Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield. It is the Reds' final home game of the season, and victory would significantly strengthen their chances of qualifying for next term's Europa League. The visitors have nothing but pride to fight for, meanwhile, but with Antonio Conte sure to be watching on, they will be keen to impress their incoming manager. We have a bumper two-hour build-up for you tonight, so let's get started with a look at the home side...

It has been very much a mixed season for Liverpool this term, and solely looking at their league position you'd have to say that it hasn't been a particularly good one. The Reds go into tonight's match sitting a disappointing eighth in the table, well out of the running for the top-four spot that they began the campaign targeting. There has of course been a change of manager during the season too, with Brendan Rodgers making way for Jurgen Klopp back in October and, while the team have struggled for consistency at times since the German's arrival, there are certainly signs that the club are heading in that right direction.

Klopp would have arrived at the club looking to rebuild and slowly put his mark on the team, and the results and performances have suggested that he is doing that. There was the occasional very good display earlier in his tenure, but that spell was plagued by inconsistency and Liverpool are now playing at a higher level on a more regular basis. While that current league position of eighth would be disappointing should they finish there, Liverpool could still actually finish as high as fifth place in the league and as Europa League champions. Having also reached another cup final in the League Cup, that would have to go down as a pretty satisfactory start for Klopp.

Tonight will be the German's 50th game in charge of Liverpool, reaching that tally quicker than any other previous manager in the club's history. This game comes 217 days after his first match against Tottenham, while the next quickest to reach the half-century were Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, who both got there in 254 days. He has won 23 of his 49 games so far, with 15 draws and 11 defeats, while solely in the Premier League his record stands at 13 wins, seven draws and eight defeats - not a world-beating record, but again there are signs that they are heading in the right direction.

LIVERPOOL VS. CHELSEA MEMORIES: Throughout tonight's build-up I will be looking back on some of the more memorable moments from what has become a standout fixture in the English football calendar over the past 15 years or so. Perhaps the most famous meeting, or infamous depending on which side you are on, came in the 2004-05 Champions League semi-final, when Liverpool won 1-0 to progress to Istanbul, where they won their fifth European title in such dramatic fashion. Chelsea and Jose Mourinho were still bemoaning the below 'ghost goal' from Luis Garcia, though, and it remains a hugely contentious issue.

In many ways, Klopp's debut campaign has mirrored that of Rafael Benitez in 2005, albeit just a little bit behind. Liverpool flattered to deceive in the Premier League that year too despite their memorable European triumph, and that has been the case again this term. Klopp is looking to become the first Liverpool boss since Benitez to both win a trophy in his first season in charge and lift a European trophy. The Reds will take on defending champions Sevilla in the final in Basel a week from today in a match that would also see them qualify for next season's Champions League with a victory.

That will, of course, be their priority over the closing week of the campaign, but before then they have to take on Chelsea tonight and then West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on the final day of the season. As mentioned, fifth place is still a mathematical option, with yesterday's result at the Boleyn Ground leaving them just five points off Manchester United, but they would require the Red Devils to lose at home to Bournemouth and West Ham to be beaten by Stoke on Sunday to stand any chance of climbing that high. Sixth is a very realistic goal, though, with a win tonight seeing them climb above Southampton and one point behind West Ham heading into the final day. Sixth would be enough for Europa League football next season, which would give them a safety net heading into the final of that competition.

They go into those final two games of the season in pretty good form having lost just one of their last seven Premier League outings, despite numerous changes being made to their side in that time. A number of youngsters have been blooded in recent weeks as Klopp prioritised the Europa League, but they have won four of those seven, including notable victories over Stoke (4-1) and Everton (4-0). Their only defeat in that time was a 3-1 reverse at the hands of Swansea City, but that will go down as an anomaly after Liverpool put in arguably their worst performance of the Jurgen Klopp era.

