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As newly crowned Premier League champions Liverpool prepare to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the fixture carries layered narratives beyond typical end-of-season formalities.

Sunday’s match will see Chelsea’s players form a guard of honour for Liverpool’s champions, a customary gesture last performed by the Blues in 2015 when the roles were reversed.

The ritual takes on added poignancy given recent transfer history: midfielders Moisés Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both rejected Liverpool for Chelsea, will now applaud Wataru Endo-the defensive midfielder who was the replacement signing for the Blues duo.

Caicedo’s £115m move to Chelsea in 2023 came despite Liverpool triggering his release clause, with the Ecuadorian later admitting “it was impossible to say no” to Stamford Bridge after protracted negotiations.

Lavia followed weeks later in a £58m deal, calling Chelsea a “no-brainer” despite Liverpool’s persistent bids.

While Caicedo remains suspended for this fixture, both he and Lavia are expected to participate in the guard of honour.

Sitting fifth with 60 points, Chelsea need victory to maintain their tight race over UCL spots with the likes of Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

While Liverpool have already clinched the title, four straight wins would allow them to finish on 94 points – a remarkable first campaign for Arne Slot should he achieve that.

With that in mind, the Premier League has announced the match officials for the clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Simon Hooper has been placed as the on-field referee and he will be assisted by Adrian Holmes and Simon Long.

Fourth official duties fall on  Tony Harrington, while VAR in Stockley Park will be John Brooks to be assisted by Matthew Wilkes.

Of course, Hooper was the referee for one of the Premier League’s most scandalous moments in recent memory: Luis Diaz’s ‘offside’ goal ruled out in the 2-1 defeat during the 2023/24 season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Diaz scored what appeared to be a legitimate goal, but it was wrongly ruled out for offside due to a miscommunication between the VAR team and Hooper.

The VAR mistakenly thought the on-field decision was a “goal,” so did not intervene, leading to a “significant human error” acknowledged by PGMOL.

Also on that day, Jones was sent off after a VAR review upgraded his yellow card to red, and Diogo Jota was also dismissed for two bookable offences.

Both decisions were debated, with many considering Jones’ red card particularly harsh.

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