The champions took their guard of honour at Stamford Bridge but a number of the faces in Arne Slot’s line-up were far from deserving of such acclaim
18:27, 04 May 2025Updated 18:32, 04 May 2025
Arne Slot
Arne Slot learned a lot about his players(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool headed to Stamford Bridge for their first outing as champions on Sunday.
Arne Slot took the occasion to rotate the side as he made six changes and handed a number of fringe players a start, with many in the side playing to secure their futures and prove they are capable of being vital parts in a team wanting to begin an era of dominance.
Despite comfortably being champions, Liverpool will likely be under pressure to retain their Premier League title, and question marks over players picked by Slot will need to be answered in the games that remain.
And so far, the majority did little to impress with Gary Neville teasing the Reds might have been worse for wear this week following their title celebrations. Liverpool dominated the ball, but that was it.
Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring after just three minutes to set the Blues on their way before they eventually got a second when a frustrated Virgil van Dijk cleared the ball into Jarell Quansah, who was the unlucky recipient of an own goal following his captain’s shocking clearance. Cole Palmer killed the game and sealed the 3-1 win from the spot after Van Dijk had given Liverpool a cause as he headed home from a corner with five minutes to play.
Jarell Quansah of Liverpool after he scores an own goal
Liverpool were deservedly beaten at Stamford Bridge(Image: Getty Images)
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Unsurprisingly, the urgency in the game came from the hosts, who still have a place in next season’s Champions League firmly up for grabs.
Cole Palmer’s shimmy in the build up for the opening goal exposed Curtis Jones’ proficiency to play in a deeper role, with Palmer looking back to his best operating against the 24-year-old.
Diogo Jota started up front again to no success, again. The 28-year-old has been a regular fixture at the top of Liverpool’s attack but two league goals this calendar year are a major concern. The Portuguese made as many successful passes as he made fouls in his 58 minutes on the pitch.
Amid reports that Benfica are owed £5m when Darwin Nunez starts another game, Slot’s confidence in the Uruguayan to spearhead the side was obvious when he was brought off the bench, only to spoon a free header wide from six yards out. The 25-year-old will be linked with moves away this summer having started once in the league this year.
Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer was the best player on the pitch
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Trent Alexander-Arnold endured another tough afternoon against a quick and direct winger in Noni Madueke as his future remains to be resolved. On the other side of defence, Kostas Tsimikas again showed he’s simply not good enough, with him completely done by Palmer for the second goal.
Meanwhile, Quansah, who could do nothing about the own goal, was found out and caught out. The 22-year-old has been thought of as the long-term successor to Van Dijk, but he was arguably the worst player on the pitch, that he was potentially lucky to remain on after a lunging studs-up tackle saw him booked before he gave away the penalty that led to Palmer sealing the win.
While the lesser-spotted Wataru Endo can hold his head high starting his first league game of the season in one of Liverpool’s most challenging games of the campaign given his and the two clubs’ circumstances.
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Defeat means nothing for Liverpool. It’s purely about finding out those players Slot can build a team around, and those who can be relied upon in the event of an actual title race.