3 things we learned from Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool

Coming into Sunday’s match, Chelsea knew they were champions and Liverpool knew that Champions League qualification was almost impossible. And with their seasons virtually over, neither team looked their best in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

John Terry put Chelsea on the board early through a classic set piece goal. Cesc Fabregas hit a gorgeous delivery, then Terry lost Rickie Lambert and placed a simple header past Simon Mignolet, setting a record for the most goals by a defender in the Premier League with 39.

Chelsea suffered an injury setback late in the half, with Kurt Zouma getting forced off the pitch with a knock, to be replaced by Gary Cahill.

Liverpool pulled level just before halftime, scoring in similar fashion to the Blues. Jordan Henderson hit a great free kick, Steven Gerrard was poorly marked, and in one of his final games for the club, the Liverpool captain headed into the back of the net.

There wasn’t much in the second half, with Chelsea looking perfectly capable of holding off Liverpool, who needed to win to stay alive in the race for top four. They couldn’t pull it off, with Philippe Coutinho coming closest to scoring with a deflected shot in the 88th minute that Thibaut Courtois did well to save.

Goals: Terry (5’)

Goals: Gerrard (44’)

1. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was great ... now he needs to try more stuff - Ruben Loftus-Cheek put in an impressive performance in his full Premier League debut, hardly putting a foot wrong. But while it was great to watch him not misplace a single pass, he took the safest option almost every time. Jose Mourinho will probably want to see him show off some of the skill and creativity that he displays in the Under-21s in future performances.

2. This was probably it for John Obi Mikel - It’s been a solid Chelsea career for Mikel, but he was well off the pace in this match. He’s played a bit less this season than previous years, and probably deservedly so. It’s time for him and Chelsea to part ways, especially with players like Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah coming through the ranks.

3. Brendan Rodgers needs to go into full evaluation mode - Steven Gerrard deserves some kind of Anfield sendoff, but the most important thing for Brendan Rodgers to do over the next two games is evaluate his squad and give chances to young players. Jerome Sinclair, along with some other Under-21s and backup players, need to get run-outs to see what they can bring to Liverpool next season. This season is over.