Tuesday 20 January 2015 10:46, UK
As Liverpool and Chelsea prepare to face each other in their Capital One Cup semi-final first-leg, we look at reasons for the Blues’ recent dominance in this fixture...
The form guide suggests Liverpool face a tough test against Chelsea over their two-legged Capital One Cup semi-final. Although the Reds have historically been the stronger side, commanding 14 more victories than Chelsea over 161 meetings, the past three seasons have seen the Blues assert their dominance.
Chelsea remain unbeaten in their last five encounters with Liverpool, winning each of the last three, scoring nine and conceding five.
Here we look at Chelsea’s three successive victories over Liverpool, and the reasons for their firm grip on a fixture that so often proves to be a close contest.
A tale of two strikers: Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea, November 8, 2014
Already a key fixture in the calendar, the importance of this game increased following Brendan Rodgers’ decision to rest a host of first-team stars for the preceding trip to Real Madrid in the Champions League. The manager gambled on fresh legs against Chelsea helping to kick-start the Reds’ domestic campaign but, despite taking an early lead through Emre Can’s deflected strike, the visitors eventually proved too powerful.
It was always going to be an arduous afternoon against the league leaders, who had started the season 16 matches unbeaten. While Rodgers faced a difficult task to integrate his summer signings – with four starting this game at Anfield – Jose Mourinho’s new recruits settled immediately. Diego Costa made the difference, grabbing a second-half winner to cap a tireless performance, but Mario Balotelli struggled to convince on his 11th start for Liverpool.
The stats emphasise the striker’s frustrating 78 minutes before he was replaced by Rickie Lambert. Balotelli managed only one shot, which was off-target, and was caught off-side (four times) and dispossessed (three times) on more occasions than any other player. “We deserved at least a point for sure," said Rodgers in his post-match interview. But the Reds lacked the cutting edge to turn the majority of possession (56.6% to 43.5%) into goals, with Balotelli failing to start a single match since.
Chelsea nullify Liverpool’s attack: Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea, April 27, 2014
This fixture will forever be remembered for Steven Gerrard’s costly slip. At the end of a cagey first half, the Liverpool captain lost his footing to present the ball to Demba Ba, who gratefully slid his last Chelsea goal past the helpless Simon Mignolet. It was a huge blow to the Reds’ title hopes and the end of a brilliant 11-match winning run that had left them five points clear at the start of the day.
While Gerrard’s misfortune hogged the headlines, it wasn’t the only reason for Liverpool’s defeat as Chelsea kept their slim title hopes alive. Having handed a Premier League debut to 20-year-old centre-back Tomas Kalas, Mourinho instructed his side to defend deep to avoid the blistering counter-attacks of Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez. It was a tactic that worked perfectly, with the Blues suffocating the space and preventing the Reds from scoring for the first time in 26 top-flight matches.
“It was 10 players behind from the first minute and we found it difficult to break down,” said Rodgers, adding that Chelsea "parked two buses". “It’s not difficult to coach to just get 10 players right on your 18-yard box and it is difficult to break through, but they defended well.”
The visitors’ approach proved hugely effective as Gerrard was forced to pump hopeful balls into the box in search of the crucial breakthrough. It was perhaps for this reason that Rodgers immediately signed Rickie Lambert at the start of the summer transfer window, with the England international offering a stronger physical presence in the penalty area. A lack of game-changing options on the bench certainly played a part in Liverpool’s downfall as Rodgers was forced to call on a half-fit Daniel Sturridge and Iago Aspas late in the second half.
Willian eventually scored Chelsea’s second to make the result safe, which allowed Manchester City to sneak in and steal top spot - and subsequently the title - with their game in hand at home to Aston Villa.
Experience and options prove decisive: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool, December 29, 2013
Chelsea’s victory in this tense encounter at Stamford Bridge put them four points ahead of Liverpool and within two of table-topping Arsenal as the title race continued to gain momentum. Despite falling behind early on - as they did at Anfield this season - the Blues fought back through Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto’o in the first half before holding Luis Suarez at arm’s length after the interval.
It was the second time Liverpool had let a lead slip to lose 2-1 in a matter of days, having also been edged out by Manchester City on Boxing Day. But there were signs of a title assault in the making, with Suarez, Sterling and Philippe Coutinho beginning to click in the final third as Rodgers’ methods began to take shape.
A lack of options again played a part in the Reds’ failing to gain a result. While Rodgers tried to change the course of the game by introducing Aspas and rookie Brad Smith, Mourinho demonstrated the depths of his armoury by sending on experienced trio Fernando Torres, Ashley Cole and John Obi Mikel to see out the 90 minutes.
"As you can see (our squad) is very thin at the moment,” said Rodgers in his post-match interview. "By January, hopefully everyone will be back fit and we'll have some reinforcements and then we can go into the second half of the season in a really good moment.”
With Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge returning from injury, that certainly proved the case as Liverpool took 44 points from the next 48 available in the Premier League to stand within touching distance of their first title in 24 years.
Watch Liverpool v Chelsea live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm on Tuesday
