Chelsea and Liverpool are two of England’s finest Premier League clubs.

The Reds have come out on top most often over the years, but Chelsea’s modern competitiveness means there are never any foregone conclusions when these two meet.

The fixture became a bit of a borefest in recent years. Between February 2022 and April 2023, they saw out four consecutive 0-0 draws. It’s not always been that way, as the two sides have seen out some bonafide classics over the years.

Here, we’ve taken a look back at 10 of the best matches between the two English giants.

For this list, we’ve ranked the best matches between the two teams across all competitions, based on the amount of drama, their significance within the season, and how memorable the games are as time has passed.

The top 10 Champions League games of all time – ranked

That night in ’99 and the Miracle in Istanbul are both featured in the list of the Champions League’s greatest-ever games.

ByFreddie Taylor 10 Liverpool 1-4 Chelsea Premier League, October 2005

Five months after Garcia’s ghost goal, Chelsea were understandably keen for revenge against Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool.

They couldn’t get it when the two sides met in the Champions League some weeks earlier, but they certainly did when they met in the Premier League.

Goals from Frank Lampard, Damien Duff, Joe Cole, and Geremi sealed Liverpool’s worst defeat at Anfield since Manchester United beat them by the same scoreline 36 years earlier.

While not on the scoresheet, Didier Drogba was the real star on the day, with the Ivorian involved in all four of Chelsea’s goals.

Gerrard 36′

Lampard pen 27′

Duff 43′

Joe Cole 63′

Geremi 82′

9 Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool (aet) Champions League semi-final second leg, April 2008

When Chelsea and Liverpool meet in the Champions League, there tends to be fireworks. 30th April 2008 was no exception.

The second leg of yet another Champions League semi-final between the two sides began with the scores level at 1-1 on aggregate, and they couldn’t be separated after another 90 minutes after Fernando Torres cancelled out Didier Drogba’s opener.

However, it was Chelsea who prevailed in extra-time thanks to a Frank Lampard penalty and another goal from Drogba.

Having already lost twice to Liverpool in Champions League semi-finals, the moment was as sweet as it could be, but ultimately, they couldn’t go all the way, losing to Manchester United in the final.

Drogba 33′

Torres 64′

Lampard pen 98′

Babel 117′

Drogba 105′

8 Liverpool 5-3 Chelsea Premier League, July 2020

22nd July 2020 was a day of celebration for Liverpool.

A month prior, Jurgen Klopp’s side had been confirmed as Premier League champions for the first time, ironically thanks to Manchester City’s defeat at Stamford Bridge. Their final home match of the season against Chelsea was the day they lifted the title.

While the result would not have mattered, it’s always nice to end things on a high, and the Reds did just that, coming out on top after what was a rollercoaster 90 minutes of football that saw eight different players hit the back of the net.

The only downside of the day was that due to crowds being absent during the pandemic, Liverpool couldn’t celebrate their triumph with their fans, instead lifting the title in front of 60,000-plus empty seats.

To compensate, instead of lifting the trophy in the middle of the pitch as is tradition, a section of the Kop was instead removed and replaced with a podium.

“I was never on the Kop before, it was pretty special,” Klopp said after the procession. “It makes sense in the moment when the people are not in that we use the Kop to celebrate it with them together in our hearts.”

Keita 23′

Giroud 45′

Alexander-Arnold 38′

Abraham 61′

Wijnaldum 43′

Pulisic 73′

Firmino 54′

Oxlade-Chamberlain 84′

7 Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool First Division, May 1986

The 1985/86 season marked Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish’s first as the Reds’ player-manager.

The previous year, Liverpool missed out on the title to bitter rivals Everton, and with a few months left this time around, Liverpool were trailing the Toffees by 13 points, as history looked as if it would repeat itself.

However, Dalglish’s side went on a remarkable run of 10 wins in 11 games, meaning they went into the final day against Chelsea knowing a win would see them clinch the title from under their rivals’ noses.

They did just that, with Dalglish scoring the only goal in the 23rd minute.

“There was no way we were ever going to win that championship,” Dalglish’s captain, Alan Hansen, said. “And yet somehow we came through and won it.”

Dalglish 23′

6 Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool Premier League, May 2003

Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Liverpool in May 2003 was special for three reasons.

