Champions League LiveBlog: Chelsea v Liverpool

By: Bob | April 25th, 2007

It is an all-English Champions League semifinal with Chelsea playing host to Liverpool. I’m liveblogging the full 90 minutes so come on in and join in the fun by leaving your thoughts, comments and rants before, during and after the game.

Final: Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool

Full time That is all from London with Chelsea coming away with a 1-0 victory. It was all Chelsea in the first half with Joe Cole scoring a goal in the 29th minute from a pass by Didier Drogba. The second half saw a revitalized Liverpool side but they were unable to get an away goal. It should be a heck of a replay next week at Liverpool. Thanks for stopping by and for your comments. For more, check out the Liverpool Offside, Chelsea Offside, and Champions League Offside.

90:00 Frentic final minutes at Stamford Bridge. Two minutes of injury time.

88:34 Crouch bangs his head on Drogba’s noggin after “jumping too high”. How many times has he done that in his career? Probably a million.

87:12 Drogba using his body to bull his way forward and he gets a foul. Drogba barking at the ref despite being in yellow card trouble. Terry rushes in and drags him away. Chelsea have managed to avoid card suspension to this point.

86:35 All game long Chelsea has had success feeding long balls to Drogba. Riise undercuts Wright-Phillips. Not a dive nor a foul. Good no call.

84:05 Liverpool has lost a little steam the last ten minutes. Shaun Wright-Philips on for Chelsea and the goal scorer Joe Cole is off to strong applause from the Stamford Bridge faithful.

82:21 Pennant on for Liverpool and Alonso off. Liverpool looking for more offense in the final minutes.

81:11 We see our first example of a Drogba Dive and the ref has none of it.

80:06 Lampard with a blast on goal and Reina with another huge save for Liverpool. Great side pass from Drogba and an excellent side volley from Lampard in the area.

80:00 Ten minutes to go and Chelsea continue to hand on to their one goal lead. Has been a cleanly played match thus far with Chelsea controlling the first half and Liverpool on the attack in the second half. It is setting up for a cracker of a second leg next week at Liverpool.

77:22 Lampard dragged down by Mascherano and the Argentine is showed a yellow card. Good call. Drogba almost on target again on a header from a Lampard pass on the restart.

75:00 Chelsea have lost just once in 84 matches at home under Mourinho. That is remarkable. Sheva coming off and Kalou is on at forward. Sheva didn’t show much tonight.

73:33 Saloman Kalou set to come on for Chelsea but he was wearing Shaun Wright-Phillips jersey. Weird. They should have their moms write their names on the inside collar in magic marker.

72:49 Drogba down on the pitch hurt behind the ball and it takes awhile for the referee to blow it dead. Drogba lunged at a ball and he is fine now. Free kick to Liverpool from a fair distance out. He chips it in to Kuyt and Crouch runs into Cech and is called for a foul.

70:00 Twety minutes to go and Chelsea looking content to keep it 1-0. Liverpool looking for the equalizer and an important away goal.

69:03 Crouch with a nifty falling backwards flick to Kuyt but then he can’t find Crouch on the return pass because a teammate got in the way.

68:26 Alonso and Mikel battling in the midfield and fortunately for Mikel he doesn’t get hurt for a third time this match. Agger is now referred to as the “Great Dane”.

66:39 Zenden wins another corner and again Liverpool can’t get it to work. Not sure what happened to Chelsea’s form at the half but it has been all Liverpool since the break.

64:57 Cech has one of the strongest legs in football. He just booted it all the way down the pitch to a waiting Drogba in the box. meanwhile, Lampard is complaining about a foul. Lamps has been quiet this match.

64:26 The linesman flags Sheva for being offside and we get a great view of his shorts yanked up to his nipples. He is a funny linesman with a nice bald head. Shot of Mourinho spitting water on the bench and looking less than pleased with the way things are going this half.

62:31 First 15 minutes of the second half has been all Liverpool but Chelsea still on top by a goal.

60:03 Couch falls to the turf and wins a foul. Just watching him fall is painful. He is like a moose. His body parts don’t quite fit.

59:45 Joe Cole with a long strike that is off the mark. Mention of him being an ex West Ham player. Just mentioning that club… Chelsea are surely cursed now.

58:27 Zenden wins yet another corner for Liverpool. He is effective on the wing this half. Four corners by Liverpool this half. Carragher gets his head on it and it is over the touch line.

56:59 Gerrard all over the place this half. He must have had some coffee at the intermission as he has woken up from a first half slumber.

55:19 Chelsea weathering the storm and Drogba back causing problems. He is a “veritable battering ram” according to the announcer who is prone to hyperbole.

53:46 John Obi Mikel down after getting Drobacite by Drogba. Mikel is holding his head. Drogba is limping. Tough night for Mikel. He has been hit in the balls and now the head.

