Liverpool FC Have It All To Do Against Chelsea

Rafael Benitez and Sir Alex Ferguson haven’t agreed on much this season. But if the Spaniard is to be believed, then neither would have been overly enamoured by what transpired at Anfield last night.

Liverpool’s late charge for the championship will now take on extra meaning after Benitez’s side slipped to the precipice of Champions League elimination.

Responding to Ferguson’s latest barbs, the Spaniard had declared before the game that the Manchester United manager would be supporting their bitter North West rivals as extra games could threaten their title momentum.

That’s unlikely to be a problem for Liverpool after next Tuesday’s second leg at Stamford Bridge following this demoralising loss.

It was their first defeat in 33 home games and only the second time they had lost a first leg in European competition when played at Anfield.

John Terry may be missing next week, but his absence through suspension is unlikely to make much difference.

After all, Liverpool now have to score three goals at Stamford Bridge to keep alive their European dream – something they haven’t managed for almost 20 years.

The 23rd meeting between the sides since Benitez assumed charge in June 2004, this was by far the most painful for Liverpool.

But as impressive as Chelsea played, Liverpool made it easy for the Londoners by falling massively short of the standards they have been setting in recent weeks.

The defence, so solid of late, was unsure throughout, the midfield badly missed the banned Javier Mascherano while going forward only Fernando Torres came close to his best.

It had all started so well when Torres netted with just six minutes gone. But in truth Liverpool were second best from that moment onwards.

No doubt the zonal marking will again be called into question after Branislav Ivanovic twice stealed in to head beyond Pepe Reina from corner kicks.

Didier Drogba could have had a hat-trick before eventually netting with still a quarter of the game to go. Indeed, Chelsea could easily have won by more as the home side realised the tie – let alone the game – was probably already up.

The portents had been mixed for Liverpool. Chelsea had not won in their last seven away games in Europe, while Benitez’s side were unbeaten in five at home to the Londoners.

However, Liverpool had won only four of 16 previous games against English opposition in Europe.

Since Guus Hiddink replaced the sacked Luiz Felipe Scolari shortly after Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat of Chelsea at Anfield in February, the Londoners have rediscovered their verve with the Dutch coach having lost just one of his 10 games in charge.

This was the fifth successive season the teams had been paired together in Europe, the previous eight matches yielding just 10 goals and often left the neutral cold.

But with Liverpool in freescoring form and Hiddink insisting his side would attack, both sides poured forward at every opportunity. It made for an absorbing encounter.

Mascherano’s one-match suspension gave a start to Lucas Leiva, while Albert Riera returned from his own European ban to augment an otherwise full-strength Liverpool line-up.

Lucas will probably be vilified by the faceless critics on internet messageboards, but it would be unfair to single out the Brazilian. Many of his more experienced colleagues were similarly under par.

How long ago the opening moments seem now. Liverpool exploded out of the blocks at home to Real Madrid and Aston Villa in recent weeks, so Chelsea knew what to expect from the first whistle at fizzling Anfield.

But Benitez’s side took only six minutes to forge ahead. After expertly controlling Alex’s airborne clearance, Dirk Kuyt produced an even better reverse pass to set Alvaro Arbeloa free down the right.

The Spaniard then picked out unmarked compatriot Torres for a clinical finish beyond Petr Cech.

Liverpool, though, were indebted to Reina barely 60 seconds later when Salomon Kalou caught Lucas in possession and sent Drogba clean through only for the Ivorian to shoot straight in the midriff of the well-positioned home goalkeeper.

Curiously, the visitors reacted better to the early goal, Florent Malouda firing across the face before Drogba missing a glorious chance when fed by Michael Ballack, smashing miles over from eight yards when a simple finish would have surely sufficed.

In between, there was an indication of how little time there was on the ball during a rip-roaring first half when Torres robbed a dawdling Frank Lampard but curled his effort narrowly over.

But Chelsea grabbed a deserved equaliser six minutes before the interval when Ivanovic timed his run to lose his markers and head home Malouda’s corner from the right.

Kuyt should have restored Liverpool’s advantage immediately when his low shot was blocked by Cech’s legs, but the away goal muted the atmosphere among previous vibrant home support.

Drogba missed another sitter seven minutes into the second half, although Carragher produced heroics to clear the Chelsea man’s effort off the line after Fabio Aurelio’s slack pass had caused problems in the Liverpool defence.

And the home side showed they had learned nothing from the first half when Ivanovic headed Chelsea in front of 62 minutes, again unmarked to meet Lampard’s delivery.

Five minutes later it was 3-1, Drogba finally getting his goal by turning in Malouda’s cross from the right.

“I think it’s only a coincidence, we will change this,” said Benitez when told the team drawn at home in the first leg of the three previous Champions League encounters against Chelsea had been eliminated.

Liverpool now have no other choice if they are to stay on the road to Rome.