Chelsea – Liverpool

1. Join us live at 16.05 BST as Liverpool aim to become the first team to beat Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

2. Rafa Benitez is looking for a more aggressive performance from his Liverpool side, with and without the ball, after the Tuesday night surrender to an average Olympiakos side. Without Steven Gerrard this may be easier said than done. The Spaniard persists with the 4-4-1-1 formation that has been spectacularly unsuccessful so far this season; Cisse getting the nod ahead of Baros.

3. Everyone knows what to expect from Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side; unchanged for the third match in succession. Solid, pragmatic, stifling but with the capacity to cut through opponents once they have ground them down. Kezman and Bridge are still injured so it is Drogba and Gudjohnsen who lead the line with Gallas taking the left back berth.

4. Kirkland makes his first senior start since March as Benitez rings the changes. An England squad is due to be announced after this game finishes. Hmmmm.

5. Away we go then with a Chelsea kick-off at a noisy, blustery Stamford Bridge.

6. 1'

   Well, Josemi was listening to his bosses plea for aggression. An early foul on Duff lets him know of his intentions.

7. 2'

   Ball breaks to Duff who knocks the ball round Hyypia and runs the other way round to get into the box. Kirkland stays on his line but Carragher makes up a huge amount of ground to get in a wonderful, thunderous tackle. Corner ball.

8. 3'

   Kirkland - surprise, surprise - looks to have picked up and injury. Carragher caught his own keeper's knee in the tackle on Duff. Doesn't have the best of luck, does he?

9. 4'

   Kirkland's alright now; the corner comes to nothing and Drogba drags an angled shot wide of Kirkland's far post: lively start to the game.

10. 5'

    Ferreira and Gallas have both made forays down their respective flanks already, with Duff coming inside. Offers more width and attacking options when they do.

11. 6'

    Duff, who's seen a lot of the ball already, exploits space down Liverpool's right, feeds Drogba wider still and his centre is turned behind for a corner.

12. 7'

    Hard to tell if it's Kewell's or Garcia's responsibility to defend on the right but neither is doing it. Dangerous when it is Duff who is set to benifit.

13. 8'

    Liverpool get the ball into Chelsea's box for the first time but the high ball is bread and butter for Terry.

14. 10'

    Liverpool free-kick deep on the left sees the big men get forward. Fizzing, arrowed ball to the back post from Alonso is good but Garcia is a yard short of reaching it.

15. 11'

    Nice ball over the top on the left flank from Riise gives Cisse something to chase. He gets there and checks back but the Frenchman is well marshalled by Carvalho.

16. 12'

    Corner from Chelsea sees Liverpool pack the six yard box - 7 including the keeper! - as they try to perfect the zonal marking favoured by Benitez.

17. 13'

    Drogba turn gives him spce to play the reverse pass behind defenders to Lampard. Decent position for him but he rather snatched at it and dragged his effort well wide.

18. 15'

    Brave and alert from Kirkland as a simple ball over the top pitted him against Drogba: a clean punch averts danger.

19. 16'

    Same as before but, with the ball right on the edge of the box, the England hopeful uses his head - literally.

20. 17'

    Free-kick from Lampard is curled towards the near post but a Liverpool head gets there and puts it behind for a corner.

21. 18'

    Two corners in quick succession from Chelsea ends with a Carvalho low drive from 15 yards that is superbly blocked by a prostrate Traore.

22. 19'

    Chelsea setting the pace of this lively match.

23. 20'

    Alonso tries to fill in for Gerarrd by attempting a 50 yard, cross field angled pass to Garcia. Not completed.

24. 21'

    hyypia gets the better fo Terry from a corner but, with the flight of the ball forcing him wide of the goal, he fails to turn it goalwards.

25. 22'

    Wonderful juggling skills from Ferreira on the right and a lay-off to Smertin sets up the cross but he fails to find a blue shirt.

26. 24'

    Both sides waste possession with misguided forward passes. Terry and Garcia the guilty men.

27. 25'

    The game has just hit a lull in the last few minutes with little to tell you about.

28. 26'

    Slip by Ferreira gifts Kewell possession and his measured cross is met by Cisse cutting across his man. The header is powerful enough but wide of the mark. In this game that has to go down as a good chance missed.

29. 27'

    Great spot from Gudjohnsen in the centre of the pitch releases Drogba in behind Josemi. He drove in on goal but his touch gave Kirkland the chance to get out and smoother the shot.

30. 28'

    Drogba and Carragher compete for a bouncing ball in the Liverpool box and the Liverpool man shows great strenght and concentration to out-muscle his opponent. Quality defending.

