Has It Happened: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea

Good afternoon and welcome to Nigerianeye's live coverage as Liverpool take on Chelsea in the Premier League's late fixture.


Jurgen Klopp's charges will be aiming to earn a fourth straight victory in the league and keep alive their hopes of resurrecting a title challenge.

Meanwhile, Antonio Conte's men head to Anfield seeking to earn a vital away victory to keep the pressure on Manchester City and Manchester United.

Follow all of the live action with our minute-by-minute coverage below.

Please note that this fixture gets underway at 5.30pm.


OFFICIAL LINE-UPS


CHELSEA: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill; Zappacosta, Drinkwater, Kante, Bakayoko, Alonso; Hazard, Morata
CHELSEA SUBSTITUTES: Caballero, Luiz, Rudiger, Moses, Fabregas, Willian, Pedro

LIVERPOOL: Mignolet; Gomez, Klavan, Matip, Moreno; Henderson, Milner, Coutinho; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Sturridge
LIVERPOOL SUBSTITUTES: Karius, Wijnaldum, Firmino, Mane, Lallana, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold

What a second half, especially for the neutrals! Liverpool might feel they should have won this contest, despite a poor showing during the first half. Credit to Chelsea, though, who stuck to their task on the road and levelled with a rather odd fluke in the closing stages. Thanks for joining our live coverage of the match!


90+3 minFULL TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-1 CHELSEA

90 min Liverpool still pressing forward as we enter these final three minutes of additional time. Can they find a shock winner?

86 min Cue questions about Liverpool's goalkeeping issues... Substitute Willian floats an attempt towards the back-post and somehow it flies over the top of Mignolet's palm and into the far corner. It's hard to see whether it's a cross or a shot, but it's definitely a fluke and Chelsea have somehow grabbed themselves a lifeline.

85 min GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-1 CHELSEA (WILLIAN)

80 min Liverpool are enjoying some success down at the Chelsea end despite the Blues desperation needing to get hold of the ball. Wijnaldumat has caused problems in the air since his introduction, but this time Courtois is equal to his header at the back-post.

76 min Fabregas almost proves vital in midfield with a lofted ball over the top for Morata, who beats his man for strength before dragging a shot across goal and wide of the target. The Spaniard is eventually flagged for offside, but it just goes to show the quality that Fabregas can bring during these closing stages.

73 min SUBSTITUTION: Conte has seen enough of Bakayoko, who has had a really poor game today. The Frenchman is hauled off and Cesc Fabregas enters the fray.

70 min Chelsea will need to open up now as they go in search of an equaliser. Klavan nearly makes a costly error at the back with a poor clearance, but the home side eventually scramble things clear through Matip.

66 min Liverpool are ahead and it's arguably against the run of play... well quality of play. Coutinho causes real issues on the edge of the box as he attempts to exchange a one-two with Oxlade-Chamberlain. Bakayoko is there to cut it out but stumbles with a poor clearance, leaving the ball to break through to the continuing Coutinho who cooly slots beyond Courtois.

65 min GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-0 CHELSEA (MOHAMMED SALAH)

63 min SHOT! What an interception from Azpilicueta... A long ball into the box finds Salah, who feeds Sturridge in space on the left with an adroit knock-down. The frontman pulls the trigger with a thumping shot that looks goal-bound, only to see the Chelsea defender pull off a wonderful sliding block to stop the shot from troubling Courtois.

62 min close! Chelsea are turning it on as the breaks mount up. This time Drinkwater crosses towards the front post for Morata, but a deflection puts him off and his effort flies wide of the post.

60 min CLOSE! Chelsea almost find themselves in front and it's all down to the counter again. Zappacosta was the architect down the right, but his eventual ball into the middle evaded everyone, including Morata who drifted cleverly at the back-post to arrive late only to see the ball slip past at the vital moment.

56 min Another penalty shout now as Sturridge is fed inside the Chelsea box. The ball pings up and appears to crash into Cahill's arm at close range. It did hit the arm, but was far too close to be given as a penalty. Signs of life from Liverpool in the Chelsea box, but they really are lacking quality.

51 min Mane is in the middle of a group of players sent to warm-up by Klopp, as Henderson winds up and has a shot from distance. The pace of the game is starting to mirror that of the first half. Liverpool having lots of the ball again, but nothing of note going forward.

49 min Positive movement now from Coutinho allows the Brazilian to feed the run of Sturridge, who turns and produces a weak shot at Courtois. The stopper makes a real mess of his save and gives away a needless corner, which Liverpool fail to exploit.

47 min Early signs that Liverpool are trying to up the tempo going forward, although Chelsea are again equal to it. The Blues call for a penalty for a supposed foul on Hazard from Milner just on the edge of the box, but the referee says play on.

45 min SECOND HALF! Chelsea get us moving again...

