XI (3-5-2): Kepa (GK) — Fofana, Koulibay, Cucurella — James, Fernandez, Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell — Havertz, Felix.

Chelsea subs: Mendy (GK), Badiashile, Gallagher, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Madueke, Pulisic, Sterling, Mudryk.

Jurgen Klopp is still without Stefan Bajectic and Luis Diaz through injury, and Thiago Alcantara is another week away from a return.

That did not stop the Liverpool boss from scything through the XI that lost to City, with Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson all benched amid six changes. Virgil van Dijk missed out through illness. 

Liverpool starting XI (4-3-3): Alisson (GK) — Gomez, Konate, Matip, Tsimikas — Henderson, Fabinho, Jones — Firmino, Nunez, Jota.

Liverpool subs: Kelleher, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Milner, Arthur, Carvalho, Gakpo, Salah.

MORE: Watch every Premier League match live with fubo in Canada

How to watch Chelsea vs. Liverpool

  TV channel Streaming
USA — Peacock
Canada — fubo Canada
UK Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event Sky GO
Australia — Optus Sport
New Zealand — Sky Sport NOW
India Star Sports Select 1 Jio TV, Hotstar VIP
Hong Kong 620-621 Now Premier League 1 now TV
Malaysia Astro SuperSport 3

Astro GO, sooka
Singapore 221-222 Hub Premier 1, 2 StarHub TV+

UK: This match will be broadcast live in the UK via Sky Sports’ TV and streaming services.

USA: This match will be televised on the Peacock Network.

Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via fubo in Canada.

Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport. 

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