31. 30'

    Liverpoolare battling in midfield and making it difficult for Chelsea to break forward but they are offering precious little in the way of their own attacking intent.

32. 31'

    Drogba looks to be in some discomfort. A chat with the bench suggests his is not long for this game.

33. 32'

    Patient, intricate passing move from Chelsea involving a host of players carves out an opening for Lampard but his usually reliable shooting from outside the box is not there. Great passing to create the chance from the home side.

34. 34'

    The game being played almost exclusively in the Liverpool half at the moment.

35. 35'

    Blistering strike out of nothing from Cisse just flashes wide of the mark. Starting on the left wing he just ran across the Chelsea back line and unleashed a fierce strike from 25 yards. Credit to Ferreira who tracked him all the way across and got a slight touch to put it wide.

36. 36'

    Bad news for Chelsea as their top scorer Drogba leaves the field with a stomatch injury. Joe 'blind alley' Cole comes on to push Gudjohnsen into the main striker's role.

37. 38'

    Kewell, a peripheral figure in this game, lets a needlessly loose pass go out for a Chelsea goal kick.

38. 39'

    Another poor Liverpool pass, this time from Alonso, concedes possession cheaply and launches another Chelsea break.

39. 40'

    Duff involved as the home side work the ball down the right and eventually a Cole centre picks out Lampard, 12 yards out in space. His diving header is not a clean one and the best chance of the game goes begging.

40. 41'

    Tangle in the middle of the pitch shows Smertin's tenacity but, after a deflection from the ref, Alonso wins out and clears up field.

41. 43'

    Long ball from Ferreira goes over the head of Gudjohnsen who draws Josemi with him and it falls to Duff in space. His curling centre on the deck is bound for Lampard but, when any sort of touch would have brought a goal, or at least a save, his outstretched leg is a inch too short.

42. 45'

    Half-time arrives with Chelsea still very much on top.

43. 45'

    Liverpool have come with a plan of stifling the home team and it is working relatively well. Most of Chelsea's attacks have come down the left where Duff and Gallas are are exploiting the gaps left by Garcia - or possibly Kewell, it's hard to see who is supposed to be there, but Garcia is the more likely. Chelsea finding it hard to break them down. They better get used to it as a lot of teams are going to 'park the bus' to borrow a phrase from Mourinho himself.

44. 45'

    Liverpool kick-off with both sides unchanged.

45. 46'

    Another poor Kewell pass gives away the ball and, as Chelsea attack, Josemi is penalised for a foul on Duff. Looked like an excellent tackle to me.

46. 47'

    Lampard delivery is at pace but straight into the hands of Kirkland.

47. 48'

    Kewell changes the point of attack intelligently with a cross field ball to Traore who in turn links up well with Riise. His drive towards the box suggests a shot is on but, forced on to his right foot, he doesn't pull the trigger and the danger is snuffed out.

48. 49'

    Garcia, bereft of options to pass to, goes for an adventerous ball over the top resulting in another turnover.

49. 50'

    Clever run down the inside-right channel is rewarded with a pass to feet but his first time effort only finds the side netting.

50. 52'

    Inswinging delivery from a Chelsea free-kick from Duff is repelled by a strong defensive header from Carragher. He's playing a blinder this afternoon.

51. 53'

    Some promising approach play from Liverpool ends with a shot from outside the box by Garcia. Gallas put in enough of a block to take the sting out and Cisse is flagged offside anyway.

52. 54'

    Ten minutes of the second-half gone and it's much like the first - pretty frustrating stuff. Liverpool showing a touch more purpose at least.

53. 55'

    Decent, dipping ball in to the box is desperately turned behind for a corner by Carragher.

54. 56'

    Lampard sends over the cross which is cleared only as far as Cole on the left corner of the box. He fires it forward and it is going in until Kewell makes the first positive contribution of his afternoon by heading clear off the goal line.

55. 58'

    Slick passing in the Liverpool midfield releases Riise down the left. He in turn feeds Garcia but, as he tried to carve room for the cross first Gallas and then Smertin put in solid tackles to deny him.

56. 59'

    Smertin once more hussles and hassles in midfield to keep a Chelsea attack alive but all Ferreira can do is spoon his cross over the bar.

57. 60'

    A real sense of frustration from the home crowd but I'm sure a goal will fix all that.

58. 61'

    Cute back heel from Cole sets Smertin away but, 30 yards from goal, slightly on the right, he is fouled to set up another dangerous free-kick.

59. 62'

    Joe Cole gets on the end of a perfectly delivered ball to break the deadlock and lift the home crowd. 1-0 Chelsea.