They have scored in their last 12 Premier League matches too, which is their best run in the competition since their title near-miss in 2013-14. They are still some way short of that run, when they went on to score more than 100 goals in the season, having found the back of the net in 25 consecutive games in that run. This season they have turned things around from being one of the lower scorers in the league to now being among the highest, with only four teams have found the back of the net more often than Liverpool.

LIVERPOOL VS. CHELSEA MEMORIES: Two years after the Garcia ghost goal, these two sides met in the semi-finals of the Champions League once more, and yet again it came down to a clash at Anfield in the second leg. The deja-vu continued as Liverpool picked up another 1-0 victory, although this time that was only enough to take it to penalties. Liverpool came out on top in the shootout, though, setting up a repeat of Istanbul against AC Milan which the Italian giants this time won.

For much of Klopp's early days at the club, Liverpool's best performances came away from home, with notable wins over tonight's opponents as well as Manchester City and Southampton. Recently, though, they have been producing their best football at Anfield, with Liverpool now unbeaten in front of their own fans in their last 12 games in all competitions. Their last defeat here came on January 26 when they were beaten by Stoke City in the League Cup semi-finals, although they still progressed from that tie on penalties. They have been particularly good in the more recent past too, with five wins and a draw from their last six here, scoring 19 goals in that time.

They have been a tough team to beat here all season in truth, with only four losses from their 30 home games in 2015-16, including that one against Stoke which they went on to win on penalties. They have only won half of those, however, with 11 draws representing too many dropped points in front of their own fans. They have actually only won back-to-back league games at Anfield once this season, and that came last month. Victory tonight would see them do it again, however, following their 2-0 win over Watford on Sunday.

Their win percentage at home is slightly better solely looking at the Klopp era, with 13 victories and only three defeats from 24 outings, and he will be desperate to sign off from Anfield for the season with another win tonight. They have not been beaten at home in the league since Manchester United's smash-and-grab on January 17, since when they have won four games and drawn three. Indeed, all season they have only lost three league games at Anfield, but once again draws have been the problem and they only boast the eighth-best home record in the division.

LIVERPOOL VS. CHELSEA MEMORIES: The most recent meeting between these two sides came in October, and it was a notable one for Klopp as he picked up his first Premier League victory as Liverpool manager. It piled the pressure on Jose Mourinho as Chelsea's miserable start to the campaign continued, and he was extra spiky in his post-match interview following his side's 3-1 defeat. Ramires had given the hosts an early lead at Stamford Bridge, but a brace from Philippe Coutinho and a late strike from Christian Benteke turned things around.

That match was one of a number of low points for Chelsea in the opening months of the season as their title challenge petered out in double-quick time, despite many predicting them to go on and lift the trophy again. It really has been an awful campaign for the Blues, and they are now guaranteed to go down as the worst defending Premier League champions in history. They can finish no higher than their current position of ninth, sitting as they do 10 points behind tonight's opponents. It has almost been a write-off since around October, with Jose Mourinho finally being sacked after defeat to Leicester City in December.

Fan favourite Guus Hiddink was called upon to steady the ship, and while he certainly stopped the rot, he hasn't exactly managed to restore Chelsea to the force that they were last season. The Dutchman halted the defeats, with Chelsea having fallen to nine in their first 16 games in the Premier League but then not losing for the next 15. However, like with Liverpool draws were the biggest problem during that time for Chelsea, preventing them from producing a remarkable comeback to challenge from the European place. Had Hiddink been able to turn some of those draws into wins, his side would still have something to fight for this season.

As mentioned, though, this season was pretty much a write-off before Hiddink arrived for his second spell as interim boss, and the Dutchman has done a job and at least got Chelsea back into the top half. They will need to improve their recent form if they are to stay there, though, with the Blues having lost three of their last five games following that 15-game unbeaten run. They currently sit ninth, which is the best they can get this season, but in a worst-case scenario they could still finish as low as 13th if results go against them tonight and on the final day.

