Wednesday May 2, 2007 15:39
Anfield Glory Chelsea Misery
Posted by The Soccer Blogger as Champions League
Liverpool 1 - 0 Chelsea (aet) (1 - 1 agg)
Liverpool Win 4 - 1 on Penalties
What an atmoshpere! What a night! What pure drama! And after all the drama, which concluded in a penalty shoot-out, it is Liverpool who will line up in Athens on Wednesday May 23rd in the Champions League Final against either AC Milan or Man Utd. It means the potential of the Quadruple is now history for Chelsea and in the space of a few days, their season appears to be in tatters.
So after 90 minutes of normal time and then 30 minutes of extra-time, it ended in a penalty shoot-out. Always dramatic, always nerve shredding experiences. Even more so when it is to decide a Champions League semi-final. Was I surprised it ended in a shoot-out? No, not really. Although, for about 5 seconds, in the second half of extra-time, I did think Liverpool had won it when Kuyt followed up Alonso’s shot to put the ball in the net. Total mayhem was interrupted by the linesman’s flag. Television pictures showed it was a slide-rule decision. It was so close even the electronic scoreboard in the ground showed 2 - 0. Only for it to be quickly turned back to 1 - 0 to the relieve of the travelling Chelsea fans.
Overall, from a neutrals point of view you may say that it was a bit of a scrappy game over the 120 minutes but that would really detract from the occasion and be totally unfair. The tension was palpable and it got to everybody.
It was a real tactical battle between the two men who have been trading verbal punches for the past week. But you have to say that, yet again in a crucial cup showdown, it was the Spaniard who won another battle. Chelsea’s tactics just seemed a little strange all night. None more so than leaving five defenders behind the half way line when they had an attacking free-kick or corner. It was if Chelsea had come for a draw, which I find hard to believe. Personally, I think Mourinho and Chelsea believed they were going to score at least once at Anfield which would have meant Liverpool needing three. A very tall order indeed.
Another aspect of Mourinho’s game plan I thought a little strange was his use of substitutes. He waited a very long time before he made any. Mourinho has always struck me as a manager who is not afraid to change things early if tactics aren’t working out and I expected him to introduce the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips a lot earlier.
Also from Chelsea’s point of view I have to say I was very disappointed with Didier Drogba who in the first leg gave Liverpool’s Daniel Agger a torrid time. I, like most people, assumed Drogba was going to be Chelsea’s main threat but he just seemed more intent of arguing with the referee and play acting all night, rolling around on the floor as if struck by a sniper. There was one incident where the ball simply hit him in the face yet he went down as if hit by Mike Tyson trying to make out the Liverpool player had struck him. Of course, within seconds he had a miraculous recovery and he’s running around again like a five year old.
Drogba though did have Chelsea’s best if not only chance of the first half pulling a good save at his near post out of Pepe Reina. Thought that was the best, Chelsea did have a couple of other moments, but in truth they created little else.
However, Liverpool did manage to create a little bit more. Not a lot, but a bit more.
Crucially, what Liverpool did create was a free-kick about 18 yards out, wide on the left after a foul by Joe Cole on Gerrard on 22 minutes. It was ideally set up for Gerrard to swing the ball in towards Cech’s goal with pace and everybody in the ground, except those involved, waited for exactly that. However, Gerrard had no such intention. Instead he calmly rolled the ball square where Daniel Agger had managed to find a bit of space. Agger meet the ball sweetly with his left foot to curl the ball into the bottom corner of the net past a helpless Cech.
Cue mass hysteria and noise that, I’m afraid, can’t be described or appreciated unless you are there to witness it for yourself. Game on! Chelsea now had to score too or it was extra-time and suddenly the prospect of the penalty shoot-out reared its head.
Agger, Gerrard, Zenden and Riise celebrate the goal.
Apart from Reina’s save from Drogba there were few more chances in the first half and the teams went in at half-time level on aggregate at 1 - 1.
In the second half, with Liverpool attacking the Kop, they had three very good chances to extend their lead on the night.
Jermaine Pennant wriggled his way free on the right and crossed to Crouch but his downward far-post header was kicked away by Cech and John Terry completed the clearance.
And within five minutes Liverpool went even closer. A fantastic cross from John Arne Riise was met brilliantly by Kuyt but his header crashed back off the bar.
A rare Terry error then saw stand-in centre-half Essien bail out his skipper as he launched himself in front of Pennant and diverted the ball over for a corner.
Then it was Chelsea’s turn to put together possibly the best move of the half. Lampard combined with Joe Cole to put in Ashley Cole and Carragher got ahead of Drogba to turn the cross over the bar from three yards. Anfield let out a huge sigh of relief.
Despite all their efforts, neither side could produce that decisive hammer blow in normal time and the game, almost inevitably, went into extra-time.
It was Liverpool who went closest when substitute Xabi Alonso unleashed a rasping 35-yard drive that Cech could only parry into the path of Kuyt, who as mentioned above, turned the ball in before his strike was ruled offside.
There were very tired legs out there in the last 15 minutes of extra-time and from where I was it definitely looked like there were players who had settled for the penalty shoot-out.
Before last night Liverpool had been involved in 10 penalty shoot-outs, they have won 9 of them. Make that 10 out of 11. Liverpool simply romped home 4 - 1.
And it was Reina who recreated his heroics from Cardiff in last May, saving from Robben and Geremi. Lampard was the only scorer for Chelsea whilst for Liverpool Zenden, Alonso and Gerrard all took theirs. Anfield was on tender hooks as Dirk Kuyt walked up and place the ball on the spot. Having already hit the bar and had that goal disallowed, it was almost fitting the Dutchman had the chance to send Liverpool to their 7 European Cup Final. Kuyt took the chance with aplomb and Anfield was sent into ecstasy.
Pepe Reina celebrates after the penalties.
So Rafael Benitez has taken Liverpool to another final and their second Champions League Final in three seasons. They now have a chance to win it for the sixth time.
Don’t forget Chelsea already have the Carling Cup under their belts and now with the Quadruple consigned to the dust-bin, they must focus all their energy and effort on the FA Cup against Man Utd. Even if they win the FA Cup, they have again missed out on the one trophy they truly wanted. This defeat by Liverpool is a huge disappointment for Chelsea. Can they salvage anything out of the wreckage of the last few days?
Who will Liverpool play in Athens? Will it be a repeat of that unforgettable night in Istanbul 2 years ago against AC Milan? Or will it be the first all English Final against Man Utd. Both outcomes are mouth watering for different reasons. Only Utd and Milan can answer the question and we don’t have long to wait for the outcome.
The Soccer Blogger