Chelsea vs Liverpool, live! How to watch, stream link, videos, updates, TV

Injuries all over the pitch have hit Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea hard and even though Romelu Lukaku is back fit, he was left out after his comments hitting out at Tuchel’s tactics and the Chelsea boss responding. What a mess around the $131.5 million striker.

Liverpool are without Jurgen Klopp for this clash, plus Alisson, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino, as they all had ‘suspected positive’ COVID-19 cases.

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FULL TIME: After a wild first half, the game fizzled out. Chelsea 2-2 Liverpool is the final score (my pre-match score prediction, btw…. What a game. Reaction and analysis will be posted in the links above.

10 minutes to go. Konate was done for a while after a whack in the fast, but he’s good to continue. Can anybody win it late on!?

Just over 20 minutes to go. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita on for Milner and Jota as Liverpool make two subs.

GREAT STOP! Kelleher denies Pulisic as the ball is whipped in from the left and the USMNT winger hooks a shot towards goal. Liverpool’s young goalkeeper did really well to react to that and push it away. Brilliant stuff from the goalkeepers at both ends to keep this 2-2.

ANOTHER SAVE! This time Sadio Mane is played in by Salah and his high finish is saved by Mendy. Mane should have scored there.

WHAT A SAVE! Edouard Mendy somehow claws it away as Mohamed Salah tries to chip him from 30 yards out. Brilliant play from all involved. This game.

Chelsea have started the second half really, really well. Liverpool a little stunned, which is understandable after that end to the first half.

SECOND HALF: Massive 45 minutes coming up for both teams. Please let the second half be as good as the first…

And breath. Half time. 2-2. What a game.

GOALLLLL! Christian Pulisic controls well and sends a lovely finish into the far top corner. Chelsea make it 2-2! Two goals in a few minutes and the game has turned on its head. What a first half.

CHRISTIAN PULISIC ANSWERS BACK! pic.twitter.com/YSy4xxMlSJ

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 2, 2022

GOALLL! Mateo Kovacic scores a beauty to make it 2-1. An amazing volley from outside the box and Stamford Bridge erupts. Boy did Chelsea need that just before half time. Game on!

What. A. Goal.

???? Mateo Kovacic, a simply ridiculous volley! #CFC #LFC #CHELIV pic.twitter.com/wBeRSGdTQJ

— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) January 2, 2022

Two big chances for Liverpool and two goals. Clinical. Two lovely gifts from Salah and Mane before they head off to the Africa Cup of Nations for the next few weeks. Liverpool ruthless and Chelsea are stunned.

GOALLL! Mohamed Salah with another sublime goal. Lovely shimmy to bamboozle Marcos Alonso and a great finish at the near post past Mendy. Liverpool cruising.

MO. SALAH.

???? @USA_Network | #CHELIV pic.twitter.com/D0Z4VPjCwj

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 2, 2022

Chelsea have responded well to going behind and they are popping it around quite nicely.

GOALLL! Moments after that big chance for Chelsea, Liverpool take the lead. A ball forward sees Trevoh Chalobah make a mess of the clearance and Mane skips free, rounds Edouard Mendy and finishes. That is his first goal in nine games and his long drought (for him) is over. After starting slowly, Liverpool are ahead.

???????? Sadio Mane puts Liverpool ahead after a poor mistake from Trevoh Chalobah. #CFC 0-1 #LFC #CHELIV pic.twitter.com/yccKevmnP8

— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) January 2, 2022

CHANCE! A huge opportunity for Christian Pulisic to put Chelsea ahead, as Alexander-Arnold hits Havertz and falls straight to the USMNT star. However, he takes too long on the ball and Liverpool’s young goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, standing in for Alisson, smothers the ball and grabs it at his feet. The American is not happy with himself.

Pulisic will not want to see this again…

???????? #USMNT's Christian Pulisic will not want to see this one-on-one chance back.

Young Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher did well, but Pulisic will be very upset he didn't finish off this golden chance to put Chelsea 1-0 up. #CFC #LFC #CHELIV pic.twitter.com/eOfigHXfCt

— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) January 2, 2022

Huge moment in the first 30 seconds.

Sadio Mane jumps high over seven seconds and has his arm raised, as he smashes Cesar Azpilicueta in the face. Mane booked, but that could have easily been a red card after a VAR check. Mane is lucky.

The big news is that Romelu Lukaku has been left out of the starting lineup due to his recent comments in the media against Tuchel. Timo Werner is out after a recent COVID-19 test, while Andreas Christensen and Reece James are all likely to be out. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is battling back from an ankle injury, while Ben Chilwell is out for the season after having surgery on his knee injury. Given all of that, Thiago Silva, Rudiger and Chalobah start in defense, while Christian Pulisic is moved back to an attacking midfield role with Kai Havertz starting up top.

Here’s how we’ll line up today! ????@ParimatchGlobal | #CheLiv pic.twitter.com/kykD7JnV0B

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 2, 2022

Andy Robertson is missing once again due to suspension so Kostas Tsimikas will start at left back. Thiago Alcantara and Takumi Minamino are out, while Divock Origi is also out with a knock. Nat Phillips, Adrian and Harvey Elliott remain out too. Klopp is missing from the sidelines due to COVID-19, while the three Liverpool players to miss out due to COVID-19 are Alisson, Joel Matip and Roberto Firmino. That means Kelleher starts in goal, while Konate comes in for Matip and the front three is Jota, Salah and Mane.

???? #CHELIV ???????????????? ???????????????? ????

Your first Reds line-up of the New Year!

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 2, 2022

Thomas Tuchel has consistently bemoaned Chelsea’s injury and illness issues in recent weeks as the Blues have lost ground in the title race and sit in second place in the table heading into this clash. Last time out they conceded a stoppage time equalizer at home at Brighton and they just haven’t looked like themselves over the last two months.

At the other end of the pitch constant shuffling due to injuries has been an issue, while Ben Chilwell is now out for the season and Reece James came off injured against Brighton last time out. All of this adds up to the first major dip in form for Tuchel as Chelsea boss, as the reigning European champions were the preseason favorites for many to win the title and they have to try to hang in the race heading into the second half of the season.

Jurgen Klopp won’t be on the bench at Stamford Bridge after he had a suspected positive test for COVID-19. As Klopp will watch on from home, his Liverpool side are in a very similar situation to Chelsea as the Reds are reeling from a shock loss at injury-hit Leicester City last time out. Liverpool sit in third place, one point behind Chelsea, but do have a game in-hand over their title rivals. Klopp, like Tuchel, has admitted his team will struggle to stay in the title race as Man City have pulled away with 10 wins on the spin heading into this weekend. Injuries have impacted Liverpool in recent weeks too and they will now lose Naby Keita, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to Africa Cup of Nations duty in January. That is a double blow for Klopp who knows his side have the quality to stay in the title race with Manchester City but do they have the squad depth?

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