Rafa Benitez declared his side as genuine title contenders after they ended Chelsea's long unbeaten home league run.
Xabi Alonso's deflected 10th-minute strike gave Liverpool victory - and Chelsea did not have the guile or the firepower to add to the 86-game streak stretching back to February 2004.
The win moved Liverpool three points clear at the top and with a victory over Manchester United already secured, Benitez is predicting a serious title challenge. He said: "Everyone was talking before of our statistics against the top sides - we knew we needed to improve. We were coming here unbeaten, they were unbeaten here for a long time so it was a massive game.
"It was a big boost for the rest of the season. We have belief, we have quality, we showed coming from behind in the other games that we had character. This is enough for being contenders, this is enough for being at the top of the table now.
"After the game I said congratulations to the players. To win here was a really difficult thing to do and so to win here sends a massive message to the other teams of what we can do and tells our fans what we are about."
Chelsea have changed their style since the arrival of Luiz Felipe Scolari, but Liverpool were largely able to keep a lid on the Blues' attacking efforts, Ashley Cole skewing their best chance wide.
Scolari said: "We did not play as Chelsea usually play. They put eight players out to defend and there was no space to work the ball, only space to cross. We didn't win one cross.
"This is not the football that we play. We need to play and touch the ball as we do not have big strikers.
"Benitez is intelligent. He knows that we don't have a two-metre centre forward, so they gave us space. But when we crossed they have players who are very good at winning the ball.
"We were running out of time and the players did not have the confidence to pass the ball. I tried to tell them to play but they didn't listen.
"It's only the second time we've not scored a goal and I have the same confidence in my players.
"They need to understand that Liverpool's defenders were better than us, that's all. I will not change my idea because we failed to score."
Xabi Alonso's deflected 10th-minute strike gave Liverpool victory - and Chelsea did not have the guile or the firepower to add to the 86-game streak stretching back to February 2004.
The win moved Liverpool three points clear at the top and with a victory over Manchester United already secured, Benitez is predicting a serious title challenge. He said: "Everyone was talking before of our statistics against the top sides - we knew we needed to improve. We were coming here unbeaten, they were unbeaten here for a long time so it was a massive game.
"It was a big boost for the rest of the season. We have belief, we have quality, we showed coming from behind in the other games that we had character. This is enough for being contenders, this is enough for being at the top of the table now.
"After the game I said congratulations to the players. To win here was a really difficult thing to do and so to win here sends a massive message to the other teams of what we can do and tells our fans what we are about."
Chelsea have changed their style since the arrival of Luiz Felipe Scolari, but Liverpool were largely able to keep a lid on the Blues' attacking efforts, Ashley Cole skewing their best chance wide.
Scolari said: "We did not play as Chelsea usually play. They put eight players out to defend and there was no space to work the ball, only space to cross. We didn't win one cross.
"This is not the football that we play. We need to play and touch the ball as we do not have big strikers.
"Benitez is intelligent. He knows that we don't have a two-metre centre forward, so they gave us space. But when we crossed they have players who are very good at winning the ball.
"We were running out of time and the players did not have the confidence to pass the ball. I tried to tell them to play but they didn't listen.
"It's only the second time we've not scored a goal and I have the same confidence in my players.
"They need to understand that Liverpool's defenders were better than us, that's all. I will not change my idea because we failed to score."
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