So Michael Oliver brings proceedings to a halt after an intriguing half of football on Merseyside. Chelsea are likely to be much the happier side come the break. Conte's charges have stuck to their game-plan and prevented the hosts from creating much of note. The visitors have looked troubling on the counter and Liverpool will need to be vigilante as the game wears on.

45+1 min HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 0-0 CHELSEA

45 min We're going to have on minute of additional time in the first period...

43 min Appeals for a penalty now as Hazard seemingly shoves Coutinho inside the Liverpool box before stealing the ball on the counter. It is right under the referee's nose, who waves for play on despite huge shouts from the Anfield faithful.

41 min close! Textbook Salah now as he receives the ball with his back to goal with Cahill breathing down his neck. The Egyptian turns inside and releases a curling effort with his left that flies just wide of the post with Courtois scrambling across goal.

40 min CLOSE! Wonderful work now from Chelsea's frontline. Morata is at the heart of things as he lays the ball off for Bakayoko, who then feeds Zappacosta in behind down the right channel. The wing-back puts a first-time cross into the middle, although a desperate Liverpool stick a foot out to clear.

37 min Chelsea have been happy to turn this into a war of attrition before looking to use the counter when possible. Liverpool have lacked the cutting edge in this first half - the hosts have been far too slow in their build-up play to threaten the Blues.

33 min What can Klopp do to start influencing this game? Liverpool have failed to get in behind such has been Chelsea's defensive strength. You might look towards Mane in the second half for some more direct running. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Coutinho have been virtually anonymous since kickoff.

31 min CLOSE! Matip goes in a little too clumsily and hands Chelsea a free kick around 25 yards out from goal. Alonso is over it, but sends a curling effort wide of the post without troubling Mignolet.

28 min Conte will be delighted with what he has seen so far. Liverpool look bereft of ideas going forward and the Blues have simply waited to mount attacks of their own on the break, with Hazard causing all sorts of problems with his pace and movement.

25 min Coutinho is able to get his foot on the ball in space for the first time and he turns a wonderful, floated ball beyond the Chelsea defence for the run of Salah, who is stopped by an intervention from Cahill with Courtois caught in two minds on his line.

22 min close! Hazard's pace is causing all sorts of bother now as another driven run from deep sees the Liverpool defence back off, allowing Drinkwater to break beyond the backline with a smart run. Hazard picks him out wonderfully, leaving Mignolet to rush off his line and make another good stop.

20 min SAVE! Chelsea spring the counter effectively from inside the own half, as the ball is floated out to Hazard down the left channel. Morata makes space with a run into the middle, allowing the Belgian to cut inside and get a shot off on goal. It's not the strongest of efforts, although Mignolet does well to get down low and turn the ball past his near post for a corner.

17 min First signs of Liverpool fully coming to life emerge over on the right, as Salah slips in Gomez on the overlap, who then crosses into the middle for the run of Sturridge. Christensen reads things perfectly, though, as he intercepts at the vital moment on the penalty spot.

15 min SHOT! First one of the game and it is horrific. Liverpool build up down the left channel with pace and the ball is soon shifted across the edge of the box. Sturridge lets it run into the path of Oxlade-Chamberlain, who lashes wildly and sends an effort high and wide of the away goal.

14 min Chelsea enjoy a positive share of the ball on the edge of the Liverpool box as Hazard looks for a way through. The Belgian combines well with Bakayoko, but the Frenchman can't quite find the return ball round the corner, leaving Klavan to hoof away.

12 min Conte's men have dealt with proceedings efficiently in the opening ten minutes. The visiting midfield is compact and looks ready to spring when required on the break. It's up to Liverpool to break them down at the moment...

9 minHazard's pace could cause real issues as the game wears on, and he is already showing glimpses of his abilities on the counter as he skips past two men, before eventually being hounded out by a retreating Henderson just inside the Liverpool half.

7 min A rather tentative start here at Anfield as both sides weigh each other up. Chelsea's midfield three looks incredibly tight and well-set at the moment. Liverpool are trying to use the flanks whenever possible, but the Blues are shifting over efficiently to keep tight. Conte is as animated as ever on the touchline after just seven minutes.

5 min Hazard provides a bit of class on the right flank for the Blues, as he combines with Drinkwater in order to break in behind. His ball across the box evades everyone, though, leaving Liverpool to counter through Oxlade-Chamberlain, who eventually stumbles under a challenge from Christensen and Chelsea are able to thwart the danger.

3 min Liverpool make inroads down the right through Salah and he combines well with Sturridge, although the ball into the box is cleared by the head of Cahill who stands firm in the middle.

2 min Some promising signs of intent from Liverpool already as they set on with the press, causing Courtois to kick long out of play needlessly. Liverpool will bring plenty of energy to this early on, but they will need to be wary of the Blues' pace on the break.

1 min KICKOFF! Here we go... Liverpool get things moving, kicking from right to left in their home red strip, while Chelsea feature in all blue with white socks. Both decent kits, actually.