In an otherwise straightforward 1-1 affair on Sunday, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said he was impressed by the showing of young prospect Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The 19-year-old midfielder gave Mourinho a glimpse of the future as he was given a full debut against Liverpool after Chelsea had already secured the Premier League title by beating Crystal Palace the previous weekend.
The tall academy graduate completed all 27 of the passes he attempted, prompting Mourinho to say he is confident Loftus-Cheek will find a permanent place at the club.
“He’s going to be a Chelsea player, that’s no doubt,” the Portuguese said after the match. “We have other kids that I also believe can perfectly do it.
“Good work at academy level, good cooperation with us when the players go into the zone where they are almost there, but not quite there, so hopefully we have more in the future.”
Mourinho pledged to give match experience to other young players in the match at West Bromwich Albion this weekend, mentioning Nathan Ake and Izzy Brown, who joined the club from West Brom.
He said he would select something more nearly resembling his best XI for the final game of the season, home to relegation-threatened Sunderland.
He also said that goalkeeper Petr Cech would start at The Hawthorns, having missed the game against Liverpool due to a minor injury, and reiterated his desire to keep the 32-year-old Czech at the club.
Another young player, centre-back Kurt Zouma, was forced off by injury after 34 minutes and Mourinho revealed that the Frenchman had hurt his knee.
Following Mourinho’s example, Chelsea’s fans granted long-time foe Steven Gerrard a standing ovation when he left the field in the 79th minute.
The former England captain was goaded throughout the game, with Chelsea’s supporters eager to remind him of his costly slip from the teams’ encounter at Anfield last season.
Gerrard complained in a television interview afterwards that he had been “slaughtered”, but Mourinho felt the jeers were underpinned by affection.
“The negative song only shows respect. Nothing else than respect,” he said.
“It’s like a negative song to a dear enemy. The standing applause was special. Stamford Bridge was special.
“Steve gets that for almost two decades, every week when he plays at Anfield. But to get that in an away stadium is a fantastic way for him to feel that probably every club, every stadium in this country, respects him a lot.”
Mourinho added that he wishes to keep his squad together, including goalkeeper Cech.
“I still believe next season he is with us,” Mourinho said.
“Fundamental is to keep my players and to try to get the best out of them.”
He said he believes Oscar could be Chelsea’s breakout star next season.
“I have a feeling Oscar next year can have the same evolution [Eden] Hazard had this season.”
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers complained that opposition midfielder Cesc Fabregas “should have been sent off” for an ugly challenge on Raheem Sterling during the draw.
There was less than a minute on the clock when Fabregas caught Sterling on the ankle with a high, sliding challenge, for which he was booked by referee Andre Marriner.
The final score, after John Terry’s early header was cancelled out by Steven Gerrard’s headed goal, all but extinguished Liverpool’s Champions League hopes.
Rodgers felt the game might have panned out differently had Fabregas – who set up John Terry’s opener – been red-carded early in the match.
“Fabregas should have been sent off – out of control, diving, stretching,” said Rodgers, whose side trail fourth-place Manchester United by six points with two games to play.
“It was early in the game, but it doesn’t matter. It was a bad challenge and he deserved a red card for that.”
While Liverpool’s thoughts turn to Saturday’s home game with Palace, when Gerrard will play at Anfield for the final time, Rodgers called on the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, to support attempts to improve the squad during the close season.
Asked if finishing outside the Champions League places would make it harder for Liverpool to attract new players to the club, he replied: “It would have been whether we were in it or not.
“It was always going to be difficult. We know the areas where we need to strengthen the squad and, hopefully, we can do that.
“If we want to make the next step, we need to find the right acquisitions in the summer.”
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