60. 63'

    A simple run across the front of his marker from Cole was picked out by a low outswinging cross. By no means an easy chance but a subtle touch just to direct the ball past the diving Kirkland is executed with aplomb.

61. 64'

    Very nearly two as Cole nicks in behind the Liverpool defence and a ball through seems to just clip off his toe and nearly arc over Kirkland. The keepr lept and clawed it away but the offside flag was up anyway.

62. 65'

    Differnet mood to the match already with Chelsea streaming forward and Liverpool looking rattled.

63. 67'

    Wonderful play from the home side. First Cole took it forward down the right; cut inside to Gudjohnsen; delayed through ball to Duff and then a little chipped cross is cleared by Carragher when a square ball was on for Lampard.

64. 68'

    Chelsea in the box seat now.

65. 69'

    Cisse endeavours to claw something back by driving down the right. Surrounded by three Chelsea defenders and with no options on for the pass, he is forced into the shot but the angle and Chelsea attention meant it was never seriously on.

66. 70'

    Substitution for Liverpool sees Josemi make way for a second Liverpool striker in the form of Baros. 4-4-2 with Riise dropping to left back; Kewell to left midfield and Carragher shifting to right back.

67. 72'

    Chelsea forcing the issue still and Duff's persistence earns a corner.

68. 73'

    Short one played back to Lampard to change the angle. His cross is met once more by that man Carragher.

69. 74'

    Corner not properly cleared and terry heads backwards where Gudjohnsen is felled by Gallas as he tries to reach it. Let off for Liverpool.

70. 75'

    Kewell muddles his way down the left and does get through to put over a cross but his route past Gallas was the result of foul play according to the referee.

71. 76'

    Two more Liverpool changes. On come Hamann and Finnan; off go Diao and Garcia.

72. 78'

    Very nearly the pass of the game from Cole. After stumbling through a couple of challenges he spotted the run of Duff on the left and with the outside of his boot bent an arcing ball round the back of Carragher but marginally too strong for Duff to catch.

73. 79'

    Kewell and Baros have a couple of cross words after a Liverpool attack breaks down.

74. 80'

    Patient and considered Liverpool passing nearly carves an opening for Kewell. Several passes strung together before a deft flick from Hyypia sent Carragher down the right and his deep looping cross almost landed on the head of Kewell but the attention of Gallas was enough to thwart him.

75. 82'

    Chelsea substitution to see out the game: Duff for Geremi.

76. 83'

    Gudjohnsen almost got on the score sheet after Geremi nodded down a Gallas cross from the left but with too much power. Gudjohnsen was forced to take a touch and his shot from six yards was blocked.

77. 84'

    Final Chelsea change. Tiago comes on for a five minute work out; the tireless Smertin forced to have a little rest.

78. 85'

    Clumsy challenge from Ferriera on Baros deep in Chelsea territory sets up a free-kick for Liverpool.

79. 86'

    Alonso strikes on goal with a weak curling shot that is on target but easy as you like for Cech.

80. 87'

    Chelsea find themselves forward in numbers and Cole, breaking into the area on the left cuts back to no one in particular. Gudjohnsen collected it, shifted the ball onto his left foot and then blazed it over the bar as red shirts bore down on him.

81. 88'

    Liverpool committing men forward and gaps are appearing at the back. Gudjohnsen played a slide rule ball on to Cole who would have been one-on-one with Kirkland had not his first touch let him down. He recovered and shot from areally tight angle when a short cut back to Geremi was the better option. Kirkland saved the shot and Geremi is left furious - and rightly so.

82. 90'

    Closing moments of the game and Carvalho is, quite harshly, adjudged to have fouled Baros once more deep in the Chelsea half, out wide left.

83. 90'

    Possibly Liverpool's last chance and it is unforgivably wasted by Alonso. With everyone forward his bending cross is only a danger to those in row z of the stand behind the goal.

84. 90'

    Carragher blots his copy book with a late yellow card for a foul on Cole. Nothing in it really but Carragher just left his arm in and caught Cole in the face. The Chelsea man made a meal of it.

85. 90'

    Final whistle sounds and it's 1-0 to Chelsea. Who's have guessed that one, eh?

86. 90'

    Chelsea did what Chelsea do. Solid, econamical football based on a platform of quality defending. Carvahlo was immense with Ferriera and Gallas providing width on either flank. Liverpool made a good fist of frustrating their opponents and at the back Carragher was almost the equal of Carvalho but they ultimately offered little going forward. It took Chelsea a long time to break Liverpool down but, once they did, there was only one team in it.

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