Chelsea vs. Liverpool live score: Premier League result, updates, stats as Gakpo levels for Reds

Moises Caicedo's brilliant 14th-minute strike gave Chelsea a 1-0 halftime lead against Premier League champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Arne Slot's side came into the game nursing back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray, and had lost top spot in the table to Arsenal by kickoff.

Chelsea were the sharper of the two sides during the opening exchanges and, when the visiting defence haphazardly backed off, Caicedo advanced to lash into the top corner from just outside the D.

Alejandro Garnacho made his first Premier League start for the Blues and was a lively presence on the left wing as he fizzed a shot narrowly wide, had a penalty appeal rejected and drew a booking from Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley.

The Sporting News is following the Chelsea vs. Liverpool match live, providing score updates and commentary

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Chelsea vs. Liverpool score

Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Referee: Anthony Taylor

Keep track of every game and every goal via SN's live Premier League scoreboard

Starting lineups:

Chelsea (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Robert Sanchez (GK) — 27. Malo Gusto, 34. Josh Acheampong (21. Jorrel Hato), 5. Benoit Badiashile (45. Romeo Lavia), 3. Marc Cucurella — 24. Reece James, 25. Moises Caicedo — 49. Alejandro Garnacho, 8. Enzo Fernandez, 7. Pedro Neto — 20. Joao Pedro

Liverpool (4-2-3-1, right to left): 25. Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK) — 12. Conor Bradley (7. Florian Wirtz), 5. Ibrahima Konate (17, Curtis Jones), 4. Virgil van Dijk, 6. Milos Kerkez (26. Andy Robertson) — 10. Alexis Mac Allister, 38. Ryan Gravenberch — 11. Mohamed Salah, 8. Dominik Szoboszlai, 18. Cody Gakpo — 9. Alexander Isak

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Chelsea vs. Liverpool live updates, highlights, and commentary

77 mins: Chelsea corner, Lavia superfluously tries to gee the crowd up. Estevao forces Robertson into conceding another. The set-pieces aren't too threatening but the hosts are managing to pin Liverpool in. Their injury situation means attacks certainly feels like the best for of defence.

75 mins: Triple change for Chelsea. Estevao, Gittens and Guiu on for Neto, Garnacho and Joao Pedro. Straight swap up top for Liverpool too, with Ekitike on for Isak.

71 mins: Salah with another of his trivela crosses. Chelsea, not without good reason, look all at sea. The ball falls to Mac Allister, who thunders a drive into the crowd.

69 mins: Acheampong down and needs to come off. Goodness me. Hato on. That means Van Dijk is the only specalist centre-back left on the pitch. I'd be staggered if this fnishes 1-1.

66 mins: Garnacho with a low ball into the box. Scrambled clear. The makeshift defences make this feel like anybody's game now. Here come Liverpool again, Salah slices over but was offside anyway.

63 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!! Cody Gakpo!!!!!!

Liverpool level! Salah slots a pass to Szoboszlai to cross from the byline. Isak tries to bring it down, can't control it but the ball falls kindly for Gakpo to slam high into the net.

60 mins: Neto's corner comes to nought.

59 mins: Garnacho slips a pass to the overlapping Cucurella. The full-back stands up a fine cross to the back post, where Neto's header is deflected behind by Robertson.

58 mins: Fabulous raking ball forward from Sanchez and Garnacho brings it down brilliantly. His decision making is poor though, as he hurries into the Liverpool box and fires across goal towards no one in particular.

55 mins: Badiashile makes way and Lavia comes on. That'll mean a defensive reshuffle, with James in at centre-back. Two changes for Liverpool as Jones and Robertson come on for Konate and Kerkez. Gravenberch will drop next to Van Dijk at centre-back.

53 mins: Salah darting forward, he cuts inside Badiashile but the shot is way short of his usual standards. Badisashile is down from that sprint back and needs some treatment. He's just returned to action, remember.

