England U19s midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek made his full debut for Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, starting their game against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
Jose Mourinho’s men were crowned as Premier League champions last weekend and were given a guard of honour onto the pitch by their visitors.
But despite a bright start to the game by 19-year-old Loftus-Cheek, it was two England captains from the past who got the game going with the two goals in the 1-1 draw.
Chelsea's Loftus-Cheek has been a regular for England U19s this season
Firstly, Chelsea skipper John Terry nodded the hosts ahead in the early stages to become the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history with 39 goals now to his name.
But Reds legend and another former Three Lions star, Steven Gerrard, brought his side level just before the break by heading home Jordan Henderson’s free-kick.
Henderson was among Liverpool’s England stars in the line-up alongside Raheem Sterling, Glen Johnson and Adam Lallana, whilst defender Gary Cahill came on as a first-half substitute for Chelsea.
And Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers introduced former England U17s striker Jerome Sinclair in the second half to replace Rickie Lambert up front for his Premier League debut, along with U20s winger Jordon Ibe.
Loftus-Cheek received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he was replaced by Nemanja Matic after an hour, as did Gerrard who was playing his final game at Stamford Bridge as a Liverpool player before he leaves for MLS outfit LA Galaxy at the end of the season.
"I think he did well," said Chelsea boss Mourinho after the game.
"But it's better to leave the pitch at 60 mins playing well and I wanted him to play well. It was a fantastic experience for him."
James Milner celebrates his goal against QPR with Frank Lampard and Aleksandar Kolorov
Elsewhere, Three Lions midfielder James Milner was on the scoresheet as Manchester City sent Queens Park Rangers back to the Championship with a 6-0 win at the Etihad Stadium.
Rangers knew they needed to win if they were to stand any chance of surviving in the Premier League, but there appeared little chance of that once Sergio Aguero scored the first of his hat-trick after just four minutes.
Milner netted his goal in the 70th minute, the fifth of the game, before David Silva rounded off a nightmare afternoon for Three Lions keeper Robert Green in the dying stages.
It means Manuel Pellegrini’s men secured their place in the Champions League next season, but for QPR it’s back to the second tier alongside fellow promoted side Burnley who were also relegated on Saturday.
