Premier League: Liverpool 1 - 1 Chelsea
Tuesday, 21 August 07, 02:44 AM · Comments (15)
Match reports
The Guardian, Kevin McCarra: "The teams could not be prised apart but this was an afternoon when Liverpool's spirits soared and plummeted. A likely victory was taken from them with the dubious award of a penalty by the referee, Rob Styles, whose form was so poor that he would have been substituted well before the interval had he been a player. Despite denials the footage suggests that, like Graham Poll at last year's World Cup, he showed a second yellow card to a miscreant without dismissing him."
The Independent, Andy Hunter: "These sides have made a habit of nullifying their opponents' attacking edge beyond the boredom threshold in recent years and it was therefore an enthralled Anfield, and disgusted Chelsea bench, that saw the visitors prised apart and punished with beautiful simplicity by Gerrard and Torres in the 16th minute."
The Times, Oliver Kay: "It started as a fairytale afternoon for Liverpool’s new darling, slowly turned into a nightmare for the referee as Chelsea fought back and ended, amid plenty of mud-slinging afterwards, with Rafael Benàtez talking about Little Red Riding Hood. If this is a sign of things to come in the Barclays Premier League title race, it promises to be a season full of twists, turns and a taste of the bizarre."
Daily Telegraph, Tim Rich: "You can tell little by beginnings, but this was a match that showed the balance of power in the Premier League is very slowly shifting under the patent leather shoes of the big clubs. On Chelsea's last two visits to Anfield, they had seen their hopes of a third Premier League and a first European Cup final drain away, and now they limped home to London grateful for a point."
The highlights
Click here for extended high quality video highlights from Virgin Media.
The good
- The result. A point at Anfield must be considered satisfactory. Jose Mourinho insisted after the game that he wanted to win, but I believe, with the result at Eastlands in mind he went there looking for a point. Seven points after three games, five ahead of Manchester United, without really playing that well. I'll take that.
- Claudio Pizarro. I continue to be impressed by the Peruvian and wonder why Mourinho persists with Salomon Kalou. Pizarro came on at half time against Reading and changed the game. Yesterday Pizarro replaced Kalou and again made a big difference. I'd keep Kalou on the bench and start with Pizarro and Didier Drogba. Bring on Kalou when the opposition is tiring.
- Shaun Wright-Phillips. John Arne Riise and Alvaro Arbeloa doubled up on him but he still played well and put in a few really good crosses. My man of the match for a third time this season.
- The penalty. It was not a penalty. But as Steven Gerrard pointed out after Liverpool's game against Aston Villa last weekend, not long after he had conned Mike Riley into awarding him a free kick which ultimately cost Villa two points: "Villa shouldn't be moaning about the decision ... these things even themselves out over the course of the season." How right he was.
The bad
- Referee Rob Styles' performance. Styles turned what was a pretty good game into a yellow card infested farce... And apparently it was all our fault. The pressure put on Styles by John Terry et al was to blame. Liverpool's players behaved perfectly and didn't pressurise Styles at all. Jermaine Pennant, Steve Finnan and Jamie Carragher had the occasional quiet word in Styles' ear, but that was it. Nothing more. Complete rubbish of course. The so-called haranguing of referees has become part of the game. Liverpool were equally at fault for surrounding Styles and putting pressure on him. Until such time as referees start sending players off (Michael Essien appeared to be dismissed for just this offence) it will remain part of the game and players will use it to their advantage.
- The ease with which Fernando Torres beat Tal Ben Haim. Torres breezed passed him as if he wasn't there. Awful defending akin to Glen Johnson's howler against Birmingham last weekend. The right-hand side of our defence remains a major weakness.
- We have conceded the first goal in all three Premier League games this season, as well as the Community Shield.
Man of the Match
Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Related links
Like this blog? Help spread the word: 
Three games in, seven out of a possible nine points on the board, and amazingly, five clear of our main rivals already, and yet we only seem to have done just barely enough to get any kind of result in each of those three games.
In terms of performance, yesterday's game played out just as I expected really...I kinda knew we were gonna be on the back foot for most of the game. Our weak right flank is being exploited every game now, and ALL opposing teams now know that they can upset our rhythm if they close us down quickly. We're also looking very vulnerable in the air from corners and free kicks.
We seem to be allowing teams time on the ball now, which is something that never happened in the two championship seasons.
Maybe, with the new players, things are gonna take time to bed in, but at the moment we're looking a bit one dimensional.
As a fan since 1966, it's hard for me to criticise 'em, but that's the way I see it after a mere three games this season.
Let's see if we can show a bit more dominance and guile (or at least not concede the first goal)against Portsmouth...C'MON CHELSEA!