Chelsea's final match of the season comes against their usurpers Leicester City in a battle between the last two champions, although when the fixture list was initially released it was much more likely to be a big game at opposite ends of the table, with Chelsea expected to challenge for the title and Leicester battle against the drop. Chelsea's plight this term has been arguably as shocking as Leicester's incredible rise to the top of English football, but they can point to their record against top-half teams as a major reason behind their poor league position. They have only beaten two of the other nine teams currently in the top half all season (Arsenal twice and Southampton), taking just 15 points from a possible 48 in those games. In comparison, they have taken 33 points from a possible 60 against bottom-half teams - still not a great record for a club like Chelsea but significantly better than their top-half record.

In all competitions Chelsea have won just one of their last five and two of their last 10 outings, with those victories coming against Bournemouth and Aston Villa. They have lost half of those 10 games, which includes exits from both the FA Cup and the Champions League, and have not beaten a top-half team since February 27, when they won against Southampton. They only lost one of their first 16 games under Hiddink in all competitions, away to PSG in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, but have since lost five of the last nine.

LIVERPOOL VS. CHELSEA MEMORIES: Liverpool fans, look away now. One of the most memorable recent meetings between these two sides came a couple of years ago when Liverpool were chasing the title. Chelsea were also involved in the race, but by the time they travelling to Anfield were in the role of party-poopers rather than title challengers. They did manage to rain on the Liverpool parade, though, winning 2-0 in a match most remembered for that slip by Steven Gerrard. Liverpool went on to draw with Crystal Palace and miss out on the title to Manchester City.

TEAM NEWS! The team news is in, and there are some notable inclusions and exclusions for both sides...

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Mignolet; Clyne, Toure, Lovren, Moreno; Can, Milner, Lallana, Coutinho, Firmino; Sturridge
Subs: Bogdan, Skrtel, Smith, Lucas, Allen, Ojo, Benteke

CHELSEA STARTING XI: Begovic; Azpilicueta, Mikel, Cahill, Baba Rahman; Fabregas, Matic; Pedro, Willian, Hazard; Traore
Subs: Amelia, Tomori, Kenedy, Loftus-Cheek, Palmer, Pato, Abraham

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, the first thing to note from Liverpool's perspective is that they are back up to pretty much full strength, despite the Europa League final being just a week away. Klopp makes eight changes to the side that beat Watford at the weekend, returning to the same starting XI that did the business against Villarreal in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final six days ago.

That means a start for Daniel Sturridge up front, with the striker having been left out of many of Liverpool's biggest games recently but now being the number one choice again due to Origi's injury. The England international has a superb goalscoring record in terms of minutes to goals ratio this season, and he appears to be getting over his injury problems having had a decent spell without a setback now. He should have done enough to earn himself a spot on the plane to France this summer, although he may have to settle for at best third in the pecking order behind Kane and Vardy.

Roberto Firmino's Liverpool career got off to a slow start, but he has developed into one of the team's most importantly players since and has been involved in more goals for the club than anyone else this season. Lallana is another to struggled to gain a regular starting berth during the first half of the campaign, but he is a vital cog of Klopp's plan now. Both of those are capable of creating things and finishing them off, but the Liverpool X-factor still comes from Philippe Coutinho, who is one of only three players to keep his place in the side from the weekend tonight. Emre Can and James Milners also return in midfield, with Henderson unlikely to feature for his club again this season.

At the back, Flanagan drops out of the squad entirely, while Skrtel and makeshift centre-back Lucas both have to settle for a place on the bench as Klopp reverts to what appears to be his first-choice back four now - at least in terms of players available to him. Sakho remains banned following a failed drugs test, which means that Kolo Toure once again partners Lovren at the heart of the defence, while Clyne fills in at right-back. Moreno and Mignolet join Coutinho as the only players to start both tonight and against Watford at the weekend.

Chelsea's lineup is particularly interesting because of the names that are absent from it, starting with Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian misses out on his birthday through what must surely be an injury, although he wasn't down as a doubt before the contest so that one remains a bit of a mystery. He only just returned from his ban against Sunderland last time out, but he is not involved tonight as Asmir Begovic comes in to take his place between the sticks. Begovic is an accomplished keeper in his own right, but the absence of Courtois is a bonus for the home side.

