Chelsea – Liverpool

Some early team news from Stamford Bridge: Duff misses out through injury, though Robben doesn't replace him; he's on the bench. Tiago comes in to midfield.

Liverpool name a team containing no real surprises; it's a 4-5-1 formation, with Milan Baros alone up front.

The two teams are in the tunnel, and look very focused on the match ahead. Igor Biscan gently circles his hips, Lampard plays with his shorts, Finnan looks on the verge of tears.

Out they walk in to a simmering, nervous atmosphere. Gudjohnsen chews furiously on a piece of gum, Alonso seems calm and composed, Terry looks steely.

The Champions League anthem belts out over the speakers. Makalele smiles, Drogba looks angry, as though someone has just upset his mother.

The referee is Alain Sars from France. He is relatively inexperienced, but seems relaxed and composed.

Chelsea kick off. The pitch looks superb, though it has been raining quite heavily today in London. It might be quite soft under-foot.

Joe Cole seems to be starting on the right, with Gudjohnsen on the left. Lampard is in quickly with a sharp tackle.

A nice flick from Tiago almost puts Drogba through, but Hyypia stays alert to clear. It's quite a cagey start from both sides.

Gerrard does well to keep the ball in play after chasing down a long pass down the right. He gives it to Alonso, who swings a cross in to the area. It's too deep for Baros, though.

Garcia is fouled just inside his own half. Liverpool take the chance to keep the ball for a few passes, to ease themselves in to the match.

Gerrard seems to be playing quite high up the pitch, trying to support Baros. Alonso is much deeper.

Garcia clips a left-foot pass over the top of the Chelsea defence, but Terry keeps pace with Baros and clears.

Tiago wins a throw off Traore, deep in the Liverpool half. Terry seems to have taken a knock; he is moving a little tentatively at the moment.

No sign of Terry coming off as yet, but he seems to be suffering some discomfort in his heel. That said, he's a tough lad; I'm sure he'll cope.

A few passes are going a stray at the moment, which isn't helping the flow of the match. Lampard slides in Cole down the right; his deep cross is well defended by Finnan at the back post.

It's been a slow start to the match, certainly not the blockbusting pace that some people were predicting.

Garcia finds some space down the right, but he wastes his cross. Much to deep. Liverpool haven't started as defensively as their formation might suggest; they are getting plenty players forward to help Baros.

Garcia robs a Chelsea man 30 yards out. He skips past one man, but Terry dives in quickly to deny him a shooting chance.

Cole beats Traore and cuts in to the area. A little shimmy works him a shooting chance, but his left-foot effort is weak and straight at Dudek.

Drogba powers past Carragher and bursts in to the area, but Hyypia is across to snuff out the danger. Drogba goes down under the challenge and looks to the referee, but it's no penalty.

Oooh! Gudjohnsen holds the ball up before releasing Cole. The England player flights over a cross, which eventually drops to Drogba. But, with the goal at his mercy, the £24million striker drags his shot horribly wide of the far post. Dreadful.

Drogba isn't happy with himself for missing that chance, and quite rightly. It was a terrible effort; something you might see on a park on a Sunday morning.

Riise dummys and beats Johnson on the left wing. He curls over a cross in to a dangerous area, but Baros doesn't gamble and the ball drifts safely out of play.

Another long ball down the right channel almost catches out Traore with Cole lurking, but the Liverpool defender times his challenge perfectly. He needed to, as Cole would have been through on goal otherwise.

Carvalho goes in strongly on Baros out on the touchline, dumping the striker in to the advertising hoardings.

Gudjohnsen is caught off-side after Tiago had robbed Traore on the touchline and slid a nice ball down the channel for the Icelandic striker.

Gerrard and Lampard have been quiet so far.

Oooh! Alonso clips a lovely ball in to the area. Riise controls the ball brilliantly before hitting a low shot straight at Cech from eight yards out.

Terry breaks forward but is stopped in his tracks by a thunderous Carragher challenge.

Gerrard swings two sensational passes out to Riise on the left wing in the space of a few seconds. He's starting to get on the ball a little more now.

Oooh! Lampard smashes a shot over the bar from inside the six-yard box after Cole had found him with a far-post header.

Liverpool still seem to have a positive attitude about the matc; Traore is very willing to get forward down the left wing.

Chelsea win a corner when Carragher is forced to head clear. Lampard swings it over, but Hyypia climbs highest to clear.

Gudjohnsen collects a loose ball in centre-field and attempts to flick a cute ball through Hyypia and Carragher towards Drogba. There's no way through, however; Liverpool are strong in the middle.

Biscan can't believe his luck when the Chelsea defenders continue to stand off him as he runs the ball forward from his own half. The temptation eventually overcomes him, but his shot is blocked on the edge of the area.

