New Delhi: A late double from Fernando Torres was enough for Liverpool to secure three vital Premier League points against Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday evening.
The first half was a quiet affair, with Blues keeper Petr Cech the busier of the two shot stoppers as he saved efforts from Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Albert Riera as Chelsea struggled to assert themselves.
After the break, Liverpool continued to have the better of the play, although they were unable to create many clear opportunities. But there was controversy on the hour mark when Frank Lampard was sent off for Chelsea after a lunge on Alonso and from that point onwards, the home side launched an assault on Cech’s goal.
And they got their rewards with just one minute of normal time left to play, when Fernando Torres met Fabio Aurelio’s cross and scored with a near post header.
Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, the Spaniard capitalised on an error from Ashley Cole to net a second and re-claim second place in the table for his side.
Team News
Robbie Keane was yet again left out of Liverpool’s 18-man matchday squad, which will surely prompt further speculation over his future at Anfield.
Xabi Alonso, Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera came into the side for the Reds, who made three changes from the side that drew with Wigan Athletic as Lucas, Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel dropped out. The alterations saw manager Rafael Benitez revert to what he sees as the club's full-strength line-up.
There were no surprises in the Chelsea team, with Luiz Felipe Scolari making no changes from the starting XI that defeated Middlesbrough in midweek. Alex continued to deputise for Ricardo Carvalho in defence, while Nicolas Anelka was preferred to Didier Drogba in the lone striking role.
First Half
Alonso had the first meaningful effort of the match in the 11th minute. After receiving the ball from Kuyt on the right, the Spaniard took a touch and shot at power from 25 yards – forcing Blues keeper Petr Cech to tip the ball over the crossbar.
Mascherano had an effort from even further out eight minutes later, but despite Cech, the Czech Republic international, spilling the Argentine’s shot, no home players were following in.
Then, Alex did well to block a Fernando Torres effort on the half-hour mark as Liverpool made most of the early running, although clear-cut chances were few and far between.
Chelsea introduced themselves as an attacking threat slightly more as the half progressed, John Terry heading over the bar from a corner and Anelka being well denied by a Martin Skrtel block, but Scolari’s men were non-existent as an attacking force for the majority of the opening 45 minutes.
It was the home side who came the closest to scoring towards the end of the half. Riera picked up possession in oceans of space, muscled past Michael Ballack when a challenge finally arrived, and shot across the face of goal from twenty yards. Cech made the save, but again he was unable to hold the ball, which cannoned back off Ashley Cole and could easily have ended up in his own goal.
Fortunately for Cole and the Blues, though, it fell narrowly wide and the sides went in at the half-time interval with the scores still level.
Second Half
The Reds started the second half brightly. Kuyt hooked a shot wide after Alex failed to deal with a Steven Gerrard corner before the defender redeemed himself moments later when he thwarted Torres for the second time in the match with an important block after the Spain striker found some space in the Chelsea box.
Alvaro Arbeloa shot forced Cech into a near post save after a raid down the Liverpool right, with only one team looking like they were set-up to try and win the game.
The match took a dramatic turn on the hour mark as Frank Lampard was sent off for a lunge on Alonso.
Lampard’s studs were raised, but it did seem like the England midfielder won the ball from the Spaniard and Chelsea’s players and Lampard clearly did not agree with the decision of referee Mike Riley, who instantly produced a red card.
Liverpool continued their dominance after the sending off as an Alonso effort from 18 yards struck Alex, who threw himself in front of the shot, onto the crossbar, before Cech dealt with the re-bounding ball.
In the 73rd minute, Torres found space with the Chelsea defence in disarray following a Gerrard corner, but Jon Obi Mikel made a crucial clearance to deny the Spaniard, the shot looking like it was set to find the far corner.
Salomon Kalou shot straight at Liverpool keeper Jose Reina in the 77th minute as Chelsea enjoyed their only meaningful attack of the half, before substitute Yossi Benayoun came close with two efforts, one saved by Cech and another from the edge of the penalty area looping just over.
But just as it was starting to look like the home side would be held to their fifth consecutive draw, Kuyt and Gerrard combined before the Liverpool captain fed the ball out to Fabio Aurelio on the left.
Aurelio had time and sent in a cross towards the near post, which Torres, having got in front of his marker, Alex, met with a powerful header that was too good for Cech – sending the Kop into raptures.
And to rub salt into 10-man Chelsea’s wounds, in the third minute of stoppage time, Ashley Cole was robbed by Benayoun inside his own penalty area, but as he tried to tackle the Israel winger, he only succeeded in playing the ball into the path of Torres, who comfortably slotted past Cech to put the icing on the cake for Liverpool.
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