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Greatest Games: Chelsea v Liverpool
There may be 200 miles separating Anfield and Stamford Bridge, but these two clubs have developed quite a fierce rivalry in recent years.
Some controversy-laden clashes in the Benitez-Mourinho era help to explain the animosity, but as these historic clashes demonstrate, it’s not just about the naughty mid-Noughties – if you know your history…
13. Chelsea 4-2 Liverpool, January 1997
In the gaudy era of the Spice Boys, a Liverpool team starring Jamie Redknapp, John Barnes, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman started this FA Cup third round clash with plenty of zig-a-zig-ah, scoring twice early on. By the final whistle they were left feeling like wannabes, as Mark Hughes, Gianfranca Zola and Gianluca Vialli turned the tie on its head.
The match marked a major shift in belief, too. Liverpool fell away in the title race, finishing fourth; Chelsea, meanwhile, went on to win the FA Cup, their first major trophy in 26 years. Which seems funny now, given they seem to win some sort of silverware every season.
12. Liverpool 1-4 Chelsea, October 2005
All the talk before this fixture was that Liverpool, after their Rentaghost-goal of the previous season, had laid claim to a strange mental stranglehold over Jose Mourinho's men. But this chatter rattled Chelsea cages.
The west Londoners flew out of the traps, smashing their rivals for four in Liverpool's worst Anfield defeat since Man United tonked them by the same scoreline in 1969. The hosts were swept aside, not only by the steamroller-like marauding of Michael Essien, but by standout performer Didier Drogba.
The Ivorian had experienced a mixed opening campaign in his Chelsea career – a pot pourri of goals and injuries, false starts and flashes of promise. His performance here served notice of the rampage to come.
11. Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea, April 2013
Forget the close nature of the scoreline here. This draw will be long remembered for the surreal moment in the 66th minute when Luis Suarez – Liverpool's Uruguayan goal machine and pantomime villain – sunk his Alvin Chipmunk-sized gnashers into the arm of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. Extra fuel was heaped on the fire when Suarez then popped up to score the equaliser in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
The incident went unnoticed by officials at the time, and the FA's subsequent ban of 10 games did little to deter Suarez from further offences. He repeated the trick at the 2014 World Cup against Italy to considerably larger uproar.
10. Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea, March 1965
An encounter in which arch motivator Bill Shankly upped his psychological game. At the time, Tommy Docherty’s Chelsea were tipped to win an impressive treble with a robust team which featured the likes of Ron Harris and Peter Bonetti; Liverpool, conversely, were expected to fall to one side in this FA Cup semi-final at Villa Park.
But Shanks had a trump card up his sleeve. Having discovered a programme seemingly constructed for Chelsea's FA Cup final in somewhat over-confident fashion, he stuck the pages to his team's dressing room wall and told the players to "stuff those wee cocky southern buggers". That they did, winning 2-0 and later triumphing in the final.
9. Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool, May 2012
Kenny Dalglish’s final game as Liverpool boss – and, almost certainly, in football management – ended in FA Cup final heartbreak. The Reds underwhelmed in the Premier League that season, finishing level on points with Fulham and only five ahead of West Brom in eighth place, but fared rather better in the domestic cup competitions.
Liverpool needed penalties to overcome Championship side Cardiff in the League Cup final in February, but Chelsea proved too strong just over two months later. Goals from Ramires and Didier Drogba made the difference at Wembley, with Petr Cech brilliantly denying Andy Carroll a late equaliser after the 6ft 4in frontman had halved the deficit in the 64th minute.
8. Liverpool 2-3 Chelsea, February 2005
As crazy as it sounds now, Chelsea in February 2005 – pumped with opulent talents and public ambition – were said to be missing that sprinkling of unswerving self-belief required to win a league title. Their Carling Cup glory gave them the final, all-conquering ego shot.
Of course, they were helped on their way by circumstances mired in what football commentators would call 'irony'. Steven Gerrard, a player courted by the Blues during Euro 2004, scored an own goal to cancel out John Arne Riise's record-breakingly early 45th-second opener.
Chelsea eventually muscled their way to victory, but only after a couple of goals scored in nail-shredding extra-time. Mourinho added extra spice by shushing the Liverpool fans.
7. Liverpool 7-4 Chelsea, September 1946
When the Reds raced into a 6-0 lead in less than an hour, it was with a team featuring emerging talent: both Bob Paisley and Billy Liddell made their debuts in this fixture. Meanwhile, the match served early notice of Liverpool's intentions during that campaign: they won the First Division title ahead of Manchester United and Wolves.
