Liverpool have been handed a guard of honour by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as the Reds play for the first time since being confirmed as the Premier League champions
Liverpool received a guard of honour from Chelsea
Liverpool received a guard of honour from Chelsea
Liverpool have received a guard of honour from Chelsea as they play for the first time as the newly crowned Premier League champions. Last weekend the Reds sealed the title and can don their champion tag at Stamford Bridge.
Arne Slot's side have dominated the top flight and were always expected to receive a guard of honour from their rivals. It has long been tradition in England and the Blues have lined-up before their clash to applaud them as they walked out in west London - despite some jeers from the home crowd.
Liverpool can extend their lead to a mammoth 18 points should they claim victory at Chelsea following Arsenal's shock loss at the hands of Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
Back in December the Blues were tipped as Liverpool's most likely title challengers. They closed to within two points during a five-match winning run before falling away in the following months.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca had said before the contest that his side would honour the tradition and give Liverpool a guard of honour - but wanted his players to use it as fuel as he warned Slot and his Reds that they are a coming force.
Liverpool were confirmed as champions last weekend at Anfield (
Image:
Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The Italian said: “It's tradition. We have to do that, and we are going to do that. They won the Premier League, so they deserve it. In terms of the gap between us and Liverpool, it is there, you can see this clearly. My feeling is we are [moving] in the right direction and hopefully this gap can be smaller and smaller.
“The difference is they have been consistent compared to us. For part of the season we were very good, and then we lost some games. This has probably been the main reason why the gap is there - also in terms of experienced players who know how to win games and these kinds of things, I think they have something more compared to us."
Liverpool will play four games as champions due to their early title victory. Next week they will host the Gunners, who had attempted to chase them down for much of the season, where all eyes will be on whether Mikel Arteta's team will also give a guard of honour.
Following that they head to Brighton before hosting Crystal Palace on the final day of the season, where they will be awarded the Premier League trophy for the second time.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more