Great football from Chelsea as some two-touch play drives the home side straight at the heart of the Liverpool defence. The ball is eventually worked to Lampard, but his shot is blocked.

Cole almost finds Tiago with a slide-rule pass through the middle. The Portuguese midfielder can't quite collect it, though, and Liverpool calmly clear.

Garcia gives away a soft free-kick 30 yards out. Lampard hits the shot, but the wall does it's job. Corner; high to the far post, but Drogba heads over the bar.

The crowd have been relatively quiet, considering the magnitude of the occasion.

Liverpool will be relatively happy with the way the first half-hour has gone. They have given away a lot of possession, but Chelsea have hardly had them on the ropes.

Drogba is winning plenty in the air, even against Carragher and Hyypia - two players strong with their head.

Traore slices a very ambitious effort well wide, but Liverpool win possession back again when Gallas throws straight to Biscan.

Gerrard throws over a free-kick, but the referee has spotted some pulling and pushing in the box and the referee awards a foul against Carragher.

Garcia goes down in the box, though the referee again signals for the Liverpool player to get to his feet. No real complaints from the visiting players.

The pace of the game has dropped a little. Both sides are struggling to string any passes together, such is the determination and vigor with which the midfielders are closing each other down.

Oooh! Gerrard swings over a cross, Garcia steals in front of his marker and sends a header goalwards, but Cech flies across and tips the ball wide of his post.

The corner comes to nothing, but it was a great piece of play from Liverpool. Gerrard's cross from the right was pin-point, and Garcia steered the header in exactly the right area. The visitors were only denied by a good save from Cech, and they'll be encouraged.

Finnan gives away a free-kick when he has a tug at Gallas' shirt. Lampard swings in the set-piece, but it's slightly over-hit and Dudek claims easily.

Garcia cuts in from the right and finds Riise, who had drifted off his position out on the left. A sloppy pass breaks up a promising move.

I wonder whether Mourinho will be tempted to use Robben after half-time. The Dutch winger played 45 minutes against Fulham, so is obviously fit enough.

Oooh! Cole's shot is deflected to Lampard, who's first-time shot is almost turned in by Tiago at the far post.

Baros is fouled by Carvalho. It's a good chance for Liverpool to load the penalty area and swing over a dangerous cross.

Gerrard hammers the ball in to a crowded area, but a Chelsea head powers clear.

There will be a minute of added time. Drogba is caught off-side, though the striker claims he wasn't interferring with play.

HALF-TIME: Both sides have had good chances, but no-one has been able to take one. Chelsea have more of the possession, but Liverpool can take heart.

The players are back out on to the field; there hasn't been any changes that I can see. Liverpool kick-off.

Baros and Terry chase down a long ball in to the corner, but the linesman spots a tug on the Chelsea man's shirt and the home side win a free-kick.

Chelsea then win a free-kick 30 yards from goal when Biscan is adjudged to have fouled Drogba in the air. Lampard strikes his shot well, but Carragher blocks.

Robben begins to warm up on the sideline, to the obvious delight of the Chelsea fans. I don't think Mourinho will wait too long before bringing on his talisman.

Hyypia isn't happy when the referee gives a foul on Drogba. The referee asks the big Fin to calm down, but the official has been a little picky at the start of the second half.

Oooh! Cole does superbly to beat a couple of players inside the penalty area, but Hyypia robs him at the moment Cole as about to strike at goal.

Liverpool are covering very well in defence here, but they have hardly got out of their half since the break.

Another niggly foul gives Chelsea a free-kick. Lampard faints to shoot before steering a nice ball in to Gallas, who was a few yards off-side.

Johnson and Riise enjoy a good contest down the Chelsea right, the Liverpool man showing good strength to hold off his opponent and run the ball out of play.

Alonso has been quite quiet this evening. He hasn't had the chance to fire those long, direct passes cross-field, as Baros is struggling up-front on his own.

Drogba goes down under a challenge from Carragher, but he's soon on his feet. Mourinho signals to Robben to get warmed-up.

Great play from Gudjohnson on the touchline; he holds off two men before sliding a ball down the line to Lampard. Biscan brings down the England midfielder. Free-kick, and Biscan is booked for throwing the ball away.

Lampard fires the ball in, but Biscan redeems himself by heading clear. The cross comes back in, and Lampard is caught off-side.

Cole leaves his foot in as Traore tries to clear. The Chelsea man is booked for the challenge. There was no malice, but he did catch the full-back.

SIB: Tiago off, Robben on. Gudjohnsen drops back in to midfield, Robben goes on the left, Cole on the right. He should certainly bring some width to Chelsea's attacks.

