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Spanish striker Pedro has played his last league game for Chelsea, manager Frank Lampard has confirmed.
The forward, who will be 33 on Tuesday, came on for the final few minutes of Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Wolves.
Pedro, signed from Barcelona for £21m in 2014, helped Chelsea secure the Premier League title in 2016-17 and also won the FA Cup and Europa League.
Reports suggest that he is set to join Serie A club Roma on a free transfer.
Liverpool celebrated receiving the league trophy for the first time in 30 years in style as the new champions overcame Chelsea in a thriller at Anfield.
Jordan Henderson – currently out injured – was presented with the trophy by Reds legend Sir Kenny Dalglish on a special podium built on the Kop after Jurgen Klopp’s side made it three full unbeaten Premier League seasons at Anfield.
Chelsea, who now need a point from their final game at home to Wolves on Sunday to confirm a place in the top four – and next season’s Champions League – started well.
But Liverpool moved through the gears after Naby Keita broke the deadlock with a rising 25-yard drive that thundered in off the bar, and they added further first-half goals – a fine Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick and Georginio Wijnaldum’s powerful strike.
Olivier Giroud scrambled in for Chelsea on the stroke of half-time but their hopes of a comeback appeared to be snuffed out 10 minutes after the break, when Roberto Firmino headed in his first league goal of the season at Anfield from Alexander-Arnold’s cross.
Substitute Christian Pulisic then had a dramatic impact as he sparked a Chelsea fightback, creating a goal for Tammy Abraham then scoring another himself on the turn as this entertaining game took an unexpected turn.
To the thunderous sound of fireworks being let off outside Anfield by celebrating fans, the champions pressed forward again and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain slammed home the fifth from Andy Robertson’s cross with six minutes left.
And then it was time for the ceremony Liverpool have waited three decades to enjoy – albeit conducted in the somewhat surreal surroundings of a virtually empty stadium.
After a couple of years of stagnation, Chelsea are in the mood to compete for the Premier League title once again next season.
The Blues, who tightened their grip on a top-four spot with a 1-0 home victory over Norwich City on Tuesday evening, have already completed deals for Ajax star Hakim Ziyech and RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, as head coach Frank Lampard looks to add flashes of quality to his attacking ranks.
Despite having concluded deals for both Ziyech and Werner, Lampard is not yet satisfied with the attacking options he already has, with the Blues continuing to be heavily linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz, as well as Brentford winger Said Benrahma.
Doubts have been cast about the quality of club-record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga, with Lampard looking into the prospect of landing a new goalkeeper.
And one name that is being closely linked with a move to the Premier League is Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak. The Slovenian international is considered by many as one of the very best goalkeepers in world football and would most certainly not look out of place in Chelsea colours.
The Blues have identified Oblak as their top transfer target ahead of the summer window officially opening for business later this month, the Mirror reports.
After signing a new deal at the Wanda Metropolitano last year, a £120million buy-out clause was inserted in the goalkeeper’s contract. However, Chelsea are prepared to go in with an offer of less than £100million and offer Arrizabalaga to sweeten the deal.
Atletico do not want to sell the Slovenian No.1, but they may be forced to because of the financial impact the coronavirus pandemic has brought.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says he “wants more” from his team but it “can wait” as their pursuit to secure a Champions League spot was given a boost by a narrow victory over relegated Norwich.
Striker Olivier Giroud guided a header past Tim Krul on the stroke of half-time after Christian Pulisic created space for the cross on the right.
The Chelsea pair almost combined again in the second half but Pulisic could not guide Giroud’s chipped ball past Krul.
Victory strengthens Chelsea’s hold on third place in the Premier League, where they sit four points above Leicester and Manchester United, who both play on Thursday.
“At this stage of the season results are critical and we didn’t concede any chances of note to let them score,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“Where we are at as a team and where we are in the table, it is all about the result.”
Norwich, who were relegated following a 4-0 thrashing by West Ham on Saturday, failed to record a shot on target during the match.
But Lampard said his team “can improve” despite showing “a bit more personality in our game”.
“We need to move the ball quicker and be more mobile with our rotations,” he added. “We have done it in parts this season but if we want to move on, it needs to be better. But I don’t want to be too critical after a win.
“We didn’t give them anything to worry us. We had 10-15 minutes in the second half where we were slow and I didn’t like it but after that we got it back.”
Chelsea further strengthened their position in the Premier League’s top four with victory over Crystal Palace in an entertaining encounter at Selhurst Park, that included a stunning long-range strike from Wilfried Zaha and a rare goal from Christian Benteke.
There was an element of fortune about the game’s opening goal, with Palace defender Gary Cahill pulling up with a match-ending injury to allow Willian to charge into the box unimpeded and set up Olivier Giroud to finish.
But the rest of the match was a testament to the kind of competitive, high-octane, see-saw football that draws so many viewers to the English top flight, even when the grounds are empty of fans.
