Liverpool against Chelsea

Mascherano seemed to have enough of all that Chelsea passing and a rush of blood to the head finds him in the referee's book.

Yellow card: Mascherano (Liverpool)

Chelsea are stroking the ball around very comfortably in the Liverpool half. Infact, the Chelsea fans are cheering every pass.

Mascherano tosses the ball in the box for Lucas, who goes down under pressure from Ivanovic. But that is never a penalty.

Liverpool are yet to have a shot on target.

Ngog rolls the ball from the left to Agger who strikes with his weaker right foot. He sliced it and Chelsea have a goal kick.

Liverpool, who look very tired, clear their lines.

Chelsea counter after some sustained pressure from Liverpool. Chelsea were 5 against 3 for a moment, but Drogba's laboured pass to Anelka slowed the move down. Chelsea have a corner though.

Ballack strikes it, but it's straight at Reina, who punches clear.

Drogba is taken out by Lucas 25 yards out. Chance for Chelsea from the free kick.

Liverpool make another attacking change in the hope of turning this around. It would be dramatic, but remains highly improbable.

Liverpool sub: Ngog on for Aquilani.

Kalou receives the ball from Malouda on the left and Kalou bundles his way through Mascherano's tackle, but his cross is straight into the arms of Reina.

An intricate free kick routine sees Agger's shot charged down.

Terry handles the ball outside the box and Gerrard is lining up a free kick, some 25 yards out.

Kuyt forces a Liverpool corner, who haven't given up their spirit just yet.

Mascherano is fouled and is receiving treatment.

Kuyt seems to be okay, and we're playing again.

Terry has clashed heads with Kuyt. Kuyt is receiving treatment.

The corner is headed clear to Malouda who fires towards goal from the edge of the box. Great effort palmed clear.

Malouda crosses in from the left and it bounces through to Anelka whose improvised shot is out for a corner.

Benayoun teases Cole before putting a cross in, which is headed out by Terry.

Chelsea win a corner on the right. Lampard puts a low ball in for Ballack at the near post, but the German shoots first time, wide of the right post.

Terry is at fault as he fails to clear and Babel gets a sight at goal but blazes over. Terry was really struggling there.

Tactical substitution by Benitez, who thinks Ayala is going to turn it around.

Liverpool sub: Ayala on for Carragher.

Nice play by Chelsea. Anelka finds himself in space on the right after being played onside by Mascherano. His low ball into the box is slid in by Lampard from close range and Chelsea are comfortable.

GOAL! 2-0 Chelsea. Frank Lampard.

Gerrard picks out Kuyt who would have been 1-on-1 with the keeper, but the flag is up. He was on side.

Chelsea pushing for a second goal early on in the second half here.

Kalou finds himself dribbling the ball along the left byline and his cross flashes past the face of the goal. If Anelka had checked his run he would have tapped that in.

Drogba's shot hits the wall. The ball rebounds to Alex, who also hits the wall.

Kalou finds the overlapping Cole on the left, whose cross finds the hand of Benayoun. Free kick to Chelsea just outside the box. Drogba to take.

Ashley Cole releases Kalou with a throughball, but he meets the brick wall of Kyrgiakos, who clears for Liverpool.

The home side kick off the second half at Anfield. They are attacking the Kop end.

Join me in 15 minutes for the second half.

And that's the end of the first half. Liverpool 0-1 Chelsea.

We are in the final moments of the first half here.

Kalou is fouled IN the penalty area this time. Lucas wasn't close to the ball but Kalou did seem to fall over his own feet in search of the penalty there.

Kalou is penalised for a foul on Mascherano. Kalou is adjudged to have dragged the Argentinian down but he went down very easily in a dangerous area, and Kalou is unlucky.

Liverpool sub: Babel on for Maxi.

Maxi sees to be limping, and Ryan Babel is stripping off.

Ballack is penalised for a late, cynical barge on Gerrard.

