Liverpool moved into the Carling Cup final four with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last night.
The game means rejuvenated Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 11 games, while Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas will have to face more speculation about his job security over the coming weeks.
Second half goals from Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Kelly secured an important 2-0 win for the Reds and moved them a step closer to winning their first trophy since the 2006 FA Cup.
Before kickoff, the crowd paid tribute to recently deceased Gary Speed with a minute’s applause. The emotional tribute moved Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy to tears, Bellamy is a former teammate of Speed, and honored his late friend with an impressive individual display.
The game opened in end to end fashion and a frantic opening 15 minutes saw a penalty appeal turned down at both ends. First Chelsea defender David Luiz was harshly booked for diving after it appeared Sebastian Coates had tripped him in the area. At the other end, Luiz was on the right end of the referee’s decision when he got away with pushing Andy Carroll inside the penalty area.
A penalty was awarded in the 22nd minute when Alex handled the ball inside the 18-yard area to present Liverpool with a golden opportunity to open the scoring. Andy Carroll took the penalty, but his drilled effort was easily saved by Ross Turnbull.
Referee Phil Dowd was drawing criticism form the crowd, and he made things worse for himself just before half-time. Romelu Lukaku flew into a clumsy tackle on Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson, and Dowd responded by mistakenly booking Ryan Bertrand.
Chelsea had the first scoring chance of the second half when Florent Malouda headed against the crossbar. Liverpool regained the upper hand in the game though when they took a 58th minute lead.
Craig Bellamy broke free down the right flank for Liverpool, and his inch-perfect cross has finished off by Maxi at the far post.
The Reds doubled their lead five minutes later and Bellamy was once again the creator. Welsh international Bellamy swung a dangerous free kick into the area, and Martin Kelly headed past Turnbull to spark wild celebrations among the visiting fans.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas responded by throwing on Juan Mata and Nicolas Anelka, but neither player was able to make a big impact as Liverpool closed out a convincing win.
Kenny Dalglish expressed his pleasure at advancing in a competition his team would “love” to win, and the Reds boss extended his record against Chelsea to 13 games without defeat as Liverpool manager.
Andre Villas-Boas must now deal with more questions about his potential firing from the media, The Blues boss knows his team faces a crucial month of December and must improve.
“For our Premier League to be alive we need to make the most of the December games,” Villas-Boas told BBC Sport. “In the Champions League this standard won’t be enough.”
LINEUPS
CHE – Turnbull, David Luiz, Bosingwa, Alex, Bertrand, Romeu, Lampard, Malouda (Anelka 64), McEachran (Ramires 41), Torres, Lukaku (Mata 64).
LIV – Reina, Jose Enrique, Coates, Carragher, Kelly, Maxi (Skrtel 89), Henderson, Spearing, Lucas (Adam 70), Carroll, Bellamy (Kuyt 79).
SCORING SUMMARY
LIV – Maxi Rodriguez (Craig Bellamy) 58’
LIV – Martin Kelly )Craig Bellamy) 63’
LiveSoccerTV Man of the Match: Craig Bellamy (Liverpool)
Attendance: 40,511
Second half goals from Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Kelly secured an important 2-0 win for the Reds and moved them a step closer to winning their first trophy since the 2006 FA Cup.
Before kickoff, the crowd paid tribute to recently deceased Gary Speed with a minute’s applause. The emotional tribute moved Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy to tears, Bellamy is a former teammate of Speed, and honored his late friend with an impressive individual display.
The game opened in end to end fashion and a frantic opening 15 minutes saw a penalty appeal turned down at both ends. First Chelsea defender David Luiz was harshly booked for diving after it appeared Sebastian Coates had tripped him in the area. At the other end, Luiz was on the right end of the referee’s decision when he got away with pushing Andy Carroll inside the penalty area.
A penalty was awarded in the 22nd minute when Alex handled the ball inside the 18-yard area to present Liverpool with a golden opportunity to open the scoring. Andy Carroll took the penalty, but his drilled effort was easily saved by Ross Turnbull.
Referee Phil Dowd was drawing criticism form the crowd, and he made things worse for himself just before half-time. Romelu Lukaku flew into a clumsy tackle on Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson, and Dowd responded by mistakenly booking Ryan Bertrand.
Chelsea had the first scoring chance of the second half when Florent Malouda headed against the crossbar. Liverpool regained the upper hand in the game though when they took a 58th minute lead.
Craig Bellamy broke free down the right flank for Liverpool, and his inch-perfect cross has finished off by Maxi at the far post.
The Reds doubled their lead five minutes later and Bellamy was once again the creator. Welsh international Bellamy swung a dangerous free kick into the area, and Martin Kelly headed past Turnbull to spark wild celebrations among the visiting fans.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas responded by throwing on Juan Mata and Nicolas Anelka, but neither player was able to make a big impact as Liverpool closed out a convincing win.
Kenny Dalglish expressed his pleasure at advancing in a competition his team would “love” to win, and the Reds boss extended his record against Chelsea to 13 games without defeat as Liverpool manager.
Andre Villas-Boas must now deal with more questions about his potential firing from the media, The Blues boss knows his team faces a crucial month of December and must improve.
“For our Premier League to be alive we need to make the most of the December games,” Villas-Boas told BBC Sport. “In the Champions League this standard won’t be enough.”
LINEUPS
CHE – Turnbull, David Luiz, Bosingwa, Alex, Bertrand, Romeu, Lampard, Malouda (Anelka 64), McEachran (Ramires 41), Torres, Lukaku (Mata 64).
LIV – Reina, Jose Enrique, Coates, Carragher, Kelly, Maxi (Skrtel 89), Henderson, Spearing, Lucas (Adam 70), Carroll, Bellamy (Kuyt 79).
SCORING SUMMARY
LIV – Maxi Rodriguez (Craig Bellamy) 58’
LIV – Martin Kelly )Craig Bellamy) 63’
LiveSoccerTV Man of the Match: Craig Bellamy (Liverpool)
Attendance: 40,511
