Rotating Reds left in a spin as Chelsea close on top five

There used to be a rivalry here, once. Two decades ago this was genuinely the most foreboding fixture in English football; a decade ago it was still deciding the destiny of league titles; five years ago it was still appointment viewing.

- Jonathan Liew

There used to be a rivalry here, once. Two decades ago this was genuinely the most foreboding fixture in English football; a decade ago it was still deciding the destiny of league titles; five years ago it was still appointment viewing. Here, amid a fiesta of missed chances and offside flags, a deeply unserious Chelsea beat a Liverpool team that clearly couldn't care less.

The score could have been 5-0 or 5-5 or 0-0 and frankly nobody would have been any the wiser. There was a guard of honour at the start. There were triumphal odes from the away end. Chelsea fans retorted with the Steven Gerrard song, and the "you'll never get a job" song, and the "always the victims" song. What was it people were saying about football becoming ever more predictable, ever more rote, ever more uninspiring?

As it was, Liverpool's eighth and biggest defeat of the season also tightened Chelsea's grip on that precious fifth Champions League spot, and if we glimpsed anything here it was perhaps the growing ability of Enzo Maresca's side to ride out the tough periods and make their moments of supremacy matter.

A very early goal by Enzo Fernandez set the tone; a deeply comical own goal by Jarell Quansah doubled their lead, and Cole Palmer's penalty with almost the final kick made the points safe.

Liverpool had 65% possession and beyond Virgil van Dijk's valedictory late header, it's hard to recall a single thing they did with it.