52:43 Crouch on for Bellamy who managed to do nothing in this game. Cech forced into a tough save by a left footed volley from Gerrard. Great strike and an even better save. Liverpool corner cleared away.

51:23 Zenden wins a corner on the left flank. Gerrard with the corner and it is cleared away. The ball is on Liverpool’s attacking end exclusively.

50:07 Peter Crouch unfolding his legs and likely to be put into the game soon.

49:49 Riise finds Kuyt who has plenty of room to head it over the bar. Liverpool starting to get their attack going a bit.

47:45 Liverpool rolling it around and Riise gets a long range shot off. Liverpool playing with more composure at the start of the half.

45:49 The ball dribbles off Mascherano and Gerrard gets a shot out of it from the middle. It goes well over the ball. On the other end Sheva is offside and looks consipated when he sees the call.

45:30 No changes for either side as both managers go with the XI who have gotten us to this point.

45:01 We’re back underway from Stamford Bridge in this Champions League semifinals clash between Liverpool and Chelsea. Will the visiting team be able to get an equalizer or will we see Chelsea build on its lead before the second leg next week at Anfield Road? The next 45 minutes should give us the answers. Thanks for stopping by. Here’s hoping for a great second half.

Halftime After 45 minutes in London it is Chelsea 1 Livepool 0. Chelsea had the better opportunities in the first half against a Liverpool team that never seemed to get on track. It is Joe Cole’s goal in the 29th minute that is the difference. I will be back for the start of the second half. Your thoughts on what you have seen thus far?

43:43 Cech with a weird spin in the air. He looks ready to join the synchronized swimming team. Liverpool unable to take advantage of the corner.

43:28 I have to say that yesterday’s match was more interesting for a neutral viewer. Watching two English teams play an English game is something we can do every week. Watching differing styles is what makes this competition fun. Not a bad game, thus far, but different from yesterday.

41:21 Liverpool attacking on the opposite side of Gerrard. It builds up and breaks down. Gerrard tries to get a shot but Ashley Cole is there waiting with a wallet full of cash.

39:34 Is Mascherano even playing today? The Liverpool midfield is sloppy tonight. Chelsea doesn’t look unbeatable but they are more organized and more on their game. Drogba and Joe Cole swarming around the box like sharks feeding on a dead animal. Drogba called for the foul.

37:07 Chelsea’s forwards have a lot of room to operate. Sheva with a run forward. Joe Cole flying arounf the pitch. Liverpool will need to adjust. On the other end Kuyt crosses it and it is on Gerrard’s head and over the bar. Good effort.

35:28 Carragher takes a tumble into the stands and lives to tell about it. Markus Merk plays the role of authoritarian ref. Chelsea back on the attack with a winded Lampard looking hungry. Drogba into the area but offside.

33:12 Liverpool pushing forward hoping to get an equalizer but the Chelsea defense stands them up. Chelsea looking happy to play behind the ball and then clear it up top to drogba.

31:23 That was the first goal by Chelsea against Liverpool in the Champions League in five matches. Will Liverpool be able to bounce back? They have played from ahead for much of this tournament (except at Barcelona) so it should be interesting to see.

29:08 Carvahlo took it from the back and found Drogba who beat two defenders to send a pass to Cole who got his left foot on it. Pretty team goal from Chelsea.

27:45 GOALLLLLL!!!! Joe Cole takes a pass from Dider Drogba and beats Pepe Reina. Nice pass from Drogba.

27:12 Ball possession is 50-50. That stat is useless. Chelsea having the better of the action but we still haven’t seen a goal.

26:21 It always seems to me like the pitch at Stamford Bridge is narrow. It must be a visual thing. Doesn’t seem like there is much room out there, except in the Liverpool backline which doesn’t seem interested in marking Drogba.

25:05 Mikel will live. We all feel his pain.

23:10 Mikel kicked in the balls by Alonso. OMG, that has to hurt. He will not be bearing any children in the future. A boot right in the nads. Yikes.

22:03 Drogba and Agger in a wrestling match and Drogba gets a free kick for Chelsea. It is taken by Lampard who burns it on the ground and just misses the wall. It was redirected on the way in. Wow, close.

20:43 Joe Cole with a cross in the box that goes by Drogba’s head and past a falling Reina out of bounds. That was a dangerous chance.

19:47 Zenden with a shot that is well off the mark. You and I could have done just as well.

19:03 A bit of a ragged start with Chelsea having the better of the opportunities. I wonder why they never show Sheva’s wife in the crowd. That should be mandatory.

17:57 Arbeloa takes down Sheva at midfield. Funny how no one is talking about Sheva being a bust now that Chelsea are still in the hunt for three trophies. He drives a cross across the box and no one is there to redirect it.

15:44 Terrible ball by Riise and Drogba goes on a breakaway but is unable to find Joe Cole in the box. Liverpool defense showing some weakness while Drogba showing his speed and size.