Twice Chelsea looked to have put the game beyond the home side, first through Christian Pulisic’s rising shot to make it 2-0 in the first half and then via Tammy Abraham’s neat finish with 19 minutes to go to put the Blues 3-1 up.
But this reckoned without the input of Zaha and Benteke.
Zaha’s goal was a superb strike, fiercely fired into the net via the crossbar from an unlikely distance. Benteke’s was more routine, tapped in from point-blank range following a neat move, but almost as surprising, it being his first goal at Selhurst Park since April 2018.
And Palace came within a whisker of snatching a point when Scott Dann’s back-post header struck the inside of the post before Chelsea hacked the ball clear.
Chelsea’s win means they move above Leicester into third place in the table, five points ahead of fifth-placed Manchester United.
With 42 to their name, Palace have too many points to worry about being dragged into a relegation fight, but manager Roy Hodgson and his side will be eager to end a losing streak that has now stretched to four games.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard believes Tammy Abraham’s prolonged contract negotiations are not affecting his performances.
The 22-year-old reportedly came close to agreeing new terms earlier in the season following a fine start under Lampard.
Abraham has hit 13 Premier League goals but has failed to find the back of the net since a 3-0 win over Burnley on January 11.
His only start since the campaign resumed was in the defeat at West Ham last week – otherwise he has played second fiddle to the more experienced Olivier Giroud.
Lampard has put a lot of faith in his talented batch of youngsters and they have been largely successful, with Chelsea sitting fourth in the table.
The likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori have all signed new contracts over the past year.
Abraham has yet to follow suit and he has just under two years remaining on his deal at Stamford Bridge.
“I think Tammy’s contract, we are not at a critical level with it,” Lampard said on the eve of the Premier League trip to Crystal Palace.
“I will leave it with him and the club to discuss that side of it. I don’t think it is something that is clearly in his mind now, at least it shouldn’t be.
“What needs to be in his mind now is these games we have coming up and how much he can give us on the pitch, whether coming on as a sub or starting the game.”
Lampard has also told Abraham to keep working hard in training to force his way back into the Blues side.
“He has had a really good season, he hasn’t scored as much in the second half of the season,” added Lampard.
“But as a young player it is always clear when you have these periods there is only one way out of it and that is work and repetition in training.
“I think that is where Tammy is at. I think the contract will hopefully look after itself between him and the club and he just needs to focus on giving us that Tammy that we had earlier in the season.
”He was giving defenders so much of a problem in games and scoring regularly and it all came from how he was training and working in the week.
“That is just what he has to sustain all the time.”
The France midfielder trudged out of Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Watford, and could now sit out Tuesday’s trip to Selhurst Park.
Olivier Giroud, Willian and Ross Barkley all found the net as the Blues eased past the Hornets, to jump back into the league’s top four and shake off Wednesday’s frustrating 3-2 loss at West Ham.
Kante’s injury proved perhaps the sole blow in Chelsea’s comfortable Saturday night victory at Stamford Bridge, leaving Lampard sweating on the 29-year-old’s fitness.
“N’Golo Kante he has a small hamstring injury, we hope it is small, that’s what I’ve been told so far,” said Lampard.
“But I’m guessing it will be a problem for Palace on Tuesday.”
Italy midfielder Jorginho has yet to feature for Chelsea since the league’s restart, but Lampard insisted the former Napoli man remains in his thoughts.
Jorginho could step in should Kante miss the trip to Palace, though Billy Gilmour would be another option with the Scot having stepped off the bench against Watford.
When asked for the latest on Jorginho, Lampard said only “Jorginho is in my plans”, before offering his assessment of Kante’s injury.
Chelsea temporarily – for a little less than five hours – dropped out of the league’s top four for the first time since October on Saturday.
Manchester United’s 5-2 thrashing of Bournemouth saw the Blues slip to fifth.
Lampard’s men hit back in style to leapfrog back above United however, with the race for Champions League qualification continuing to offer regular drama.
The Chelsea boss admitted the run to the end of the season will only be increasingly littered with pressure, admitting his players must steel themselves for the fight.
“I think every game is going to be pressure now,” said Lampard.
“West Ham was pressure because we knew we could go third. It’s a different kind of pressure but it’s still the same in how you focus on the game and job at hand.
“You cannot get too caught up in what everyone does at the moment. We did that tonight, there was no nonsense, the mentality was right.
“We started brightly and we carried on and got the small details of the game right at both ends of the pitch, which I was happy with.”
Watford remain just above the relegation zone, leaving manager Nigel Pearson well aware of the Vicarage Road men’s precarious position.
“Of course, we are concerned with the situation we are in, we’re not naive,” said Pearson.
“But the most important thing is to recognise what we are and make sure our performances reflect that type of collective spirit. If we do that, we will find ways of winning games.
“It’s a situation we’ve got now to stay in control of our destiny, and to do that we’ve got to work as hard as tonight, if not harder.”