At the back, John Terry misses out through suspension, which I will talk about a little more later in the build-up, but while the options to replace him appeared to be either Ivanovic or Miazga, Hiddink has instead moved Mikel back alongside Cahill. Indeed, Ivanovic and Miazga both miss out altogether tonight, with Azpilicueta moving across to right-back to fill in for the former and Baba Rahman replacing him in the starting lineup. Again, neither were down as injury concerns going into tonight, so it is another interesting decision from Hiddink.

Mikel moving back into defence means that there is a place for Pedro in the trio just behind the striker, despite the Spaniard having been a doubt for this game with a broken nose. Willian and the improving Hazard join him in that trio, with Fabregas dropping back alongside Matic in the holding role in midfield. Oscar, who had to settle for a place on the bench at the weekend, is another big name who misses out entirely tonight.

One of the running battles in recent meetings between these two sides has been between Skrtel and Costa, but neither make the starting XI for either side tonight. Costa is sidelined with a hamstring injury, and his absence will arguably be the biggest blow of them all for Chelsea tonight. It is fair to say that the striker had a poor start to the season under Mourinho, but he improved when Hiddink came in and has contributed to 14 goals in his last 14 league games (nine goals, five assists). Traore leads the line in his absence tonight.

LIVERPOOL VS. CHELSEA MEMORIES: It is the Champions League where many of the memorable matches between these two sides have come in recent years, and having been knocked out in the semi-finals in both 2005 and 2007, Chelsea were drawn against the Reds again in the 2008-09 quarter-finals. This time Chelsea took control with a 3-1 win in the first leg, but they were given an almighty scare in the second when Liverpool took a 2-0 lead. It turned into a classic, though, as Chelsea fought back and the match eventually ended 4-4 on the night and 7-5 to the Blues on aggregate. Chelsea went on to be eliminated by eventual champions Barcelona in the semi-finals.

Chelsea's most recent outing saw them beaten in dramatic fashion by Sunderland on Saturday, conceding two quickfire second-half goals to fall to a 3-2 defeat. The main headline to come from that match was, of course, the big boost to Sunderland's survival, and the Black Cats would secure their place in the top flight for another season should they beat Everton this evening, but from Chelsea's perspective it was a hugely disappointing result that was capped off deep into stoppage time when captain John Terry picked up a needless second yellow to be handed his marching orders.

The enormity of that moment may not have been immediately obvious to those inside the Stadium of Light, but Terry seemed to know as he trudged off the field wearing a Chelsea shirt for what is likely to be the last time. Usually two yellow cards only result in a one-match ban, but as it was Terry's second red card of the season he will be suspended for the final two games of the campaign. There is still no new contract in the pipeline for the 35-year-old either, so it appears as though his 21-year association with the club could have come to an end with that late challenge on Saturday. It is not a fitting way for him to say goodbye having made more than 700 appearances for the club and led them to four league titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League, and there have been reports that fans are planning on staging a walkout in the 26th minute of these final two games as a protest against their skipper not being awarded a new contract. The fans will return in time for the second half, though.

Things may still change this summer with Antonio Conte coming in, but you would think that the Italy boss would have already been in touch with the board if he wanted to keep Terry. Hiddink has already expressed his belief that the defender is still good enough to be playing at the highest level, and that is the view of many fans and pundits too. It is looking increasingly like we have seen the last of him in English football, though, with Terry having previously vowed not to play for another club in this country.

LIVERPOOL VS. CHELSEA MEMORIES: If, when Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2004 having just steered Porto to the Champions League title, you would have told Chelsea fans that he would have been sacked on two separate occasions by the club then they wouldn't have believed you. That prospect looked even more unlikely when Chelsea came up against Liverpool in the 2005 League Cup final, with Mourinho picking up his first trophy at the club courtesy of a 3-2 victory at the Millennium Stadium.

