Liverpool were just hoping to win the league. By the time this game came round they were expected to. The extra stress that moment brings was obvious in their struggle to break down the thick blue line of Chelsea’s negativity.
Until a fortnight ago
Until a fortnight ago
Even Steven Gerrard, idol and leader, is not immune to the pressure of title race run-ins. It was the Liverpool’s captain’s miss-control and slip that let in Demba Ba for a breakaway goal just before half-time. Willian scored a second moments before the end.
For the whole of the second period, Liverpool poked, prodded and ran at Chelsea’s swarm-defence without summoning enough composure to force the ball into Mark Shwarzer’s net. Chelsea changed their team but not their nature. The understudies took their tactical cue from the 0-0 draw against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday night.
More and more banners declare Anfield’s yearning to be back on top of English football. More and more emotion throbs around this ground. But to be champions for the first time since 1990, Brendan Rodgers’s men must overcome this kind of test. The flowing brilliance of their play must find a way through block defending, time wasting and the cunning of Jose Mourinho, who dressed for a trip to the garden centre but still took care of business four days before Atlético roll into Stamford Bridge for their Champions League semi-final second leg.
With 11 straight Premier League wins, Liverpool were threatening to sweep the empires of Chelsea and Manchester City aside. Last weekend’s 3-2 win at Norwich felt like a dress rehearsal for the coronation. But in this state of mind Chelsea could ruin any grand occasion. Luis Suárez bobbed and weaved but could make no impact. Raheem Sterling fizzed in the first-half but lost his way in the second. Daniel Sturridge joined the action with half an hour left but by then the pattern was set.
source
No comments:
Post a Comment