Olivier Giroud, Willian and Ross Barkley struck to sink Watford 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and limit Chelsea’s fall from the Premier League’s top four to less than five hours.
France’s World Cup-winning striker Giroud angled a fine effort for his third goal in five Premier League games, with the 33-year-old showing renewed sharpness.
Brazil forward Willian tucked away another nerveless penalty: his third in as many league matches, after his spot-kicks in the 2-1 win over Manchester City and Wednesday’s 3-2 loss at West Ham.
Former Everton midfielder Barkley then capped another industrious performance with a smart strike in stoppage time.
Chelsea’s demoralising midweek defeat by the Hammers, coupled with Manchester United thrashing Bournemouth 5-2 on Saturday afternoon had seen the Blues drop out of the league’s top four for the first time since October.
But Frank Lampard’s men jumped straight back above United to reclaim fourth spot, with a commanding Saturday night victory in west London.
Lampard had demanded atonement for Wednesday’s shock loss at West Ham, and his focused Chelsea charges delivered against an admittedly-limited Watford outfit.
Stamford Bridge has been awash for weeks with talk of a summer signings revolution, but here it was the old guard who came good for Lampard.
Giroud recently signed a one-year contract extension, but he will face extra competition next term in the shape of £53million RB Leipzig recruit and prolific Germany hitman Timo Werner.
The 31-year-old Willian continues to hold out for three years on a new deal, whereas Chelsea only want to offer him two.
But the 70-cap Brazil star now boasts 11 goals in all competitions this term, and three in two matches after his brace amid that galling loss at West Ham.
Tomas Soucek’s opening goal was controversially disallowed against Chelsea on Wednesday night after a lengthy VAR decision canceled out the goal for reasons explained by the officials.
West Ham United ‘s 3-2 win over Chelsea was a massive result for the Hammers, who move above Watford and three points clear of the relegation zone.
Goals from Tomas Soucek, Michail Antonio and Andriy Yarmolenko handed David Moyes’ side all three points but it could have been different after a controversial VAR ruling early on in the game.
Soucek thought he had scored the opener after bundling the ball over the line from a corner but it was controversially disallowed by VAR.
On commentary, Gary Neville expressed his bafflement at the decision, commenting “I’m not even sure what they’re looking at,” while the check was ongoing.
“I would be absolutely furious if this goal is disallowed and I’m David Moyes. I think if it takes this long and you can’t sort it out you’ve just got to be giving the goal.”
However, the goal was not given, with Neville complaining: “I don’t like that one. Not for me, that one. I’m not against the introduction of technology of the game and I think I have a level of patience that it will get better.
“The interference maybe? I don’t know, they’re so close, Antonio and Kepa, I’m not sure that’s interference. I’m not sure he was even offside. But without that touch, I’m not sure.”
PGMOL have since released a statement explaining the decision, revealing: “Soucek’s goal was disallowed following a VAR Review for an offside offence against Antonio.
“The on-field decision was to award the goal, but the VAR advised the referee that Antonio was in an offside position & directly in the line of vision of Kepa Arrizabalaga.”
Speaking after the game about the decision, Moyes said: “I was spewing. I was thinking ‘Are we ever going to get a decision here?’ I felt like everything was going against us.
“I think some of the things that have gone against West Ham recently have been really poor. I can’t explain it but we did say to the players that we’ve got to change our luck and it maybe went our way tonight.”
Super-sub Andriy Yarmolenko scored a last-gasp winner to give West Ham’s Premier League survival hopes a huge boost in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Chelsea at the London Stadium.
Introduced in the 78th minute for Jarrod Bowen, who had earlier set up goals for Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio, Yarmolenko coolly slotted home at the end of a swift counter-attack to stun Chelsea.
The vital result lifts David Moyes’ side three points above the relegation zone, while Chelsea – for whom Willian scored twice, including a stunning free-kick – missed the chance to climb to third.
It is the first time the Hammers, who won the reverse fixture 1-0, have done the league double over the Blues since the 2002-03 season, although they were somewhat ominously relegated in that campaign.
It had not shaped up to be a good night for the home side when Soucek was initially denied his first goal for the club, a lengthy VAR review finding the prone Antonio to be offside when the Czech forced home the loose ball from a corner.
The Hammers’ woes were compounded when Issa Diop brought down Christian Pulisic in the area and Willian confidently converted the spot-kick.
But West Ham fought back and Slavia Prague loanee Soucek climbed above Cesar Azpilicueta to nod in the leveller from Bowen’s corner.
Moyes’ men took the lead when Bowen tricked his way into space and drove a low cross into the heart of the area, with Antonio on hand to provide the finish.
However, they could not hold on at 2-1 and Willian’s cultured free-kick hit the inside of Lukasz Fabianski’s left-hand upright before nestling in the net.
Remarkably, that was not the end of matters and, with the visitors pushing for a winner, the decisive goal came at the other end as Yarmolenko collected Antonio’s pass before slotting in.