Chelsea remember how to grind them out
Posted by Zeno in Chelsea, Liverpool | 18 September 2006
When is a little an awful lot? When it’s a Chelsea – Liverpool match. After all the shouting, all the overblown talk of a handshake between two tactical titans, and all the bad blood from games gone past, I suspect that what the fans of the two teams wanted was a really cracking League match. In some respects, their wishes were answered.
Chelsea’s attacking intent centred on the strike partnership of Drogba and Shevchenko – it still feels good to write those words – with a midfield trio of Lampard, Essien and Ballack to support them. Width, in this case, was provided solely by the energetic Ashley Cole running from the left. As against Charlton, Khalid Bouhlarouz was rarely to venture over the halfway line.
It was Chelsea that looked the early favourites. A smart shot from Kuyt rattled Petr Cech’s crossbar, but apart from that, Liverpool had few clear-cut chances in the first half. Chelsea’s superior passing and movement made their opponents look a little leaden-footed, with only the dynamic Sissoko drawing the eye. But more of him later. A dramatic goal line clearance by Agger had got Liverpool pulses racing, and Chelsea’s superiority – marginal, admittedly, and restricted to half-chances – was rewarded a minute or three before half-time with Drogba’s finest goal in a Chelsea shirt. A flighted 30-yard ball from Lampard was chested down and, as the Ivorian held off the attentions of Carragher, he turned and hit a half-volley at punishing pace from 15 yards out. Reina could only stand and watch.
But things changed after the break. Sissoko had been booked late in the first half and, only seconds later, had brought Lampard down clumsily as the number 8 surged past him. Stone. Cold. Red. Card. What he got was a wagged finger. And how vital this decision was to prove. Sissoko robbed Ballack near the halfway line and then fell under Lampard’s challenge. Ballack, looking to me like he knew exactly what he was doing, buried his studs in the midfielder’s thigh area. Another stone cold, but this time it was given and the Germany captain, protesting all the way, went for his early bath.
From then on, it was mainly Liverpool as they pressed for a point. Robben came on for Shevchenko, who still looks a second or two off the Premiership’s pace. Ferreira shored up right back by replacing Bouhlarouz, and Kalou eventually came on for the industrious Drogba, who richly deserved his Man of the Match award. The Ivorian has looked a new man this season, continuing the good form he had at the end of last term. The diving seems to have gone, to be replaced by muscular effectiveness and determination to win the ball. He gave Agger a torrid afternoon.
Chelsea were eventually to shut their opponents out despite some good late chances for Kuyt and Gerrard, and one real dolly for Crouch, who managed to head straight at the alert Cech.
The Chelsea verdict: on this showing, the Champions’ League final looks to be some way off, but the incisive goal and reasonably comfortable defending with 10 men augurs well for a third successive title. Their Scouse counterparts, meanwhile, find themselves well down the table… behind Arsenal, even. It might be a long season for Rafa Benitez but hey, he did say he’d need a couple of years. Wait… didn’t he say that a couple of years ago?
Comments
*grin* Rafa said he needed 3 years with Valencia who already had the players in place, Most likely 5 with Liverpool as he needed to master the language and build a team! Funny how peoples memory works; we can't all buy a new team each year you know (although with 20 signings in 2 years Rafa has done well on a limited budget).
Overall a good game, i think a draw would have been a fair result. Liverpool had the better chances overall, however what can you do against a goal THAT good!
Chelsea were all over the first 40 mins however, and how Momo stayed on i dont know.
Good to see Mourinho starting to aclimatise to the way things work over here. No more whinging and whining i hope, and a little more respect for his rivals.
Also very big of him and Ballack for the apology at the end of the game. This is not something we have seen from Mourinho before and may well have the knock on effect of making himself and the club a little more popular in general. I think one of the reasons so many people hate Chelsea is this arrogant childish attitude that they have shown in the past.
Getting rid can only be good for the club, and the game as i don't see Chelsea going away any time soon.
YNWA