Robben's first contribution is to flick a nice pass out to Gallas. The full-back's low cross across the edge of the area is rushed and mis-placed and the move breaks down.

Robben clips a corner in from the right, and Terry is only inches away from powering a header in to the far corner.

A promising Liverpool attack breaks down when Gerrard clips a pass out to the right, 20 yards from the nearest team-mate. He's not played well tonight.

Alonso attempts to flick a lofted pass over the top of Terry and Carvalho towards Baros in the area, but it;s cut out.

Nice run from Robben, but he is put under good pressure from Biscan as he was about to shoot from the edge of the area. The game is becoming a little more stretched now.

SUB: Cisse on, Baros off. Baros has worked hard tonight but had nothing to work with. Cisse will give them fresh legs.

Garcia swings a long ball out to Riise, who attempts to prod a pass in to the path of Gerrard, bursting in to the area. A Chelsea foot intercepts.

Drogba wins a free-kick from Traore. Lampard again swings the ball in from the right, but it's another poor delivery - straight out of play at the back post.

Cisse fires well over the bar from a tight angle after a great one-touch move from Liverpool. Perhaps the young striker was a little hasty - he had players to aim for in the box.

Alonso clips a super ball over the top towards Garcia, who had drifted in behind the Chelsea back-line. He's flagged off-side, but it was great vision from Alonso.

Garcia stays down after a strong challenge from Terry. Replays show the defender 'accidentally' stood on Garcia's ankle in the follow-through.

The final twenty minutes of the leg. Liverpool will be delighted if the scoreline stays this way; Chelsea will be desperate for a goal.

Carvalho does well to stick out a boot on the edge of the area after Riise ran at him at pace. Chelsea then break quickly, and win a corner through Drogba.

Lampard swings over the corner, which eventually falls to Johnson. The young right-back has the chance to shoot, but scuffs his shot badly. Liverpool clear.

Cisse wins a free-kick after Carvalho slides and takes the ball from behind the striker. No arguments, really.

The set-piece is taken short, but no-one seems to know what they're doing and the move breaks down. Liverpool are looking more and more comfortable as the half has gone on.

Chelsea break at pace. Lampard spots a run by Drogba, but Carragher hits the deck as the two chase the pass. Free-kick Liverpool.

Chelsea are being frustrated at the moment; they can't get decent possession and the chance to get players forward to support Drogba.

SUB: Cole off, Kezman on. The striker is immediately in to the action, almost capitalising on a mistake. Carragher is quickly across to snuff out the danger.

Kezman is then booked for a challenge on Traore. Mourinho looks impassive on the sidelines, Benitez more animated.

Gerrard lofts a free-kick in to the box, but Carvalho clears. Liverpool will have ambitions of sneaking a late goal that would really seal their night.

Drogba's flick almost sets Kezman through the middle, but Finnan nicks the ball away at the last moment. A vital touch.

It's been a quieter second half than first, and the first wasn't even that exciting.

Kezman latches on to a Drogba knock-down and breaks in to the box. The bounce of the ball gives Carragher the chance to close, but the defender throws himself at the ball and denies Kezman a shooting chance.

Carragher then gets a head on a Lampard cross as Chelsea look to finish the match strongly. Carragher has been immense tonight.

Chelsea win a dubious free-kick out on the right. Robben lofts the ball in left-footed, but Dudek gets a strong punch on the ball to clear.

A high-foot from Terry gives away a free-kick inside the Liverpool half. It's a chance for Liverpool to relieve the pressure for a few seconds.

Riise has runners ahead of him, but his ball through to Garcia is too strong and Cech collects. I can't think of a save either keeper has had to make in the second half.

SUB: Kewell on, Biscan off. Kewell returns from a spell out injured, replacing Biscan, who has been very solid in the middle tonight.

Gudjohnson breaks at pace through the middle, and is challenged by Alonso. The Chelsea man hits the grass and the referee gives a soft decision in favour of the home side. Alonso is also booked, meanining he will miss the second leg. Very harsh.

Traore is on the turf again, for seemingly the 25th time this evening. He is roundly booed by the Chelsea fans, but he wins the free-kick from the referee.

Cisse breaks at extraordinary pace, almost skinning Carvalho down the right. The defender just manages to get back in time, and prods the ball out for a corner.

A tense, absorbing second half, but there has been no real chances to speak of. Liverpool have done very well, especially since half-time.

SUB: Smicer on, Garcia off. Time-wasting tactic from Benitez.

FULL-TIME: Liverpool will be happy having frustrating Chelsea for long periods. But the tie is far from over; next Tuesday's second leg should be a scorcher. Why not join us?