51 mins: Garnacho dispossessed and Granvenberch fires in a shot from range that Sanchez gathers. Liverpool pushing far higher up the pitch. They look like they've had a rocket at halftime.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

Wirtz is on for Liverpool. Bradley saved from himself and Szoboszlai reverts to right-back. And Wirtz is right into the action. He tries a spin, which he gets a bit wrong but it ends up being a backheel through to Salah who fires wide. He should score.

Halftime

Chelsea lead and deservedly so. They were the better side before and after Caicedo's splendid 14th-minute opener. Plenty to ponder for Arne Slot, whose Liverpool have once again looked off-colour here.

45+1 mins: James curls one in to the near post that's cleared.

45 mins: Garnacho goes down like a sack of potatoes but that is a foul from Bradley, who is treading a tightrope. Two minutes of stoppage time signalled as Chelsea line up the free-kick.

44 mins: Oh, that's Liverpool's best moment of the half by a mile. Salah produces a sumptuous cross with the outside of his left foot. Isak gets up but can't keep the header down. He should probably have hit the target.

41 mins: Garnacho all over this came at the moment, harassing Szoboszlai and Kerkez under a long punt forward from Sanchez. Chelsea really need to capitalise here and get a second goal because the champions look all at sea.

40 mins: Garnacho has gone to ground in the box. Chelsea want a penalty, but Anthony Taylor waves away the appeals. It looks like he might be going over to check the VAR monitor but he's simply going to the bench to book a furious Enzo Maresca.

39 mins: Ohhh, Garnacho just wide there from the edge of the box. Mamardashvili was rooted.

38 mins: Neto instigates a fine Chelsea counter-attack and Liverpool scramble away for a corner.

36 mins: Achaempong goes on a buccaneering run deep into Liverpool territory but can't make the final pass.

33 mins: Bradley, his foul-fest against Jack Grealish in the Merseyside derby still fresh in the memory, brings down Garnacho to get himself a booking.

34 mins: Liverpool get themselves down the left but Cucurella is there to boot away from the goal mouth.

26 mins: The Liverpool defence drop deep to repel Neto's delivery. It's half cleared, Guto volleys into a forest of legs and Neto's follow-up cross is pouched by Mamardashvili.

25 mins: Bradley clumps into Garnacho to concede a free-kick about 35 yards from goal to the left. Another ragged moment from Liverpool.

19 mins: Liverpool looking for a response. Gakpo darts into the Chelsea box and cuts one back for Szoboszlai. The Hungary midfielder doesn't make a clean contact and Badiashile blocks.

14 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!! Moises Caicedo!!!!!

Nothing Mamadashvili can do about that, although he is culpable for the chance coming about. Van Dijk sold the debutant goalkeeper short with a backpass. He thundered it back at the Dutchman to concedesa  throw-in deep in Liverpool territory. Chelsea work the ball well from that position, Caicedo drives forward and lashes a phenomenal strike into the top corner from 25 yards.

Available in the UK

A MIGHTY HIT BY MOISES CAICEDO GIVES CHELSEA THE LEAD OVER LIVERPOOL. 💥 pic.twitter.com/giYiLyBaK0

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 4, 2025

Available in the UK

STAMFORD BRIDGE HAS ERUPTED!! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EkbagdV0qh

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 4, 2025

13 mins: Chelsea work an angle for Neto to cross, with his delivery too deep for Garnacho. The home side have looked good in the past few minutes, though.

12 mins: Salah looks to slip a pass through to Isak. It's simple enough for Badiashile to shepherd out for a goal kick.

10 mins: Fernandez flings a ball into the box and Mamardashvili takes it confidently. Something of a contrast to what Sanchez produced a couple of moments ago.

8 mins: Liverpool corner on the left. Gakpo swings it in, Sanchez comes out and flaps at fresh air but referee Atkinson has spotted a foul on the Chelsea goalkeeper.

6 mins: Raking ball from Badiashile looking for Gusto charging forward from right-back. He springs the Liverpool offside trap but there's a little too much on the pass.

4 mins: Kerkez with a nice ball into the Chelsea box from the left. Cucurella gets there ahead of Salah at the back post. It's been a confident and purposeful start from the visitors.

