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If a cup double might have dragged Liverpool's woeful league campaign into the realms of respectability, Saturday's defeat now makes the Carling Cup look trivial in the extreme. Fine margins. And even if they are able to claw back the four points on Everton, finishing above their Merseyside rivals should be no more than crumbs of comfort to Kenny Dalglish.

The eventual inquest into Liverpool's pitiful league performance will inevitably begin with their sorry record of just five wins at Anfield all season. The Reds require victory tonight to prevent this from becoming their worst campaign at home since 1948-49.

Dalglish's side have only won one of their previous eight league fixtures at Anfield, four of which ended in defeat. In addition, they have taken just a solitary point from the last 12 available in front of their own fans, scoring only twice in the process.

Admittedly, they boast a very respectable record against Chelsea in recent meetings. Opta point out Liverpool have won five of the last seven league clashes with the Blues, including each of the last three. But that will surely pale into insignificance after the weekend's events. They might have finished on the front foot, but their inability to make any impression for the best part of an hour will be galling.

As for Chelsea, the failure of all three sides directly above them to win at the weekend has given them an outside chance of making a late bid for fourth place. A win at Anfield would see them move to within just two points of Tottenham, and Blackburn's relegation last night should make their final home game against Steve Kean's men considerably easier. As it stands, they are 9.8 to overhaul both Spurs and Newcastle to secure a top-four finish.

Roberto Di Matteo's side are unbeaten in their previous five away trips in all competitions, including visits to Benfica, Arsenal and Barcelona. And the Blues are no strangers to success at Anfield, having won two of their last three clashes there in league and cup.

Over/Under 2.5 goals

This isn't traditionally a high-scoring affair, even if Andy Carroll made sure there would be over 2.5 goals at Wembley. Opta note that the winning side have scored exactly twice in six of the last seven meetings in all competitions, while on only two occasions over the same period have both teams managed to get on the scoresheet. It's currently 2.3 for only one (or neither) team to score tonight.

Elsewhere, each of the previous three league fixtures at Anfield have produced two goals or fewer, two of those being settled by a single strike. As for the visitors, all but two of their last eight Premier League outings on their travels have contained under 2.5 goals, including both of the last two.

Best Bet: Lay Liverpool @ 2.22
Other Recommended Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.93

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