Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea match report

[Sir X]

Last Updated: Sunday, 19 August 2007, 16:55 GMT 17:55 UK

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Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
By Saj Chowdhury 1-1



Torres grabbed Liverpool's 6,999th league goal
Frank Lampard salvaged a point for Chelsea after Fernando Torres scored his first goal for Liverpool in a tempestuous battle at Anfield.

Torres opened the scoring in the first half when he was fed in by Steven Gerrard before slotting past Petr Cech.

Lampard equalised for Chelsea with a penalty won by Florent Malouda who was fouled by Daniel Agger.

That decision was contested by the Reds in a pulsating, yet niggly, match that saw eight yellow cards handed out.

The talking point in Monday's press will be the performance of referee Rob Styles, although there will undoubtedly be column inches reserved for a fine performance by Liverpool striker Torres.

Both the Spaniard and his partner in attack Dirk Kuyt were a credit to the Reds with their tremendous industry that gave a Chelsea defence, led by John Terry, little respite.

One of the pair deserved some reward for their hardwork and it came the way of Torres.

Gerrard, playing despite having pain-killing injections on his fractured foot, threaded a peach of a ball for the 23-year-old who cruised round the outside of Ben Haim before slotting the ball past Cech and into the keeper's bottom left.

Apart from the front pair, Liverpool looked particularly effective on the left with John Arne Riise and Alvaro Arbeloa preventing Michael Essien from getting forward from his right-back position.

In fact, it was Riise who was giving Essien a headache, and early in the game got away from the Ghanaian before firing a 20-yard low shot that was well held by Cech.

Chelsea were largely kept quiet by the Liverpool defence, who limited their potent striker Didier Drogba to half chances - the first, a tame free-kick that was deflected wide, and the second, a header that climbed high over the bar.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho, like many watching, must have realised that Shaun Wright-Phillips was wasted in a central position, so come the second half, the England midfielder was moved out to wide right.

The tactical swap almost paid off immediately after the restart when Wright-Phillips swung in a wicked cross for substitute Claudio Pizarro.

The Peruvian met the ball with his head but sent his effort wide of the far post.

Despite that effort, it was Liverpool who once again took a firm grip of the game and, as cliched as it sounds, only a moment of magic or defensive error seemed the only way Chelsea could get back into the game.

As it happened, it was neither, but a contentious refereeing decision.

Rob Styles, who booked eight players in the match, awarded a penalty to Chelsea after he adjudged defender Agger to have fouled Malouda, even though it seemed the Frenchman jumped beforte contact with the Dane.

Nevertheless, there was a job still to be done and up stepped the largely reliable Lampard to slot the ball past Pepe Reina.

And following the goal, Styles almost created another talking point when he appeared to show a yellow card to Terry and Essien, with Essien having already been booked earlier in the match.

But the referee later clarified that he only booked Terry.

Liverpool substitute Ryan Babel came close to grabbing a deserved winner for the Rafa Benitez's side but his fizzing shot from 20 yards flashed inches wide on Cech right-hand post.



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Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa, Pennant (Babel 68), Gerrard, Alonso, Riise (Crouch 83), Torres, Kuyt.
Subs Not Used: Itandje, Hyypia, Mascherano.

Booked: Kuyt, Pennant, Gerrard, Carragher.

Goals: Torres 16.

Chelsea: Cech, Essien, Ben-Haim, Terry, Ashley Cole, Kalou (Pizarro 46), Wright-Phillips (Joe Cole 77), Obi, Lampard, Malouda (Alex 85), Drogba.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Makelele.

Booked: Essien, Ashley Cole, Ben-Haim, Lampard, Terry.

Goals: Lampard 62 pen.

Att: 43,924

Ref: Robert Styles (Hampshire).

[Sir X]

A Chelsea man jumps over the ball into a liver pool defender 3 to 5 feet from the ball and gets a penalty call....wow.

Keep in mind no one touches the ball .AAHHHHHHHHH!

[Peter R]

This is a disappointing tie for Liverpudlians, especially given what I've just read. Roman have plenty money fi true! Ahh bwoy.

pr

[Sir X]

Boss we deh pan fiyah , from start to finish high press pressure !Chelsea look ordinary , not any team can do that to Chelsea for 90 minutes.

Chelsea showed about 15 minutes of quality the entire game.

Our season .

[Peter R]

Without the benefit of seeing the incident it's hard to comment... but my spidey senses always tingle when in big games like this the outcome is "decided" by the ref...

pr

[Peter R]

What about Manchester City? playing above themselves ? I really don't know the team but they've made a great start.

As far as the tie with Chelsea, from a results perspective I though the game would draw but always hoping for the win at home. So the disappointment stems from the fact that Pool played so well without the 3 points.

pr

[Sir X]

Fools gold top 7 probably ,

[Tilla]

It was not really like that Peter R. The Liverpool defender tackled Malouda inside the area, but it was close to but off the ball. You can consider the penalty as questionable, but if the referee sees the tackle as reckless and it happens inside the penalty area, he had no choice but to award a penalty.

Chelsea enjoyed the greater amount of posession throughout the entire game. Liverpool, apart from their goal in the 13th minute was on the backfoot all game.