Firstly, it was the final game of Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola’s Blues career. Secondly, the win secured a fourth-placed Premier League finish for Chelsea, seeing them return to the Champions League for the first time in four years.

Thirdly, and most importantly, is that it is widely believed to be the game that convinced Roman Abramovich to buy the west London club, which ultimately resulted in Chelsea becoming one of world football’s most dominant clubs for the next two decades.

The winning goal, scored by Jesper Gronkjaer, has since been dubbed the £1 billion goal.

“It was a massive game for Chelsea,” said Gronkjaer while speaking about the game with The Independent in 2011.

“We all knew what we were playing for,” he added. “I remember the stories about our financial situation.”

Desailly 13′

Hyypia 11′

Gronkjaer 27′

5 Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea Premier League, April 2013

A game remembered for a singular moment of madness.

For reasons still unknown, in the 66th minute, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez decided to sink his teeth into the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. He wasn’t penalised for the bite during the game, and much to the Blues’ anger, went on to score a late equaliser.

Suarez was later banned for 10 games, but it did little to appease Chelsea, nor prevent the Uruguayan star from repeating the same offence at the 2014 World Cup when he bit Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.

Sturridge 52′

Oscar 26′

Suarez 90′

Hazard pen 57′

4 Liverpool 2-3 Chelsea (aet) League Cup final, February 2005

It didn’t take long for the 2005 League Cup final to get going. Just 45 seconds, in fact.

That’s all it took for Liverpool’s John Arne Riise to open the scoring, with the Norwegian slamming home a sweet volley in record time.

The scores stayed that way until the 79th minute when Steven Gerrard, who had come close to joining Chelsea the previous summer, put the ball in his own net, prompting Blues boss Jose Mourinho to infamously shush the Liverpool fans.

Fortunately for Jose, his goading didn’t backfire, with his side scoring two quickfire goals in the first half of extra-time to seal the win, even though a late goal from Liverpool’s Antonio Nunez made for a nervy final few minutes.

Riise 1′

Gerrard og 79′

Nunez 113′

Drogba 107′

Kezman 112′

The best EFL Cup finals of all time – ranked

English football’s February showpiece event often has a lot to live up to. Here are some of the best League Cup finals ever seen.

ByStephan Georgiou 3 Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea Champions League semi-final second leg, May 2005

There was everything to play for Chelsea and Liverpool in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie in May 2005.

With the score goalless after the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool’s Luis Garcia poked the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech just moments into the game, only for defender William Gallas to clear it off the line.

However, referee Lubos Michel believed the ball had crossed the line and awarded Liverpool the goal. It was enough to settle the tie and send the Reds into the final.

Jose Mourinho was furious at the time, and judging by comments he made in 2023 when he was the manager of Roma, he still is.

“Liverpool’s stadium scored a goal because the ball hadn’t gone in, but they made so much noise that they scored,” Mourinho said ahead of a Europa League clash at Real Sociedad.

Luis Garcia 4′

2 Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea Premier League, April 2014

When Liverpool hosted Chelsea at Anfield in April 2014, the Reds were five points clear at the top of the Premier League, and with just three games left, they looked firmly on course to win their first title since 1990. What followed was one of the most dramatic title twists.

Everything changed when Steven Gerrard slipped on the halfway line just before the break, allowing Demba Ba to run in on goal and score the first of Chelsea’s two in a memorable, dramatic victory for the Blues, who were still in the title race themselves.

In their next game against Crystal Palace, Liverpool threw away a three-goal lead to all but hand the title to Manchester City.

Ba 45′

Willian 90′

1 Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool Champions League quarter-final, second leg, April 2009

Another Champions League all-timer, and one that – eventually – fell in the favour of Chelsea.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg of this quarter-final tie, Liverpool came flying out of the blocks at Stamford Bridge, scoring two in the first half to level the scores on aggregate.

The Blues then scored three quick goals to make the score 6-3 and seemingly put the tie to bed. However, Liverpool had other ideas, scoring two in two minutes in the final etchings to set up a tense finale.

But as Liverpool went searching for the goal that would have sent them through on away goals, Frank Lampard struck Chelsea’s fourth of the night, quashing any hopes of what would have been an epic comeback on an already epic night.

Drogba 51′

Aurelio 19′

Alex 57′

Alonso pen 28′

Lampard 76′

Lucas 81′

Lampard 89′

Kuyt 83′