Tuesday 14th April 2009, 7.45pm @ Stamford Bridge
UEFA Champions League
Quarter Final 2nd Leg
Liverpool almost clinched a sensational place in the semi-finals in an 8 goal thriller at Stamford Bridge. With a devastating 3-1 deficit to make up Liverpool went straight for the jugular at the Bridge and a Fabio Aurelio free kick and a Xabi Alonso penalty set the cat amongst the pigeons as Liverpool took a first half 2-0 lead.
Towards the end of the first half Liverpool should have made it 3 as Chelsea were in danger of going under without a trace. With Steven Gerrard unfit to play Liverpool’s task was even greater.
In the second half, Chelsea appeared to have learned none of the lessons for the first half and the reds continued to attack but were foiled time and time again by the Blues.
And then the game changed.
A deep cross from out wide and Drogba got the faintest of touched, wrong footing Reina who appeared to push the ball over the line. Minutes later Chelsea had their own free kick to celebrate when Alex powered the goal past Reina.
As the reds continued their gung-ho game plan Lampard was given space to get Chelsea’s third on the night leaving the reds with a mountain to climb.
Torres, who had been ineffectual in the game was replaced, and Liverpool then produced their only 2 minutes of madness when a Lucas strike took a deflection and fired in to equalise, before a Dirk Kuyt header from Riera’s cross put Liverpool 4-3 up. With 5 minutes left on the clock, one more goal for the reds and another extra-ordinary comeback would have been complete.
But as the reds pushed everyone forward, Chelsea found the space on a break-away and Lampard’s shot in off the post signalled the end of this season’s Champions League campaign for Liverpool.
Chelsea fans had booed their team off at half time, but the free plastic flags handed out by the Chelsea oligarch were now being waved.
On the pitch, over this gruelling 180 minutes of football Chelsea may have got the better of the reds, but off the pitch there was only ever one winner.
Chelsea advance to the semi-finals to face Barcelona. Liverpool face Arsenal next Tuesday as the title race continues.
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa (Babel 85), Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Lucas, Mascherano (Riera 69), Alonso, Kuyt, Torres (Ngog 80), Benayoun.
Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Hyypia, Agger.
Booked: Benayoun, Arbeloa.
Goals: Aurelio 19, Alonso 28 pen, Lucas 81, Kuyt 82.
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Alex, Carvalho, Ashley Cole, Kalou (Anelka 36), Ballack, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba (Di Santo 90).
Subs Not Used: Hilario, Mikel, Deco, Belletti, Mancienne.
Booked: Ivanovic, Carvalho, Ashley Cole.
Goals: Drogba 52, Alex 57, Lampard 76, 89.
Agg (7-5)
Att: 38,286
Ref: Luis Medina Cantalejo (Spain).
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Post Match Comments
We may have bowed out of the Champions League,but we fought till the very end!!!
And here’s to the Premiership 2008/09 coming home to Anfield where it rightfully belongs………YNWA
Excellent performance by the lads scoring four more at the Bridge but the tie was lost at home.We seem to have found a method to play brilliantly without Stevie which is worth shouting about!.Now it’s tough having to watch the Mancs,Chelsea and Arsenal fighting it out for the FA Cup and Champions League whilst our season is more or less over but will support the lads evermore!.
Perhaps we can still sneak the league otherwise there is always next season.
Whatever the result is, Liverpool is one of the greatest Team in the world. “We Fear No Foe”. What we saw yesterday was one of the best football you may wish for. The Game may have been lost at Anfield, but Liverpool is a master in turning game around, and they are the best in doing this.
We should focus on EPL We need to win the League.
Well we gave it a right good go but it wasn’t to be. I’m realy disapointed but never mind, we’ve still got the league and there’s always next year to look forward to. Im really poud of our players and fans. We did ourselves proud and nearly pulled off a miracle.
To be honest, and this isn’t sour grapes, I thought Chelsea were very fortunate. We could have been 3 or 4 nil up at half time. Cech fumbled a few catches and didn’t look at all comfortable dealing with crosses. Some last ditch defending saved Chelsea from going in at half time at least 3-0 down. Ivanovic was lucky to stay on the pitch. He received a yellow card for fouling Alosno on the penalty, and then dived in our box trying to atone for his error. The ref never gave him a pen so surely the lad must have dived and should have been given a second yellow as a result.
The first two goals that they scored came right out of the blue. They weren’t clear cut chances and to be fair I can’t remember them creating a clear cut chance until Ballack tamely shot at Reina after being clean through on 67 minutes. Credit to Drogba for getting a touch on the ball for the first goal, but 9 times out of 10 Reina deals with that no problem. Just bad luck. That said, we did pay for errors on Chelsea’s 3rd and 4th goals. Alosno cheaply gave possession away (one of few mistakes all night) outside our box which led to them braking wide and crossing for Lampard to score. More frustrating was Riera losing his bottle when faced with Drogba on the edge of our box. All he needed to do was get his right boot round the ball and hook it away to safety but he pulled out and allowed Drogba to nick the ball and get it to Anelka who duly tee’d Lampard up for the 4th and killer goal.
All in all though, we’ve played exceptionally well last night. It’s not so long ago that we’d have never believed we could get 4 goals at Stamford Bridge. Well we did that last night to go along with our 4 at Old Trafford. This team is capable of wonderful things. I’m so proud of them. We couldn’t go through last night, but the performance was a great way to honour the memory of the 96. Twenty years after that tragic day, the redmen are still a class apart.
What a fight! What a match! This team has it all….shame we seemed to be playing the Ref last night too. I keep thinking what would have happened if the whistle hadn’t gone when Torres was not offside….I’m as proud as it’s possible to be
Thank you LFC for one of the best matches I have ever seen.
Hard luck… but we took them to the wire… n ofcoz we can score 2 3 4 at the bridge. would have really loved barca…next time