If Terry has indeed played his last game for Chelsea, then it is not just an unbefitting way for him to go out but also an unbefitting season. I have already talked about Chelsea's troubles in terms of results and league positions, but defensively they have been so far below their usual standards too. Their 3-2 defeat to Sunderland on Saturday means that they have now conceded 51 goals in the current campaign - the first time that they have gone over the 50 mark since 1996-97. Should they concede four goals in their final two games against Liverpool and Leicester then they would equal their worst-ever Premier League tally of 55 conceded, set in that 1996-97 season and also in 1994-95. They have kept only one clean sheet in their last 16 games in all competitions, stretching back to February, and that came against the league's lowest scorers in Aston Villa.

One area that Hiddink has improved more than most is the club's away form, with Chelsea having won six of their last nine on the road after managing just one in their first nine. They have picked up 20 points from a possible 30 away from home in the league under Hiddink, losing just two of their 10 outings, compared to only five points from 27 under Mourinho this season. Hiddink's main troubles have actually come at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have won just one of their nine league games since the Dutchman's arrival, drawing seven. They now have a better record away from home in the league this season than they do in front of their own fans.

You can probably expect an early goal in tonight's match considering that the first goal of the game has been scoring in the opening 10 minutes in four of the last five meetings between these two sides. Should Liverpool get that goal then there is no guarantee that they will hang on to it, though - the Reds have thrown away 14 points from leading positions at home in the Premier League this season - a tally matched only by their opponents this evening.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction! Chelsea do have a good away record since Hiddink took over, but with little to fight for I am inclined to lean towards a Liverpool win today. The team selections only strengthened that view, with Liverpool recalling their big names and Chelsea missing so many of theirs, so I'm going to go for a 3-1 home win!

Chelsea have generally had the upper hand in this fixture in recent times, although that was not the case when they met at Stamford Bridge earlier in the campaign. That 3-1 win was Liverpool's first victory in their last eight meetings with the Blues in all competitions, including six in the Premier League when they had lost three and drawn three. Liverpool have not beaten Chelsea here at Anfield since May 2012, though, when they ran out 4-1 winners.

Chelsea do usually manage to score against Liverpool, though, doing so in each of their last nine league meetings with the Merseysiders. They have enjoyed themselves here at Anfield recently too, scoring twice in each of their last three visits in the Premier League. The most recent of those saw them recover from Emre Can's early deflected effort to win 2-1, although they have visited more recently than that in the League Cup. On that occasion it was Chelsea who took the lead through Hazard's penalty, before Sterling earned Liverpool a first-leg draw in the semi-final.

A win for Liverpool tonight would be the 27th time that the home side has emerged victorious in this fixture, which would equal the Premier League record. Both sides have won the fixture 13 times in front of their own fans in the Premier League era so far, with only Liverpool vs. Newcastle United currently having seen more home wins.

SPORTS MOLE AWARDS! Right, we are very close to kickoff now, but before we get underway allow me to point you in the direction of this season's Sports Mole reader awards, where you can choose your player of the season, goal of the season, game of the season and many more. The winners will be announced later this week and tonight is your last chance to vote, so click here to have your say on what has been arguably the most remarkable Premier League season of them all.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! The final game of the season at Anfield begins with Chelsea getting us underway.

Sturridge beats Mikel all ends up in the opening seconds and wins a free kick for Liverpool on the edge of the area from a good crossing position...

...but it is a huge waste from the striker as he puts the free kick a long way into the stand behind the goal.

UPDATE: There are two other games taking place tonight, and it is a huge night at the bottom. Sunderland are still goalless against Everton, but Norwich have already come from behind to lead Watford 2-1. The Canaries need a win to stand any chance of staying up.

CHANCE! Early chance for Liverpool as Moreno and Coutinho combine down the left as the full-back hares down the outside on the overlap. He finds Sturridge, who plays a return low pass back to Moreno, whose second cross falls to Coutinho. He fires one towards goal, but Baba Rahman makes a goal-saving block.

