When these two English juggernauts were drawn together in the Champions League quarter-final you could almost hear the collective groan of the football world. It was the fifth time in a row the two had met in the knockout stages and I for one was thinking ‘not again.’ But oh how wrong I was! Like a fool I opted against watching the first leg but I’ve watched the extended highlights since. Now I wish I’d bothered to get up, go out and watch it but thankfully the second leg was even more eventful.An eight goal thriller ensued and it was perhaps the best game of the season, at least so far. So many times when the top sides meet the promise is so much greater than the spectacle but no one could have written the script for the game on Tuesday night.
The incredible first 30 minutes
Liverpool faced the massive task of having to score at least three goals if they were to stand a chance of progressing. It seemed like an almost impossible feat to achieve but they made the best of starts. Fernando Torres missed a brilliant chance to open the scoring before Fabio Aurelio got the ball rolling with an outstanding free kick. The Spaniard anticipated the fact Chelsea keeper Peter Cech would rush out for the cross and slipped the ball cleverly into the bottom corner to give Liverpool the start they needed, game on. Xabi Alonso doubled Liverpool’s advantage from the penalty spot just before the half hour mark and it seemed as if Liverpool were going to seal the most unlikely of comebacks and turn the world of football betting on its head.
Chelsea come back in the second half
Chelsea were rocking but the introduction of Frenchman Nicolas Anelka just before half time lifted the home side. Anelka, who missed a penalty in last year’s final, made an impact in the second half when Didier Drogba got the faintest touch on his cross to make the score 2-1 to Liverpool. The Reds’ task hadn’t changed much, they were still chasing that elusive third goal. Centre-half Alex seemed to have ended Liverpool’s hopes when he levelled the tie with an unreal free-kick and Liverpool needed to start all over again and get another two goals.Then Frank Lampard stepped up to give Chelsea a 3-2 lead after latching on to the end of Drogba’s cross to score with a simple tap-in. Liverpool just didn’t realise their hopes had faded though and evened the score again thanks to a goal from youngster Lucas Leiva. A remarkable comeback was on the cards yet again and Dirk Kuyt gave the Reds more hope when he popped up to score a great header and give Liverpool a 4-3 lead. Lampard dashed any hopes of a Liverpool winner when he netted in the 89th minute to end the scoring in a remarkable tie. The game was a showpiece for English and European football and will go down as one of the greatest European ties of all time.
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Tags: Champions League, Chelsea, Football, Liverpool