Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1
- Meireles 69
Wow, now this was a nice win to savour! The added spice was the inclusion of Torres into the Chelsea line-up. But apart from this, we played well and whilst we didnt create as many chances as Chelsea, the ones we did create were better. A great win, and a solid 3 points that now sees us back in the top-6, and just 6 points behind Chelsea who are in 4th. Could we?
There was again a lot of pre-match talk especially as Ancelotti started with Torres. Dalglish once again opted for the 5-2-3 formation, with the 2 wing-backs but with the return of Carragher. A change in midfield as Gerrard was moved back deeper and alongside Lucas, giving Gerrard the job of nullifying Lampard. Maxi was given the left role, but Suarez was again on the bench:
————– Reina —————
– Carragher -– Skrtel — Agger —-
Kelly ———————- Johnson
—— Lucas —– Gerrard ———
— Meireles ———— Maxi —-
————- Kuyt —————–
Subs: Aurelio for Maxi (75), Poulsen for Meireles (83)
The major subtext to this match of course was the playing of Torres, but, like all football matches, its the football thats played which actually counts.
Torres I thought didnt look that comfortable in his Chelsea gear from the off. We got an early test as to his mindset and sharpness when after 90 seconds Maxi inexplicably gifted Torres the ball in an advanced position but Torres skewed his shot from the edge of the box skyward and well wide. That was a let off and the game could have been completely different if that would have been struck well and in.
Chelsea had a formidable attack line of Anelka, Drogba and Torres in a 4-3-3, but they werent stretching Liverpool that much, as the game was tight in midfield and our defence worked well. But they were getting more attempts at goal. One came then when Torres was put through well by Drogba but Carra blocked Torres’s shot as he beared in on goal. Torres also seemed to scuff his shot a bit as well. Torres ‘dream’ move didnt seem to be having a dream start, thats for sure.
Liverpool were playing well in midfield and more than holding their own, with the wing-backs providing width. Then came the actual best chance of the match, when a good cross from Gerrard avoided the Chelsea defenders but somehow an unmarked Maxi lifted his side-foot shot from all of just 3.5 yards onto the bar and away. What a miss. Would we rue it?
Liverpool were bottling Chelsea up quite well, but Chelsea were still fizzing in attempts from range, some closer than others. And on set pieces, we looked somewhat under pressure. Our 3 centre backs were playing well, but Reina as usual didnt command the danger areas on crosses.
In the 2nd half, Liverpool got a mental boost when Torres was subbed off. Ancelotti had gambled by putting Torres into the mix, but I felt it a bad move on 2 counts, first to put him on, and secondly to haul him off so early, even if trying to change things.
Liverpool got the goal soonafter. Gerrard, who had a good game, crossed in from the right towards Kuyt who went for the cross but the ball went through the gap of both Ivanovic and Cech, who seemed to bottle away from Kuyt’s presence. The ball went across the goal to the incoming Meireles, who’s follow-up work again put him in this position, and he shot and scored well from about 12 yards out with his left foot. A great score!
Granted, given the run of play of efforts on goal, it wasnt as if we had been peppering their goal with close shave after each other, but this was at least some recompense for Maxi’s terribe miss.
And as Chelsea changed things and the game opened up, they gave us more chances. One chance was where Aurelio nearly capitalised when after a good run, when he got a shot off only for it to be well saved by Cech.
Chelsea did have a penalty shout when Johnson, a former right back at Chelsea, seemed to give Ivanovic, the current right back, too much of a push, but that would have been a ‘homer’ decision if ever there was one. The game ran out and Liverpool were the winners. And it was a win to savour for sure, with plenty of bragging rights. The tally at the end of the match read Chelsea’s 14 attempts to Liverpool’s 7.
Overall, good performances from many, Kelly, Carra, Johnson, Gerrard and Meireles, but also Lucas who I think deserves a very special positive mention. He played really well and was very effective. Its not often I praise him but he deserves a lot of praise for the way he played in this match.
There is plenty to consider in this game. One, is the formation of Liverpool, when Dalglish once again went with a 5-2-3 with wingbacks and 3 central defenders. This is twice in a row now so cannot just be considered as a one-off. Will he do it again? But then long-term, how does this fit in with Carroll and Suarez? It may fit in with Carroll IF he plays as the single role up front with the wing backs of Kelly and Johnson providing the supply, along with Kuyt on the right and Meireles on the left.
But then, what about Suarez? A small footnote to the win over Chelsea was that Suarez didnt even get on. I think Dalglish should have put him on for Kuyt towards the end, say with 15 to go, because as the game opened up as Chelsea had to chase it, his better pace could have helped to secure the 2nd goal and a win. And he would have gained a lot by playing at Chelsea.
What with an unclear path ahead for Liverpool in terms of players positions and formations, etc, Dalglish is certainly making things interesting.
The litmus measure of course are results on the field. If a formation works reasonably well, and produces a result and the 3 points, then great. I think Kenny was aiming for a draw with the formation, and most fans certainly would have been happy with that.
So, what next for Liverpool? Next in the league its Wigan, 3 points on ‘paper’, 3 points target. Hopefully Kenny and the players can keep this momentum going. Then, its Europe again with an away and then a home tie versus Sparta Prague.
Things are certainly looking up for Liverpool, and lets hope they continue ….
Redspider