I hate to see a game decided by a questionable call, but it is a point and we will take it. Credit to Liverpool though, they played well.

[Sir X]

Check yuh self bout Tackled , the ball rolled by both players, they were rushing towards it from different directions the Chelsea player jumped over it ,into the liverpool player.

There is a reason the liverpool player didnt get to the ball!

The liverpool player had one option, to move laterally.If the liverpool player did as you say (tackled the man in the 18 yard ) ball or no ball then the penalty isnt questionable.

Which game did you watch Chelsea enjoyed the greater amount of possesion of the game ? , so the BBC report is a farce ((Liverpool looked in firm control and, as cliched as it sounds, it seemed only a moment of magic or defensive error would get Chelsea back into the game.

As it happened, it was contentious refereeing decision that allowed the Blues to draw level. ))

Boss leave yuh bias at the door.



IT WAS A TIEFING CALL , the best I can say is STUPID CALL !

[Sir X]

REDS HELD BY HARSH PENALTY

A wrongly awarded second half penalty, scored by Frank Lampard, has cancelled out Fernando Torres' first competitive Liverpool goal and denied the Reds all three points after Chelsea held them to a 1-1 in Sunday's Premiership clash at Anfield.

The Reds had taken a deserved first half lead when Torres beat Cech with a superbly placed shot, but they were rocked when referee Rob Styles adjudged that Finnan had fouled Malouda in the box and Frank Lampard scored from the penalty spot to equalize.

Liverpool did create chances to retake the lead and it took a fine save from Cech to deny Kuyt's header, but Rafa's men will be disappointed not have to taken all three points after television replays proved Chelsea's lifeline was an extremely harsh decision.

Liverpool couldn't have been given a harder assignment for their first home game of the campaign than last season's deposed Champions Chelsea, but they came into the game full of confidence, brought by two wins in a week against Aston Villa and Toulouse.

Rafa Benitez's summer transfers has given the Reds plenty of strength in depth for this year and he again made the most of his large squad, recalling Xabi Alonso to partner Steven Gerrard in midfield; and also reuniting Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres in attack after they made an impressive start together at Villa Park.

When we got under way, it was Liverpool who threatened first when Pennant's cross found Riise well placed only for him to mis-control. And but for a Drogba shot that went well wide, the early stages belonged to Rafa's men and they confirmed their superiority when Fernando Torres gave them the lead with a fine goal.

Reds skipper Steven Gerrard was playing through the pain barrier today after suffering a hairline fracture of his toe against Toulouse, but you wouldn't have known it when he sprang to life and played a brilliant pass into the channel for Torres. Anfield waited as Torres went one on one with Ben-Haim and the young Spaniard didn't disappoint as he swept passed the Chelsea defender and placed the ball beyond Cech and into the net. It was a brilliant goal from Torres on his Anfield debut.

Chelsea almost hit back straight away when a dangerous Didier Drogba free-kick from 20 yards was deflected only narrowly wide; and they came more into the game as the first half wore on. The visitors almost getting themselves level when Terry just failed to connect with the ball at the far post, but Liverpool will feel they'd done enough to warrant their lead at the break.

The second half started with Chelsea initially in the ascendancy with Mikel and Pizarro both wasting good headed chances. But Liverpool were soon back on top and they produced an excellent chance for Alonso that he dragged wide.

Liverpool were building a head of steam and you felt sure a second would come, but they were rocked when referee Rob Styles gave Chelsea a route back into the game in the 62nd minute when he adjudged that Steve Finnan had fouled Florent Malouda in the penalty area. The injustice of the decision was proven by television replays, but Chelsea accepted their gift when Lampard beat Reina from the spot to make it 1-1.

To their credit, Liverpool picked themselves straight back up and they again went in search of a second goal, only this time it was to take the lead. They came close just after the hour when Riise fizzed a volley just wide of the angle, but Chelsea shut up shop and chances were hard to come by, a Kuyt header that brought a good save from Cech was the closest Liverpool came to restoring their advantage that had wrongly taken away from them.

[Paul Marin]

Fools gold top 7 probably ,

X - you and me both are supremely vex over the absolute incompetence at best for the call in today's game. I am still fuming over it. I am LIVID!!

Anyway, don't kid yourself about City. They are not deep enough to win the Premiership, but they will be a tough team to beat. Their coach (despite the abuse that he has taken in the British press) is experienced with a fantastic club record. They also had a stellar performance today from Richards and Dunne in the back. Now, they are not as good as the "big 4", but they are definately not a walkover.

[Paul Marin]

This is a disappointing tie for Liverpudlians, especially given what I've just read. Roman have plenty money fi true! Ahh bwoy.

pr

Pedro, the call was total shyte. It is unbelievable in this day and age, where there are proven technologies that can help referees, that we are arguing over a call that should never have been allowed. Now, to be clear, I am not saying that all teams don't get the benefit at some point, but I think most fans would much prefer that the system were more consistent and predictable when it comes to calls that decidedly affect the outcome of a game. Those were two MASSIVE points that he handed Chelsea today, and they know it.

[Sir X]

Agreed , thats why i say top 7 , the wind and grind of the prem will take its toll , quality to build on for the next 2 seasons.