Yellow card: Ballack (Chelsea)

Liverpool break away with Benayoun on the right after Chelsea find themselves guilty of over committing themselves in attack. Luckily for Chelsea, Benayoun's cross his headed clear. Liverpool should have taken advantage there.

Liverpool out of jail again. Lampard sets up Anelka who gets the ball taken off his toes by Kyrgiakos at the crucial moment.

Lampard shoots from the edge of the box after Ashley Cole laid the ball across to him. Lampard doesn't usually miss the target from that sort of range.

Gerrard tries to make an immediate ammense by putting a free kick in the box for Kuyt, but Gerrard's ball is just too high.

Gerrard has shot Liverpool in the foot.

And it's a nightmare for Steven Gerrard. Shades of England vs France in Euro 2004 as Gerrard plays a doomed backpass to Reina, which Drogba snuffs out and, with Reina committed, Drogba slots into an empty net.

GOAL! 1-0 Chelsea. Dider Drogba.

Livrpool again playing some neat football in midfield, Gerrard picks it up on the right but his cross is too high for Aquilani.

Ivanovic won the ball cleanly, by the way. Aquilani should have seized his moment.

Aquilani has wasted a golden opportunity after being put through by Maxi. Through on goal, he decided to wait for Ivanovic's challenge in the box rather than shoot with his left.

Lucas joins the party and hits a shot very high and very very wide.

Malouda penalised for a high foot on Mascherano. Malouda was late there and his studs were showing. He was going for the ball, but he knows the rules.

Yellow card: Malouda (Chelsea)

Benayoun shimmies inside from the left but hits a woeful shot, right footed, high and wide.

Lampard whips the ball in, but it goes straight into the arms of Pepe Reina.

But Ashley Cole has just won a free kick in a dangerous area on the left.

Chelsea are definitely playing with tension and like a team who know they have to win today. They haven't quite turned up yet.

Anelka breaches the Liverpool defence only to see the assistant referee's flag up. Close call but he was off.

Liverpool seem to be taking charge of the midfield, led by Aquilani. His ball to Benayoun was eventually intercepted but it is Liverpool asking the questions at the moment.

Gerrard and Mascherano link nicely on the right, but Gerrard's cross is deflected and Cech scrambles across to prevent a corner.

Quite an even start at Anfield, neither side stamping their authority on the game yet.

Gerrard tries to shoot from 30 yards and, although he's scored some screamers in his time, he probably wishes he hadn't bothered there.

Super effort from Aquilani who drives a fantastic effort inches over the corner of crossbar and post. Tremendous effort from a good 25 yards out.

Mascherano comes in late on Anelka but the ref plays on, and thankfully for him he does as the ball breaks for Anelka again who tests Reina from distance. Good effort but Reina never looked in trouble.

Drogba is now on the touchline and seems to be struggling with that neck injury.

Malouda skips past a few challenges and scuffs a shot wide of Reina's left hand post from 20 yards - under pressure from Lucas.

The ball has been kicked out for Drogba who is down holding his neck.

Chelsea have broken on the counter attack and Kalou has blatently dived in the box under some pressure from Mascherano. Never a penalty and the Kop are making themselves heard over that.

The second corner is headed clear by Drogba at the near post.

Liverpool force another corner. The ball dropped to Mascherano on the edge of the box and his low shot took a deflection out.

Maxi forces the first corner of the game for Liverpool after his shot was deflected.

Immediately Lampard tries his luck from 25 yards after being set up by Anelka. Decent effort so early on.

And we're off at Anfield. Chelsea kick off, kicking from left to right.

We're just over 5 minutes away from kick off at Anfield, in a game that could see Liverpool do their rivals Manchester United a big favour by beating title rivals Chelsea. Could make for some extra spice.

Captain John Terry returns to the Chelsea starting XI after suspension in the only change to the team that thrashed Stoke 7-0. Paulo Ferreira drops to the bench.

At the back, Javier Mascherano continues at right-back but Glen Johnson (calf) is missing, so Soto Kyriakos comes into the back four alongside Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher.