The bloody press went so hysterical on that penalty, they're just typical anti-Chelsea! At the time Drogba was receiving the ball, and would have scored that goal anyway!
We were robbed, how can the referee be so inept and allow a penalty to be given to change a result. Chelsea were lucky and have bought the two premiership titles along with the mickey mouse cups with Roman's money.
Torres is the dogs bollocks he scored a great goal and run the Chelski defence ragged. Stevie G showed how a central midfield should be played, and Liverpool showed that diving and cheating is not something that should be part of the game, so look at Torres he was kicked so many times by your crap defenders and stayed on his feet!
On that performace and after two games we are surely the favourites for the title, so fuck off Chelski you may have not spent money on players, but your Russian gangster owner must have slipped Rob Styles a few quid.
Oops sorry guys for the last post of mine, I must have caught that Livershit disease HYPOCRISY! I'm currently looking for a cure but don't hold out much hope.
Nice one Clive..... Thought you had lost your marbles there for a minute!
The more I actually watch the penalty, the more I think Styles was right to give it. If you watch the long shot (and not the camera from the edge of the penalty box), you will clearly see Malouda about to be nailed by Finnan. If he hadn't jumped it would have been a definite penalty and we wouldn't have heard any more about it.
I personally didn't think we played well, but I didn't think Liverpool were much better, and certainly not worthly of the gushing praise handed out by the media.
Regardless of the rights and wrongs, it makes a change for the scousers to feel like they have been mugged.... as we all know, they are usually the ones doing the mugging!
Very happy with the point - I'd have taken it before hand because Anfield is going to be a very difficult place to get results this season. They'll be up there definitely, but still think they lack that certain something (their inability to finish us off for instance) and believe we'll come above them. United have really shot themselves in the foot - next week's match against Spurs is a win-win for us!
Arsenal look like a bunch of wimps again.
The Liverpool spin after the game is exactly the sort of thing we are usually chastised for. Rafa's inability to say a single nice thing about Chelsea and Jose contrasts with Jose's post-match interview - 'a great team, a great manager, an exceptional club' - and it's about time the media realised this 'feud' is now entirely one-sided. Take the pressuring the ref nonsense - given that not a single Chelsea player appealed for the penalty (which was a terrible decision), it simply doesn't stand up. And if the ref was intimidated, why did he a) book Chelsea players for backchat; b) not book Torres for diving? It's complete crap but the media lap it up.
Right back - I'd still go for Ferreira and think playing Essien there was a big mistake. It weakens midfield and doesn't strengthen the defence. Really looking forward to seeing Ricky and JT back together again.
Need to get a few clean sheets and start controlling games from start to finish, but this has been an excellent start in results if not performances, and I think the latter will soon come.
15 Comments · Add yours
Biggest disappointment for me was we didn't dominate the game even for a short period - I was hoping for at least a 10 minute spell when we were all over them.
Never looked like scoring - thank you Rob Styles!
On this performance, Liverpool have to be in with a chance this year. Can they keep it up all season though? Torres, for all his falling around, looked a very good player, and the team generally knit well. I wonder if the other top teams will do as well at Anfield this year? In any case, it is the away form that really matters, and last year, Liverpool's was terrible. They will have to improve there mightily to be in at the kill at season's end.
As Nick writes, we looked weak defensively on the right. Overall, we missed Essien in the middle, and it was clear, his instincts were to move infield rather than up the line. However, it was an interesting choice to weaken the midfield so dramatically in favour of attack. In some respects, I'm a little surprised that a strong Liverpool midfield could not take more advantage of this.
Apart from his antics in the Liverpool penalty area, Malouda looked rather out of things. It's a pity we have gotten ourselves into a hole over Robben, because his direct style would have been useful. I agree that Pizarro looks pretty good and deserves more playing time. He acts as a good foil to Drogba, who defending apart, was not all that visible. On the other hand, Drogba was ideally placed to score when the referee blew up for the penalty. I gather there is no advantage accorded in the penalty area, so Styles could not be faulted (for this at least) in blowing when he did. For all Liverpool's lamentations, it is nice to see us on the good end of a dodgy decision for once. Oh yes, and I thought Frank had another good game, and in particular, his tackling and passing around the field was very good. He's looking like the Frank of old. Now that has to be a good sign.
A point at Anfield is more than we got last season which is a plus, and after three (sic) games, we still have not yet lost (though we do try), again an improvement on last year. One would hope that ManU continue their wayward ways, but to rule them out already is fantasy.
On a different note, I'm pleased we have signed young Sam Hutchinson to a long contract. I was quite impressed by him during the Blue's Stateside tour. It's a pity though that he's not a natural right back. Yet another who can play there, apparently. Seems like half the team can do that without anyone making it their own. Oh well.