Liverpool did all they could to keep the race for the Premier League title alive, as their search for an unprecedented quadruple moves into the final stages.
Having already lifted the Carabao Cup, the Reds still have the chance to become the first English side in history to perform a clean sweep on all four major honours. In the race for the league title, Jurgen Klopp’s side remain the outsiders, after Manchester City thrashed Newcastle and Wolves in back-to-back matches.
That pair of wins means that going into the final two games City hold a three-point advantage, whilst also possessing a better goal difference. Liverpool ’s Premier League destiny now lies out of their hands and they will need a favour from either West Ham or Aston Villa, if they are to win a second title in three years.
In the FA Cup and Champions League however, the Merseysiders control their own fate with two massive finals set to decide how their season will be reflected upon in years to come. Their hunt for a seventh European Cup sees them face off against Real Madrid at the end of the month, but first it’s the small matter of a Wembley FA Cup final vs Chelsea.
The Reds have already overcome Thomas Tuchel’s charges at the home of football, lifting the EFL Cup back in February following a penalty shootout. And it promises to be another tight affair with Klopp looking to lift the trophy for the first time in his Anfield tenure.
After being unable to be separated in their last cup final meeting, Saturday’s clash could be one that comes down to a split decision or two, with all eyes on the man tasked with maintaining order. Craig Pawson has been named as the referee for the Wembley final and will be hoping to stay out of the limelight, having left Klopp fuming earlier this season.
Liverpool’s record in games officiated by Pawson is remarkably strong - having lost just six of the 31 matches the 43-year-old has officiated. However, the most recent of those defeats had Klopp hopping with rage after he felt a series of contentious decisions went against his side.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who will win the FA Cup final Chelsea or Liverpool? Make your prediction here
Following the 3-2 loss at West Ham in November - Liverpool’s first of the season - Klopp took aim at Pawson and suggested he got a number of decisions wrong. The most notable of which included not disallowing the host’s opening goal and deciding Aaron Cresswell’s challenge on Jordan Henderson wasn’t worthy of a straight red card.
In a spiky post-match interview he said: "I think it's a clear foul on Alisson, the arm from Ogbonna is here. The referee made it easy for himself and said 'that's see what the VAR is saying'. They said not clear and obvious - I don't know why - which is really strange. It's not man marking, it's blocking the goalkeeper.
"People will say I'm looking for excuses, I'm not. I accept we're not too good to lose football games. Today we lost it, that's not nice but I accept it. But when we speak about situations in a game you just need normal decisions from a referee. He didn't do that.
"The way I saw it (the Cresswell tackle on Henderson), it was a clear red card. No discussion possible. You cannot go like this into a challenge. But we cannot make these decisions obviously and I didn't know what the ref would say now, but in the game he looked confident his decisions were correct. It's all about the ref."
Pawson will be hoping for a relatively controversy-free afternoon under the Wembley arch - and if he doesn’t, Klopp and Tuchel will be sure to give his performance an honest appraisal.