Liverpool make two changes from the team that went out of the Europa League on Thursday. Maxi Rodriguez was ineligible for that game and returns in place of Ryan Babel.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Lampard, Ballack, Malouda, Kalou, Drogba, Anelka. Subs: Hilario, Joe Cole, Zhirkov, Paulo Ferreira, Deco, Sturridge, Belletti.

Liverpool: Reina, Mascherano, Kyrgiakos, Carragher, Agger, Gerrard, Lucas, Maxi, Aquilani, Benayoun, Kuyt. Subs: Cavalieri, Babel, Ngog, Degen, El Zhar, Ayala, Pacheco.

Hello ladies and gents. This is the start of another potentially pivotal day in the race for the Premier League title. First up, it's Liverpool vs Chelsea from Anfield.

Kuyt forces a Liverpool corner, who haven't given up their spirit just yet.

Mascherano is fouled and is receiving treatment.

Kuyt seems to be okay, and we're playing again.

Terry has clashed heads with Kuyt. Kuyt is receiving treatment.

The corner is headed clear to Malouda who fires towards goal from the edge of the box. Great effort palmed clear.

Malouda crosses in from the left and it bounces through to Anelka whose improvised shot is out for a corner.

Benayoun teases Cole before putting a cross in, which is headed out by Terry.

Chelsea win a corner on the right. Lampard puts a low ball in for Ballack at the near post, but the German shoots first time, wide of the right post.

Terry is at fault as he fails to clear and Babel gets a sight at goal but blazes over. Terry was really struggling there.

Tactical substitution by Benitez, who thinks Ayala is going to turn it around.

Liverpool sub: Ayala on for Carragher.

Nice play by Chelsea. Anelka finds himself in space on the right after being played onside by Mascherano. His low ball into the box is slid in by Lampard from close range and Chelsea are comfortable.

GOAL! 2-0 Chelsea. Frank Lampard.

Gerrard picks out Kuyt who would have been 1-on-1 with the keeper, but the flag is up. He was on side.

Chelsea pushing for a second goal early on in the second half here.

Kalou finds himself dribbling the ball along the left byline and his cross flashes past the face of the goal. If Anelka had checked his run he would have tapped that in.

Drogba's shot hits the wall. The ball rebounds to Alex, who also hits the wall.

Kalou finds the overlapping Cole on the left, whose cross finds the hand of Benayoun. Free kick to Chelsea just outside the box. Drogba to take.

Ashley Cole releases Kalou with a throughball, but he meets the brick wall of Kyrgiakos, who clears for Liverpool.

The home side kick off the second half at Anfield. They are attacking the Kop end.

Join me in 15 minutes for the second half.

And that's the end of the first half. Liverpool 0-1 Chelsea.

We are in the final moments of the first half here.

Kalou is fouled IN the penalty area this time. Lucas wasn't close to the ball but Kalou did seem to fall over his own feet in search of the penalty there.

Kalou is penalised for a foul on Mascherano. Kalou is adjudged to have dragged the Argentinian down but he went down very easily in a dangerous area, and Kalou is unlucky.

Liverpool sub: Babel on for Maxi.

Maxi sees to be limping, and Ryan Babel is stripping off.

Ballack is penalised for a late, cynical barge on Gerrard.

Yellow card: Ballack (Chelsea)

Liverpool break away with Benayoun on the right after Chelsea find themselves guilty of over committing themselves in attack. Luckily for Chelsea, Benayoun's cross his headed clear. Liverpool should have taken advantage there.

Liverpool out of jail again. Lampard sets up Anelka who gets the ball taken off his toes by Kyrgiakos at the crucial moment.

Lampard shoots from the edge of the box after Ashley Cole laid the ball across to him. Lampard doesn't usually miss the target from that sort of range.

Gerrard tries to make an immediate ammense by putting a free kick in the box for Kuyt, but Gerrard's ball is just too high.

Gerrard has shot Liverpool in the foot.

And it's a nightmare for Steven Gerrard. Shades of England vs France in Euro 2004 as Gerrard plays a doomed backpass to Reina, which Drogba snuffs out and, with Reina committed, Drogba slots into an empty net.

