Report
by Steve Horton
at
Stamford Bridge
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A battling Liverpool performance gave us a deserved draw at Stamford
Bridge in the first leg of this Champions League semi final. There
was little difference on the pitch between the two sided despite
the huge points difference in the Premiership, but the gulf between
the two sets of fans showed just how classless they are.
Although this was yet another London trip and we get far too many
of them, the occasion and competition inevitably meant that it
was treated just a little bit differently.
Coaches left Liverpool at 9am and by lunchtime Trafalgar Square
was decked out in flags while in Earls Court, which is two tube
stops away from Stamford Bridge, the pubs were full four hours
before kick off.
In addition to the 3,000 fans who'd got tickets, many more went
just to sample the atmosphere and show the nouveau riche Chelsea
fans just what following football is all about.
There was chaos outside the ground near kick off, with only about
four turnstiles to let all our fans in and no police and hardly
any stewards in sight.
Add to this the lack of any ticket cordons and there were quite
a few hanging about hoping to sneak in amidst the confusion. This
may have happened, I was told once inside that a gate had either
been forced open or opened by police and several went in without
tickets being checked.
Certainly pictures of our section showed fans far more crammed
in than normal and someone who I know that was sat in the middle
was sharing his seat with at least one other.
Chelsea began the game with a long punt to Didier Drogba, the
£24 man bought on the strength of a few goals in the UEFA
Cup. They could have got Emile Heskey for a quarter of that and
he'd have been just as effective.
Drogba did nothing all game and tried to make up for his failings
as early as early as the eleventh minute when he went down theatrically
in the area after a challenge from Sami Hyypia.
Both defences were so sound that there was very little goalmouth
action. We were only threatened twice in the first half, once
by a Joe Cole shot that Jerzy Dudek comfortably saved and once
when Frank Lampard blasted over from six yards.
The Lampard incident was a huge let off as it looked easier to
score and the look on his face said it all. It was nice to see
him singled out for special treatment from our fans as well, who
booed him rigorously every time he came near us.
The man is despicable and how Steven Gerrard can be friends with
him, or consider playing in the same team as him is beyond me.
Our best chance in the first half came from Milan Baros who forced
a fine save from Petr Cech in the 38th minute.
The lack of action though showed in the way our fans sang Ra-Ra-Rafa
Bentiez for fifteen minutes non stop, save for the Milan incident
for the final two thirds of the half. It was real hand clapping,
scarf twirling stuff and the intensity of it brought a shiver
to the spine.
Chelsea's fans in the Shed didn't respond with anything of their
own, they just sat there looking bemused. They offered absolutely
nothing to back their team, except for the odd "Chelsea"
and a presumptive Premiership Champions 2005 banner.
Roman Abramovich may have £7 billion in the bank to buy
any player, manager or referee he likes, but he can't buy good
support and we showed them that. But any club that demolished
its hardcore terrace and replaced it with executive boxes and
a hotel deserves all it gets.
The second half was even more uneventful than the first. Drogba
continued to go down at every opportunity, Carragher had everyone
in his back pocket and Xabi Alonso ran the show in midfield.
Steven Gerrard was having a very quiet game leading to accusations
of him going easy against his future employers from many in the
crowd. However as it's since emerged he was up most of the night
and spent the afternoon of the game having dental surgery I think
it's a reasonable enough explanation for his performance.
Djibril Cisse came on for the Reds and posed some problems for
Chelsea with his pace, but the one shot he did manage was from
too tight an angle and went wide.
Neither side had any clear cut opportunities, but in the last
minute we did waste a corner when we were caught offside when
taking it short. By then, Chelsea had given themselves a major
advantage for the second leg when Eidur Gudjonsen made a meal
of an Alonso tackle and the Spaniard got a yellow card, ruling
him out of the second leg.
I don't like to accuse a professional player of deliberately setting
out to harm someone, but in the case of Chelsea, who don't apply
the usual rules nothing would surprise me.
Alonso was challenged by Lampard on New years Day with a severity
he'd never use on his friend Steven and now this. Would Gudjonsen
have gone down in the way he did had it been Igor Biscan who tackled
him? Somehow I think not.
But apart from the Alonso disappointment, this was a massive result
and treated as such by the fans, many of whom have witnessed nothing
but defeats at Chelsea.
Although 1-1 may have been better, I'm not so sure. At least
now its simple, we have to win. If we had got a score draw the
temptation may have been there to sit back, which could be our
undoing.
Now on to Tuesday and an all seated Anfield's greatest atmosphere
yet. Being so used to a West End theatre, Chelsea wont know what's
hit them.
Team: Dudek; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore; Garcia (Smicer),
Alonso, Biscan (Kewell), Riise; Gerrard, Baros (Cisse):
Agree or disagree?
Email me at steve@liverpoolway.co.uk
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