Wednesday 21 January 2015 10:05, UK
Chelsea had Thibaut Courtois to thank for keeping a relentless Liverpool side at bay, writes Matt Stanger...
There haven't been many occasions this season when it could be claimed Chelsea were fortunate not to lose, but Tuesday's thrilling Capital One Cup tie at Anfield was certainly one of them. The Blues were battered by a relentless Liverpool performance in the second half, but escaped with a 1-1 draw thanks to Eden Hazard's penalty.
The Belgian's spot-kick was one of only two attempts for the visitors in a fiercely contested semi-final first leg. The other came with five minutes remaining when Filipe Luis blazed over from distance. By contrast, Liverpool managed 19 shots in total, drawing a string of impressive saves from Thibaut Courtois with seven efforts on target.
The first half told a different story. With Raheem Sterling again starting in a 'false nine' role, the hosts struggled to impose themselves in the penalty area as Chelsea kept them at arm's length. Seven different players fired in seven attempts at goal - four of which came from outside the box - but only one, a dipping 30-yard drive from Steven Gerrard, tested Courtois.
"They lack a physical presence and numbers in the box," said Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports at half-time. "Some of the interplay between Coutinho and Gerrard has been neat and tidy, but they’ve found it difficult in there with Terry, Cahill, John Obi Mikel and Matic."
We know Liverpool are really strong going forward and are not an easy side to play against. It's important to bring in one fresh player to give us a bit of stability in midfield.
Always meticulous in his planning, Jose Mourinho had accounted for Sterling's trickery. By replacing Oscar - who starred in the 5-0 win over Swansea at the weekend - with John Obi Mikel, it was clear the manager intended to defend with a low block and suffocate the space for Sterling to cause problems.
"We play the first half of a match that will end at Stamford Bridge, we know Liverpool are really strong going forward and are not an easy side to play against," said Mourinho. "It's important to bring in one fresh player to give us a bit of stability in midfield."
That defensive platform forced Liverpool to attack down the flanks but, similar to their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in last year's title race run-in, they lacked a physical presence to attack crosses.
"Similar to what Arsenal did to Manchester City at the weekend, there’s no space there at all," Carragher continued. "So they go to the wide areas, and when they’re looking to cross, Sterling’s against Cahill and John Terry and there’s not enough numbers in the box. It’s a massive problem for them."
It was a massive problem until Brendan Rodgers tweaked his team's approach at the interval. With Liverpool now overloading in the centre of the pitch to support Sterling, Chelsea's composure began to crumble. Wave after wave of red shirts poured forward until Sterling slipped Matic and Mikel's eyelines to turn, drive at goal and fire his shot into the corner.
"You can make a little mistake and he won't say anything to you," said Courtois of Mourinho's relaxed persona before kick-off, but the manager probably had a few words spare for his sleeping midfielders.
Liverpool pushed for an elusive second goal but, despite Sterling continuing to confuse Chelsea with his movement, the breakthrough never came. That shouldn't discourage Rodgers too much, however, and he will be confident of causing an upset at Stamford Bridge if his team maintain the improvement they showed in the second half.
"Chelsea were very lucky tonight," concluded Carragher. Rodgers may reflect that this was one occasion when fortune didn't favour the brave.
Watch Chelsea v Liverpool on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm next Tuesday.
