Reds leave Chelsea feeling Blue at the Bridge

Liverpool maintained their two month unbeaten streak with a fully deserved 2-1 victory over Andre Villas-Boas' faltering Chelsea side yesterday. A well-worked first half strike from Maxi following a calamitous error from the hosts epitomised the first 45 minutes, before Chelsea recovered and levelled through Daniel Sturridge. The Reds weren't to be denied though, Glen Johnson's superb solo strike two minutes prior to the final whistle inflicting defeat upon his former employers and taking the Merseysiders up to sixth, level on points with Chelsea.

Kenny Dalglish went into the contest confident that his side could claim victory, with the legendary Scot never tasting defeat to the Blues during his two times in charge, winning eight and drawing three out of eleven meetings. Jamie Carragher was only fit enough to claim a place on the bench, meaning that Agger and Skrtel were paired together at centre back. Meanwhile, Bellamy partnered Suarez up front as Carroll dropped to the bench and Maxi made his first League start of the season. Ex-Reds Fernando Torres and Raul Meireles began on the bench for the Blues.

Liverpool players and staff wore black armbands as a mark of respect to Brad Jones after his son Luca tragically lost his long battle with leukaemia this week. With the match firmly put into perspective, Chelsea started in the ascendancy, Mikel driving over the top ten minutes in after Mata had gone perilously close to opening the scoring. Didier Drogba then fooled Pepe Reina, the TV commentators and half of Stamford Bridge as his 25-yard free kick curled inches past the post and rippled the back of the net. As many Chelsea fans pre-maturely celebrated and Pepe Reina began to berate his defensive wall, the Reds breathed a deep sigh of relief as it became apparent that the 33-year old Ivorian hadn't broken the deadlock.

Although the home side had more noteworthy sights of goal during the opening stages, Liverpool continually probed Chelsea's high defensive line and would have breached it on several occasions had the final pass been slightly better. Nevertheless, the visitors persistently pressurised their hosts, not allowing them any time on the ball and hunting in packs to win back possession.

This wise tactic came to fruition just after the half hour mark when Cech's poor pass put Mikel in an isolated position. Adam exploited the error, quickly dispossessing the Nigerian midfielder and passing to Craig Bellamy, who neatly exchanged passes with Suarez before feeding Maxi. The Argentinian justified Dalglish's decision to pick him by coolly slotting the ball beneath Cech's body and into the net.

Luiz was next to be targeted, as a trio in red shirts pressurised him into giving away a free kick on the edge of the box, referee Lee Probert also flashing a yellow card in his direction. Unfortunately, the usually lethal Suarez curled the resulting kick way over the top, before another great counter attack from the away side culminated in the diminutive Uruguyuay’s cross cum shot deflecting just wide of Cech's near post.

Liverpool had comfortably controlled the first half and should really have punished their opponents and extended their lead further. Disappointingly, they hadn't done so and Chelsea came back into the contest in the second half, equalising relatively early on and then going on to create numerous chances. Daniel Sturridge replaced Mikel during the interval and made an instant impact on proceedings, tapping home at the back post after a strong run into the box from Malouda.

Only two minutes later Reina was forced to pull off a stunning save to keep out Ivanovic's flick from Drogba's left wing free kick. The world-class Spanish stopper did well to get down and tip the ball behind the goal, retaining parity for the Reds. With 20 minutes remaining more Blue pressure ended with Malouda's acrobatic effort flying three yards past the post, before the French winger squandered a great chance to claim the lead as he scuffed a volley wide of the target having been left unmarked at the far post.

In search of a late winner Villas-Boas called for the cavalry, introducing former Liverpool stars Fernando Torres and Raul Meireles to the fray seven minutes from time. Both have struggled to really make a name for themselves since moving south and thankfully neither of them made a noticeable impact on the closing stages of this match.

In fact, the two remaining goalscoring opportunities fell to Liverpool and, ironically, former Chelsea right back Glen Johnson clinched the winner. First, Henderson excellently evaded challenges from Cole and Terry on the right wing and centred to Downing, whose lay off was tamely struck wide by Kuyt. Then, the marauding Johnson received Adam's raking cross-field pass, delightfully nutmegged Ashley Cole and tucked an outstanding left footed finish into the corner of the net.

It was a simply awesome goal that fittingly rounded off what was a top-notch performance from Kenny Dalglish's troops. Defensively, our back four remained robust during difficult second half spells where the Blues were dominant. Kuyt worked tirelessly as per, Lucas and Adam hounded their midfield opponents, giving them very little time on the ball, while the latter displayed his immense passing range with devastating effects. The underused Maxi made a decent claim for more regular first team football, while the tenacious Bellamy was industrious, inventive and an effective foil for the sensational Luis Suarez, whose recent run of good form (including four goals for Uruguyuay against Chile) continued yesterday.

With one win secured, Liverpool now head into their next two massive matches with confidence. On Sunday pacesetters Manchester City visit Anfield before the Reds return to Stamford Bridge to face the Blues in the Carling Cup. A point and progression to the semi-finals of the League Cup would represent a fantastic return from these three potentially season-defining fixtures.

YNWA