SAVE! Begovic is called into action here as Lallana is left in plenty of space just outside the area. He drives a low effort towards the bottom corner, but the Chelsea keeper gets down to push it away. Coutinho picks it up, but his strike seconds later is straight at the keeper.

SAVE! Mignolet is called into action for the first time tonight as Hazard slides a pass in to Traore, who cuts inside past Toure but is closed down by Lovren. Lovren's block takes the sting out of the shot and it is comfortable for Mignolet.

CHANCE! Sturridge stands a cross up to the back post that Begovic misjudges and Mikel has to bundle behind for a corner. From the resulting delivery Lovren climbs highest, but he can't steer his header on target.

Liverpool have made a vibrant start to this match, which has been a hallmark of their best performances under Klopp. They have been on top in the opening stages, although Traore in particularly also looks lively for the visitors.

Well, it was a lively start to the match, but ever since I said that it has all slowed down a bit. The atmosphere is a little subdued as Chelsea enjoy a good spell of possession here.

Liverpool have barely seen the ball in the last five minutes or so. Chelsea come forward and the ball pops up invitingly for Pedro, but he opts against the volley and is eventually forced out wide before Moreno plays the ball off his compatriot for a goal kick.

Moreno gets down the left well here and p[lays a low cross into the middle, but Begovic is there to collect it comfortably.

SHOT! Lovren tries a speculative effort as he picks the ball up on the right side of the field and around 30 yards from goal. Sturridge is making moves in the box, but Lovren hits it himself and it flies well off target.

CHANCE! Good chance for Liverpool as Sturridge does well to release Firmino down the left flank. He races away from Matic and drives into the box but, with only Begovic to beat, looks over his shoulder at Matic and that causes him to take a wayward touch. He still manages to get something resembling a shot away, but the angle is too tight.

SHOT! Another effort from the hosts, but they are largely being limited to long-range efforts at the moment. Sturridge is the latest to have a go, but he curls his right-footed effort well over the crossbar.

SAVE! Chelsea come close at the other end, with Hazard picking the ball up around 20 yards from goal and being afforded space to shoot. He drives a good low strike towards the bottom corner, but Mignolet gets the save. He can't hold on to the ball, but Toure is there to complete the clearance.

UPDATE: HUGE goal at the bottom of the table as Sunderland take the lead through Patrick van Aanholt! They are now 1-0 up against Everton - a scoreline that will send both Newcastle and Norwich down tonight. For their part, Norwich are now 3-1 up against Watford, but that will be in vain if things stay the same at the Stadium of Light.

Well, there was talk of a walkout in the 26th minute in protest against Terry's lack of a new deal, but that doesn't seem to have materialised. Instead, signs are being lifted imploring the board to give him a new contract. Not the best protest I have ever seen.

UPDATE: Newcastle and Norwich edge that bit closer to the drop zone as Lamine Kone doubles Sunderland's lead! They are 2-0 up against Everton, and unless the Toffees get two or more goals without reply in that game then the relegation places will be sorted tonight.

Not too much to report from Anfield in the last five minutes or so, with this game being played at quite a slow tempo. Liverpool started brightly, but since then it has not been great, it must be said.

Well, we needed something to light this game up, and Hazard has just provided it with a brilliant solo effort. He beats four red shirts on his way from the left flank into the box before picking out the bottom corner with a pinpoint finish that left Mignolet no chance. That is more like the Hazard we saw last season!

Hazard went 30 Premier League games without a goal this season, but he has found his shooting boots again in recent weeks and that was a moment of magic from the Belgian.

SAVE! Liverpool look to come up with a response as Coutinho collects the ball in space and tries to curl an effort towards goal from 25 yards. It is too close to Begovic, though, and the keeper beats it away with a strong pair of hands.

SAVE! Another long-range effort arrives from Sturridge, but again he doesn't catch it right and it is easy for Begovic to collect.

