LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, March 7, 2020: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Reds aiming for 3 seasons unbeaten at Anfield & Salah’s quest to match Hunt

Liverpool take on Chelsea tonight in the Reds’ final home Premier League game of the season; here are the stats ahead of kick-off on the night we receive the trophy.

Regular meetings

Since the inception of the Premier League the Reds have won 21 of the 55 clashes, one more than Chelsea with 14 draws. Both teams have scored 66 goals in that period.

At Anfield Liverpool have won 14, drawn seven and lost six.

Liverpool go into this game looking to record a third successive league win over Chelsea for the first time since 2012 (in a run of four) when they also last beat the Londoners in consecutive home league encounters.

In all competitions at Anfield Liverpool have won one of the last nine clashes with Chelsea, drawing five and losing three.

Only on four occasions in the last 70 home league meetings with Chelsea have the Reds failed to score.

 

Familiar faces

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, June 24, 2020: Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. The game was played behind closed doors due to the UK government’s social distancing laws during the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Mo Salah played 19 times for this evening’s visitors, netting two goals. Both goals and 13 of the appearances came in the Premier League.

James Milner‘s only career goal against Chelsea came in December 2002 while with Leeds.

 

This Is Anfield

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, July 5, 2020: Liverpool’s Sadio Mané celebrates scoring the first goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. The game was played behind closed doors due to the UK government’s social distancing laws during the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The Reds have dropped only six points out of a last possible 114 at Anfield in the league (35 wins and three draws).

The last three occasions that Liverpool have lost their final home game of a league campaign have all come against London opponents – Crystal Palace (3-1) in 2015, Tottenham (2-0) in 2011 and to Chelsea (2-0) in 2010.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 58 league matches at Anfield since losing to Crystal Palace in April 2017. They have won 47 and drawn 11 in that sequence.

The record in England is held by Chelsea who went 86 home league games without a defeat until Liverpool won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in October 2008.

A win for Liverpool this evening will see them equal the Premier League record for most home points earned in a season. Three points would take them to 55 to match the tallies totalled by Chelsea in 2005/06, Manchester United in 2010/11 and Manchester City in 2011/12.

Should Liverpool avoid defeat in this game they will, for the first time in their history, remain unbeaten at Anfield in three consecutive league seasons.

 

30 years on

The last time Liverpool were presented with the league title Kenny Dalglish came on as a late substitute in the 1-0 home win over Derby County (May 1, 1990).

Tonight he will be part of the presentation.

 

Back of the net

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, July 11, 2020: Liverpool’s Andy Robertson (R) celebrates scoring the first goal with team-mate Virgil van Dijk during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Burnley FC at Anfield. The game was played behind closed doors due to the UK government’s social distancing laws during the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic. (Pic by Propaganda)

Liverpool have had 17 different scorers in the league this season to equal the club record previously set in 1911/12 and 2015/16.

Salah needs one goal to become the first Liverpool player since Roger Hunt in 1965/66 and only the fourth in Reds history to register 20 league goals in three successive seasons.

 

Blue view

LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, September 22, 2019: Chelsea's manager Frank Lampard applauds the supporters after the FA Premier League match between Chelsea's FC and Liverpool FC at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool won 2-1. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The Londoners’ last league victory at Anfield came in November 2014 when Gary Cahill and Diego Costa scored after Emre Can had netted his first goal for the club.

Olivier Giroud has scored seven goals in 15 appearances against Liverpool in all competitions.

The last Chelsea player to be red-carded against Liverpool was current boss Frank Lampard at Anfield in February 2009.

The Blues have won nine away top-flight games this season, but only two of eight played in 2020.

Frank Lampard’s men have conceded eight goals in their last three away games.

Chelsea are averaging exactly two goals per game away from Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this season from their 18 matches on the road.

They have kept only one away clean sheet in the league this season. That is one of only two they have kept on the road in the last 27 in the top flight.

In the last 10 of their last 13 league games they have scored twice or more.

They have conceded 12 goals from the 81st minute of their league matches this season, five more than they have conceded in any other 10-minute spell.

They have won five and lost two of the seven league games played since ‘Project Restart’.

A win this evening will guarantee Frank Lampard’s men a top-four finish.

 

Scorers this season

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, July 5, 2020: Liverpool’s Sadio Mané (C) celebrates scoring the first goal with team-mates Mohamed Salah (L) and Roberto Firmino (R) during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. The game was played behind closed doors due to the UK government’s social distancing laws during the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool: Salah 23, Mane 21, Firmino 11, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Origi 5, Wijnaldum 5, own goals 5, Henderson 4, Milner 4, Van Dijk 4, Alexander-Arnold 3, Jones 3, Keita 3, Robertson 3, Fabinho 2, Matip 2, Hoever 1, Lallana 1, Lovren 1, Shaqiri 1

Chelsea: Abraham 16, Willian 11, Pulisic 9, Giroud 8, Jorginho 7, Mount 7, Batshuayi 6, Barkley 5, Alonso 4, Azpilicueta 4, Hudson-Odoi 3, Kante 3, James 2, Kovacic 2, Pedro 2, Rudiger 2, Tomori 2, Zouma 1, own goals 1