In the wake of their title win, much was made of a pre-season trip to America, which served the purpose of fattening up a Liverpool team physically diminished by the hardships and rationing of post-Second World War Britain. Chairman Bill McConnell claimed that if they could go to the States, load up on steaks, sodas and ice creams, they'd win the title. He might not have been scientifically accurate, but he was right.
6. Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool, April 2008
Jon Arne Riise’s last-gasp own goal at Anfield gifted Chelsea an equaliser in the first leg of this Champions League semi-final, so the two teams were neck and neck at kick-off a week later. They still couldn’t be separated after 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge, Fernando Torres cancelling out Didier Drogba’s opener in the second half.
With a penalty shoot-out seemingly looming, a spot-kick eight minutes into extra time proved decisive. Frank Lampard, just days after the death of his mother, showed nerves of steel to convert from 12 yards, sparking emotional scenes of celebration as his team-mates embraced the midfielder. Drogba then made it 3-1 on the night, with Ryan Babel’s late effort not enough for Rafael Benitez’s men.
5. Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool, May 2003
Has a goal ever been worth more? At the time, Jesper Gronkjaer’s winner at Stamford Bridge was deemed to be worth £20m – the prize money on offer to the victors in this Champions League showdown. Chelsea edged it and took fourth place at Liverpool’s expense, but more significant (both financially and footballingly) was what the result meant for the Blues’ future.
Roman Abramovich had already decided to purchase a Premier League club at that point, and it’s thought that Chelsea’s accession to Europe’s foremost competition persuaded him that west London was the best destination for his roubles. The Russian oligarch has ploughed in more than £2bn since then, helping the club win five Premier League titles, four FA Cups and, nine years after this triumph over Liverpool, the Champions League.
4. Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea, May 2005
A goal that Jose Mourinho still won’t accept settled this Champions League semi-final second leg at Anfield under the most controversial circumstances.
Just three minutes in with the aggregate score 0-0, Luis Garcia poked a strike past Petr Cech, only to watch as centre-back William Gallas hoofed it away. But referee Lubos Michel, believing the ball had crossed the line, pointed to the centre circle. The decision was enough to settle the tie, although Garcia and others have noted that had the goal not stood Michel may have given Liverpool a penalty and Cech a red card.
“After that semi-final he [Mourinho] came up to me and wished me luck for the final,” Garcia told FourFourTwo. “I have so much respect for him, as I saw how hard he worked to get to where he is now. He’ll always deny my goal, but if I was him I’d do the same.”
3. Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool, May 1986
A couple of months before securing the First Division crown at Stamford Bridge, the odds were heavily stacked against Liverpool. Player-manager Kenny Dalglish's team were in second place and 13 points behind Everton; they also knew their final-day fixture at Chelsea was historically tricky. But Dalglish led by example, scoring the decisive goal in the 23rd minute and helping snatch the title from the Toffees and West Ham.
“It was typical Dalglish, taking the ball on his chest and the next thing it's in the back of the net,” said captain Alan Hansen. "To win the championship in his first season as player-manager, especially after being so many points behind at one stage, was terrific."
2. Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea, April 2014
A classic tale of master-versus-apprentice with a subplot of "anti-football", negativity and a tragic balls-up by one of Liverpool's great servants. When Steven Gerrard allowed a routine pass to slide under his boot and into the path of Chelsea striker Demba Ba – who finished clinically – The Kop were silenced. Their title charge was in tatters. A returning Jose Mourinho had blown the league wide open.
For 90 minutes, Chelsea – who rested a number of key players ahead of their Champions League semi-final with Atletico Madrid – defended relentlessly, and Liverpool were unable to find a way through. A 2-0 loss handed the initiative to Manchester City, who wrapped up the title two weeks later.
1. Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool, April 2009
This was a topsy-turvy, no-holds-barred Champions League quarter-final shootout that had Blues fans reaching for the valium. With little to lose and the underdog mantle foisted upon them after a 3-1 first-leg defeat at Anfield, Liverpool went for it, scoring two in the first half to level on aggregate, if not away goals.
But as the nerves jangled around Stamford Bridge, manager Gus Hiddink introduced striker Nicolas Anelka and watched as his side scored three goals... and then lose their stranglehold when first Lucas Leiva equalised and then Dirk Kuyt scored with eight minutes remaining.
Their blushes were spared when all-round lucky charm Frank Lampard popped up with an equaliser to push Chelsea through 7-5 on aggregate.