GOAL! 1-0 Chelsea. Dider Drogba.

Livrpool again playing some neat football in midfield, Gerrard picks it up on the right but his cross is too high for Aquilani.

Ivanovic won the ball cleanly, by the way. Aquilani should have seized his moment.

Aquilani has wasted a golden opportunity after being put through by Maxi. Through on goal, he decided to wait for Ivanovic's challenge in the box rather than shoot with his left.

Lucas joins the party and hits a shot very high and very very wide.

Malouda penalised for a high foot on Mascherano. Malouda was late there and his studs were showing. He was going for the ball, but he knows the rules.

Yellow card: Malouda (Chelsea)

Benayoun shimmies inside from the left but hits a woeful shot, right footed, high and wide.

Lampard whips the ball in, but it goes straight into the arms of Pepe Reina.

But Ashley Cole has just won a free kick in a dangerous area on the left.

Chelsea are definitely playing with tension and like a team who know they have to win today. They haven't quite turned up yet.

Anelka breaches the Liverpool defence only to see the assistant referee's flag up. Close call but he was off.

Liverpool seem to be taking charge of the midfield, led by Aquilani. His ball to Benayoun was eventually intercepted but it is Liverpool asking the questions at the moment.

Gerrard and Mascherano link nicely on the right, but Gerrard's cross is deflected and Cech scrambles across to prevent a corner.

Quite an even start at Anfield, neither side stamping their authority on the game yet.

Gerrard tries to shoot from 30 yards and, although he's scored some screamers in his time, he probably wishes he hadn't bothered there.

Super effort from Aquilani who drives a fantastic effort inches over the corner of crossbar and post. Tremendous effort from a good 25 yards out.

Mascherano comes in late on Anelka but the ref plays on, and thankfully for him he does as the ball breaks for Anelka again who tests Reina from distance. Good effort but Reina never looked in trouble.

Drogba is now on the touchline and seems to be struggling with that neck injury.

Malouda skips past a few challenges and scuffs a shot wide of Reina's left hand post from 20 yards - under pressure from Lucas.

The ball has been kicked out for Drogba who is down holding his neck.

Chelsea have broken on the counter attack and Kalou has blatently dived in the box under some pressure from Mascherano. Never a penalty and the Kop are making themselves heard over that.

The second corner is headed clear by Drogba at the near post.

Liverpool force another corner. The ball dropped to Mascherano on the edge of the box and his low shot took a deflection out.

Maxi forces the first corner of the game for Liverpool after his shot was deflected.

Immediately Lampard tries his luck from 25 yards after being set up by Anelka. Decent effort so early on.

And we're off at Anfield. Chelsea kick off, kicking from left to right.

We're just over 5 minutes away from kick off at Anfield, in a game that could see Liverpool do their rivals Manchester United a big favour by beating title rivals Chelsea. Could make for some extra spice.

Captain John Terry returns to the Chelsea starting XI after suspension in the only change to the team that thrashed Stoke 7-0. Paulo Ferreira drops to the bench.

At the back, Javier Mascherano continues at right-back but Glen Johnson (calf) is missing, so Soto Kyriakos comes into the back four alongside Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher.

Liverpool make two changes from the team that went out of the Europa League on Thursday. Maxi Rodriguez was ineligible for that game and returns in place of Ryan Babel.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Lampard, Ballack, Malouda, Kalou, Drogba, Anelka. Subs: Hilario, Joe Cole, Zhirkov, Paulo Ferreira, Deco, Sturridge, Belletti.

Liverpool: Reina, Mascherano, Kyrgiakos, Carragher, Agger, Gerrard, Lucas, Maxi, Aquilani, Benayoun, Kuyt. Subs: Cavalieri, Babel, Ngog, Degen, El Zhar, Ayala, Pacheco.

Hello ladies and gents. This is the start of another potentially pivotal day in the race for the Premier League title. First up, it's Liverpool vs Chelsea from Anfield.