CHANCE! Big chance for Chelsea to double their lead! A ball is played through to Traore and Mignolet comes out to meet it and initially looks to be favourite. However, he slams the breaks on to leave him in no-man's land and is fortunate to see Traore curl his effort off target when looking for the top left corner.

Chelsea will be pretty happy with their performance in this first half. They haven't posed too many threats to the Liverpool goal, but Begovic hasn't had too much hard work to do either and the visitors have that goal.

SHOT! Chelsea look to catch the hosts sleeping here as Fabregas collects a quickly-taken free kick short before drilling one towards goal, but it flashes a couple of yards past the near post.

YELLOW CARD! Emre Can becomes the first name in the book tonight for a trip on Hazard. Can has plenty of complaints about the decision,k but he shouldn't - that is a yellow all day long.

There will be just the one added minute at the end of this first half.

The referee brings an end to the first half at Anfield, then, and it is Chelsea who take the lead into the interval. It has not been the most exciting 45 minutes of football that Anfield has seen so far this season in truth, but Chelsea will be delighted with their performance so far.

Eden Hazard is the difference-maker at the halfway stage of the contest, and it was a blast from last season for the Belgian to give his side the lead. He went on a brilliant weaving run, beating four red shirts on his way into the box before producing a perfect finish into the bottom corner. It was a superb solo effort, and perhaps the closest we have seen to the Hazard of last season so far.

Perhaps the biggest chance other than the goal also fell to Chelsea when Traore was played through and Mignolet came out to meet him, only to then stop in his tracks when he thought that he wouldn't get there. That left the keeper in no-man's land, but Traore lifted his finish off target when looking to pick out the top-left corner.

The vast majority of the shots have come from Liverpool, but not many of them have called Begovic into serious action. Probably their best opening arrived after just five minutes when Moreno's cross found Coutinho, but the Brazilian saw his strike well blocked by Baba Rahman. Firmino has also had a good opening when he was released clean through on goal down the left channel, but he took a poor touch at a crucial moment and the chance went begging.

Aside from that, Liverpool have largely been limited to long-range efforts, with the best of the lot coming when Lallana forced a save from Begovic. Lovren, Sturridge and Coutinho have all had unsuccessful attempts on goal for a Liverpool side who started brightly, but have since struggled to get any sort of tempo or rhythm in their play.

UPDATE: Before we get back underway for the second half, the game is as good as up for Newcastle and Norwich. Sunderland are now 3-0 up against Everton and look to be safe!

KICKOFF: Liverpool get us back underway for the second half as they look to turn this around in the final 45 minutes at Anfield this season.

YELLOW CARD! Hazard is proving to be a real handful tonight, and Toure joins Can in the book for a cynical foul on the Belgian.

Well, Liverpool have had a few ambitious efforts tonight, but this is the most ambitious of the lot as Sturridge goes for goal from the halfway line. It doesn't come close to catching Begovic out, though.

SHOT! It is Firmino's turn to have a go from range, but his powerful drive from 25 yards flies well over the crossbar. It just isn't happening for the hosts tonight.

It is not too often under Klopp that Liverpool have started a game as brightly as they did tonight and then gone in to produce such a tepid performance. They just haven't been on their game since around the 10th minute.

Sturridge wins a free kick from Azpilicueta in a good crossing position, but Milner wastes the resulting delivery by swinging it over everybody's head and out for a goal kick.

SAVE! Hazard looks to weave his magic again as he collects the ball and runs at the defence once more. He doesn't get as much behind his shot this time, though, and Mignolet is able to make the save.

CHELSEA SUB: Chelsea are forced into a change here as Willian limps off with a hamstring injury to be replaced by Kenedy.

Positive break forward from Liverpool down the left flank as Milner gets forward and manages to squeeze a cross in. Mikel is there to calmly take it down and play the ball out, though.

CHANCE! Big chance for Liverpool to level things up, but Begovic makes a superb save! Lallana is the creator with a clever reverse pass for Sturridge, but with only the keeper to beat he is thwarted by Begovic.

