Monday 22nd January 2007
Liverpool 2 - 0 Chelsea
There seemed to be no better opportunity for Liverpool to settle three years of Premiership pain as they lined up against a somewhat depleted Chelsea side.
With Ricardo Carvalho falling ill last minute and John Terry still sidelined with back problems, Chelsea were forced to field a squad without any recognised centre backs guarding the returning Petr Cech.
Liverpool, though, were not without injury problems of their own with Luis Garcia, scorer of that controversial Champion’s League semi final winner, ruled out for the rest of the season with a ruptured crucial ligament in his right knee.
Hungry and determined for victory, Liverpool produced the dream start, opening the scoring after a mere four minutes. A long ball from Jamie Carragher allowed an unchallenged Peter Crouch to neatly flick on to Dirk Kuyt. The Dutch striker remained cool and collected as his first touch took him past the makeshift central defender Ferreira to let him slot a half volley past Cech.
Chelsea were lucky to not find themselves further behind moments later after a Riise run left him one-on-one with Cech. Having cut inside, on to his considered weaker right foot, the winger thrashed at the ball allowing Cech to save comfortably.
The early stages continued to see the Chelsea’s hapless defence rocked and inevitable broken again on 18 minutes. Gerrard’s aim to pick out Crouch was thwarted by Essien. The partial clearance fell only as far as Pennant though, who opened his overdue Liverpool account in style.
Thirty minutes in, Liverpool found themselves temporarily down to ten men. A clash between Alonso and Drogba, left the Spaniard needing treatment for a facial injury. Chelsea, attempting to use this advantage to break into the game, sought opportunity down the right. Left back Aureillo remained resilient against Kalou and Liverpool survived the ten-man spell. Chelsea entered into half time having only one shot on target.
The expected Chelsea resurgence failed to fully materialise in the second half, heightening speculation of dressing room blues. The majority of half hearted efforts soaring wide.
Liverpool had opportunity to make sure of the win around the hour mark with Crouch guilty of squandering the best chance. A whipped in cross from a confident Pennant found Crouch 12 yards out. Despite towering above the vulnerable defence, the header was tame and easy for Cech.
In a season of wonder goals, John Arne Riise nearly added another to the collection after 62 minutes. Gathering from the halfway line, Riise fired a trademark thunderbolt from 30 yards. Defeating Cech, the Norwegian was denied only by the crossbar. And despite a favourable rebound and an exposed Petr Cech, Crouch failed again in his bid to convert the ricochet. Essien applying enough pressure to unsettle the England forward.
In a game where Chelsea resembled very little of the League winning side, their day was summed up by two fumbled free kicks. Much to the delight of the Anfield crowd, a quick one two between Drogba and Ballack proved disastrously comical as Ballack could only look on as Kuyt nicked in to steal. Drogba then mistimed his shot following a Lampard free kick five minutes later.
Liverpool could well have increased the score line further, which would have perhaps represented the true story of the game. Gerrard emphasised his man of the match status by setting up team-mate Kuyt. A perfectly cushioned volley into Kuyt’s path, demonstrated his obvious ability and exceptional awareness. Kuyt however spurned the chance by blasting over the bar.
An excellent performance from Liverpool opens the door ajar for potential a title race. But with a third Premiership defeat, speculation surrounding Chelsea and Jose Mourinho only grows.
Teams:
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Auriello, Pennant, Gerrard, Alonso, Riise, Crouch (Bellamy 85), Kuyt (Gonzalez 90)
Chelsea: Cech, Gerimi, Essien, Ferreira, A Cole, Ballack, Mikel (Shevchenco 74), Lampard, Kalou, Drogba, Robben (Wright-Phillips 21)
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