Chelsea revel in win over Liverpool but big challenges remain
LONDON: Chelsea's players and fans celebrated raucously at the final whistle of their 3-1 victory over Premier League winners Liverpool on Sunday, but tougher tests lie ahead in the Londoners' push to return to the Champions League.
The Stamford Bridge supporters roared along to "One Step Beyond" - the 1980s hit by ska band Madness - and manager Enzo Maresca raced on to the pitch while his coaching staff hugged and swapped high-fives on the touchline.
"Today probably the environment was the best environment of this season with the fans, this is what we need every game, fantastic. It is so good," Maresca told reporters.
"The reason why the staff, the coaching staff, the players at the end are so happy, even the fans, is because at this stage of the season you need to win games."
An early strike by Enzo Fernandez and an own goal by Jarell Quansah put the Blues 2-0 up. Although Virgil van Dijk narrowed the lead in the 85th minute with a header from a corner, Cole Palmer wrapped the win from the penalty spot with almost the last kick of the game.
The win kept Chelsea in the fifth of the five Champions League qualifying spots in the Premier League table and narrowed the gap with some of the teams above them.
The party mood contrasted with tensions at Stamford Bridge as recently as mid-April when Maresca blamed "the environment" in the stadium for a poor performance in a 2-2 draw with struggling Ipswich Town.
But behind Sunday's celebrations in West London for Chelsea's first league win over the Reds since 2021, lurked the realisation that the main challenge for Chelsea's hopes of rejoining Europe's elite is yet to come.
Liverpool, who were crowned English champions last weekend, fielded a half-strength starting 11 as coach Arne Slot gave some of his understudies a chance to shine.
And in their three remaining games, Chelsea have to travel to Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, both of whom are also chasing a Champions League slot. In between, they host an out-of-form Manchester United who will be keen to end the season with some kind of momentum.
Maresca said he was taking the season's finale one match at a time.
But he said it was "very important" that Cole Palmer had got back on the score sheet on Sunday.
Palmer racked up 14 goals in Chelsea's first 21 games of the season but had not found the back of the net since mid-January.
Slot said he was disappointed not to follow up last weekend's title-winning success with a better result but he praised his players for dominating possession against Chelsea and for getting the goal which maintained their record of scoring in every away league game so far this season.
The Dutchman also said he was surprised that Chelsea's own title aspirations had faded so dramatically after running Liverpool close in a 2-1 win for the Reds at Anfield in October.
"I expected them to be a threat this season," he said. "To be (19) points ahead of them is a big compliment." — REUTERS
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