CHANCE! The resulting corner is played short to Sturridge, who swings a cross into the middle that makes it all the way to Toure. He doesn't seem to expect it, though, and his stooping header is simple for Begovic to collect.

SAVE! At the other end Pedro picks the ball up on the right flank before cutting inside and firing an effort towards goal from around 25 yards. It is a decent strike, but is fairly central and Mignolet is able to make the save.

CHANCE! A corner arrives into the box which Begovic comes to meet, but he can't get enough on his punch and the ball loops up to Lallana. He watches it all the way onto his boot and attempts a volley, but it skews off the side of his foot and goes wide.

Jurgen Klopp must be thinking of a change soon. This is probably the strongest lineup available to him right now, but they haven't played like it and an injection of fresh legs could give them the impetus to finally get something going in this game.

UPDATE: Newcastle and Norwich are just a few minutes away from relegation to the Premier League, with Sunderland still leading Everton 3-0 going into the closing stages at the Stadium of Light.

Almost a chance for Liverpool at the back post as Moreno's cross finds Lallana, but he tries to convert it towards goal from a tight angle and it is blocked by a defender.

SAVE! At the other end Traore does well to cut inside and drill a low strike towards goal, but Mignolet does well to push the shot away.

YELLOW CARD! Milner goes into the book for a rash challenge on Fabregas.

CHELSEA SUB: Chelsea make their second change of the evening, and it is a debut for young Tammy Abraham as he replaces Traore.

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Klopp finally does make his first two changes of the evening as Joe Allen and Christian Benteke replace Milner and Lallana.

Meanwhile Firmino lines up a free kick in shooting range following a foul on Coutinho, but Firmino strike deflects off the wall and goes wide.

SAVE! Liverpool's pressure is beginning to grow a little now, and a loose ball breaks to Can here. The midfielder tries to steer a side-footed effort towards goal, but it lacks the power to truly test Begovic.

The final whistles have gone in the two 7.45pm kickoffs tonight, and it is a sad day for Newcastle and Norwich. The latter did what they needed to do by beating Everton 4-2, but Sunderland's 3-0 win over Everton sends both the Canaries and the Magpies down.

Meanwhile back at Anfield, Liverpool are finally beginning to show a bit of urgency in these closing stages as they push for an equaliser. Chelsea have defended pretty well considering their rather unfamiliar backline tonight, though.

Guus Hiddink will be happy with what he has seen from his side tonight, but perhaps the biggest positive as far as Chelsea are concerned is the form of Hazard. It has come too late to do much good this season, but he has looked back to his old self tonight.

YELLOW CARD! Azpilicueta becomes the first Chelsea player in the book for a block on Coutinho.

LIVERPOOL SUB: A final throw of the dice for Liverpool as Toure is replaced by Sheyi Ojo.

CHANCE! Ojo almost makes an impact within seconds of coming on the field as Allen picks him out with a deep cross to the far post. The angle is tight, though, and Ojo opts to knock it back across the face, with no red shirts there to tap it home.

CHANCE! Big chance for Chelsea at the other end as Hazard releases Pedro through on goal. Moreno gets back with his pace, but Pedro then cuts back past his compatriot and draws a smart low save from Mignolet.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

Liverpool have the late, late equaliser! It is a shocker from Begovic as he pats an Ojo cross straight to Benteke, who is left with a simple headed finish at the back post to surely rescue a point for the hosts.

Liverpool rescue a point at the death against Chelsea, then, with Christian Benteke cancelling out compatriot Eden Hazard's majestic solo strike from the first half. It means that Liverpool can no longer finish fifth, while sixth is also a big ask on the final day of the season now.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's Premier League clash between between Liverpool and Chelsea as the Reds sign off from Anfield this season by rescuing a late 1-1 draw. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. Join us again on the final day of the season, and don't forget to vote in our Sports Mole reader awards! From me, though, it is goodbye for now!