Kickoff: 1st Half

Liverpool get us underway. Fernandez is down inside the first minute. Given Chelsea's ongoing injury woes, they'll desperately hope that's not too much to worry about.

4 mins before kickoff: Here come the teams, through a fog of fireworks in the late west London evening. 

15 mins before kickoff: Cole Palmer was Chelsea's matchwinner in this fixture last season, albeit when Liverpool had already been crowned champions. The England attacker heads a hefty injury list heading into this game and Enzo Maresca is pleased with how his players have tried to step up during a tough period.

It's nice. You get to learn how to manage these kind of moments and it's good to learn. We have nine players out - two or three players are still carrying small problems. But they're doing fantastically to be there on the pitch. Let's hope today can be a good day for Chelsea, for everyone.
 

40 mins before kickoff: Arne Slot's Liverpool are about to experience something they haven't very often. Arsenal's win over West Ham at Emirates Stadium means the Reds will not be top of the table when they kick off.

1 hr 10 mins before kickoff: Alejandro Garnacho gets his first Premier League start for Chelsea

Here it is: your #CHELIV team news! 🔵🆚🔴#CFC pic.twitter.com/1aRx8rXW8A

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 4, 2025

1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: The teams are in. Mamardashvili gets his Premier League debut for Liverpool as expected. Alexander Isak starts at centre-forward but Florian Wirtz is only on the bench as Arne Slot reverts to his title-winning midfield three of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

Up the Reds 🔴 #CHELIV

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 4, 2025

1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: So where exactly are this Liverpool team? Five wins out of five to start the season, with a handful of those late. Winning when you're not playing well? The sign of champions! Then defeats at Crystal Palace and Galatasaray when not playing well, which is just outright not very good. Will the blip become a forboding hoot today against a Chelsea side who, in their modern day iteration, often seem stuck in a loop of nonsensical Morse Code. Enzo Maresca's men did not win a Premier League game in September and have lost their past two in England's top flight.

2 hours before kickoff. Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Chelsea vs. Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Chelsea vs. Liverpool kick off time

The Premier League match kicks off in London at 5:30 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

Chelsea vs. Liverpool lineups, team news

Chelsea's defeat to Brighton proved even more frustrating for Enzo Maresca as Andrey Santos suffered an injury during the game and is now ruled out until after the international break.

The youngster joins a large pool of players on the treatment table, which includes the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo, Liam Delap, Levi Colwill, Dario Essugo and Cole Palmer.

In addition to the injuries, Trevoh Chalobah is banned for this game after his red card against Brighton. Mykhailo Mudryk continues to serve a doping suspension.

Benoit Badiashile comes straight back into the defence on his return from injury, which Reece James starts alongside Moises Caicedo in central midfield, freeing up Enzo Fernandez to play as the No. 10.

Chelsea starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — Gusto, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella — James, Caicedo — Garnacho, Fernandez, Neto — Joao Pedro

Chelsea subs: Jorgensen (GK), Slonina (GK), Hato, Emenalo, Lavia, Buonanotte, Gittens, Estevao Willian, Guiu.

Liverpool's loss at Galatasaray came at an additional cost as first-choice goalkeeper Alisson sustained a thigh injury and has been ruled out for the game against Chelsea.

In his absence, Giorgi Mamardashvili makes his Premier League debut for the Reds.

In attack, Hugo Ekitike has made the after suffering a muscle injury in his previous outing. Alexander Isak starts at centre-forward but Florian Wirtz has to be content with a place on the bench.

Meanwhile, new signing Giovanni Leoni has an ACL injury that is set to rule him out for the rest of the season. Midfielder Stefan Bajcetic is out for the foreseeable future with a hamstring injury.

Liverpool starting XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Mamardashvili (GK) — Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez — Mac Allister, Gravenberch — Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo — Isak

Liverpool subs: Woodman (GK), Gomez, Endo, Robertson, Frimpong, Jones, Ekitike, Chiesa, Wirtz

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