14:12 Joe Cole looking anything but Brazilian trying to find Ashley Cole. Liverpool back and Zenden having troubles on the left side.

13:23 Liverpool midfield really not passing well. They are spraying it all over the place. Chelsea putting the pressure on but unable to crack the nut.

12:03 Shot of Mourinho on the bench looking as dishelved as ever. How do you get such good looking five o’clock shadow?

11:12 Bellamy called for being offside and for having a poor golf swing. Carragher making his 89th European appearance for Liverpool.

10:00 I read today that Cech is going back to study psychology at school. He should have a PhD after playing for Mourinho.

8:43 Reina had to dive down to keep the Lampard shot out. It was set up by a flick from Sheva. Best opportunity yet. Chelsea with the better run thus far.

7:43 Lampard with a huge shot in the box and Reina is forced into a great save. Excellent keeping.

7:23 Chelsea rolling it around in the midfield before Mikel tries to find Drogba with a long pass. No doing as the Reds defense clears it out.

5:28 Terrible pass in the midfield by Liverpool and Drogba goes for a run and falls in the box. No call as Drogba is unhappy with the lack of a whistle. Probably not a foul from my view, 5000 miles away.

4:39 Chelsea with a slew of players that can’t afford to get a card this match. Merk with his first call as Drogba is called for a foul.

3:45 Chelsea crowd in fine singing form as both sides spray the ball around and get settled into their groove.

3:00 Kuyt and Gerrard working well together around the Chelsea box. Kuyt is a fun player to watch. He keeps his motot running.

2:04 Sheva knocked down on the pitch and Bellamy runs the other way. Bellamy just has the look of being a tough dude. Must be the facial hair and tatts

1:23 Both teams running around at 100 mph trying to work the neves out. Chelsea on the attack early.

:11 “The team with the history against the team with the mystery.” I already dislike this ESPN announcer.

Kickoff: We are underway from Stamford Bridge for a Champions League clash between Chelsea and Liverpool. Thanks for joining me. Your comments are always welcomed. Keep them clean, have fun and enjoy some outstanding midweek football.

1 minute to go A moment of silence for Alan Ball. He was a great one. The crowd isn’t silent. They applaud the legend. RIP

2 minutes to go: The teams are coming out on the pitch. Chelsea wearing their home blue. Liverpool in their traditional red. It is nice of them to choose colors that don’t clash. Peter Cech looks like he is ready to play water polo. The Champions League anthem is played and the goosebumps are officially out.

5 minutes to go: You haven’t lived until you have seen Peter Crouch’s head on a giant high definition television. Truly we are living in a golden age. Liverpool is the last team to beat Chelsea. That was 21 games ago back in January. Chelsea fans waving blue and white flags. Liverpool fans showing a lack of teeth. Outstanding.

10 minutes to go – Your referee today is the German, Markus Merk, one of the best in the biz, notwithstanding his poor performance in the World Cup. I always read his last name as Merkin. The gutter where my mind resides. Let’s hope he doesn’t impact the game. It is 20C and dry at Stamford Bridge and the celery is tasty. ESPN with a different announcing crew. No Derrick Rae and Tommy Smythe. Seamus Mallen in da house.

15 minutes to go – My stomach is nervous and I don’t support either of these clubs. Maybe it is the strawberries I ate this morning. If there is a long pause between posts ignore me. I’ll be in the loo. Anyhoo, interesting to see these lineups. Carvalho has won the fitness battle for Chelsea. Mascherano gets the start ahead of Sissoko for Liverpool. Peter Crouch once again is the third wheel and on the bench. Steve Finnan nowhere to be found. Sometimes I think Benetiz chooses his lineups by throwing darts at a board. That dartboard has a picture of Jose Mourinho on it, of course.

Teams
Chelsea: Petr Čech; Paulo Ferriera, Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry, Ashley Cole; John Obi Mikel, Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole; Didier Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko.

Liverpool: Pepe Reina; Alvaro Arbeloa, Daniel Agger, Jamie Carragher, John Arne Riise; Steven Gerrard, Boudewijn Zenden, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso; Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy.

Pregame: Fingers sufficiently recovered from Tuesday’s match, eyes bloodshot but functioning, blood flowing…I am ready to punch the keyboard for another midweek Champions League classic. Thanks for joining me. If it seems like Chelsea and Liverpool have played each other a hundred times the past few seasons it is because they have. They have faced each other 14 times since the start of the 2004-05 season. That doesn’t mean that this one won’t be any less dramatic. Chelsea will be without the suspended Michael Essien and the injured Michael Ballack. Liverpool enter the match relatively healthy. Liverpool have advanced to the Champions League final six times, winning five trophies. Chelsea have never made it to the final, but manager Jose Mourinho did win it all with FC Porto back in 2004. These teams know each other. There should be no surprises, but there probably will be. Such is the nature of football. It is a beautiful thing.