Liverpool v Chelsea CL lst leg - Match Thread and Team News

I would like to hear what the ref has to say as to why he gave 4 mins of injury time, its usually 30 seconds for a sub and there were 4 subs so thats 2 mins and for the amount of fouls it probably warranted another minute and that equalls out at the usual 3 mins at the end of a match so I think the ref should do some explaining.

Same, still wondering now why it was 4 minutes

I'm confident we can get the right result at Stamford bridge, although it seems an uphill battle. But does anyone know when the last time Chelsea lost at the bridge?

Same, still wondering now why it was 4 minutes

Aurelio injury took a long time.

Aurelio injury took a long time.

True but 4 minutes, surely it shouldnt have been that much. I thought it would be 3 with the Aurelio injury and drogba with his, as the commentator correctly described it 'miraculous recovery'

Same, still wondering now why it was 4 minutes

the said on ssn that it should have been over 5 mins! dunno why, they talked through it but im still not convinvced

The 2nd leg has been on me mind all day. Ive thought about how would I approach it and at the risk of my minus rating going into double figures I will post my thoughts!!

We were in my eyes far better then them last night. Again we didnt finish off some good chances but particularly in the 2nd half I felt we controlled the game. The goal they got could now lead them to play tight in there place something they are good at but something that would suit us I feel. Now to my crazy thought...Stevie and Carra and there yellow cards. Basically I would not start either at the risk of them getting booked. Sami and Skertel are well capable of doing a job at centre half with Finnan right back and Arbeloa pushed acros to left back if Aurelio is out.

Now I would play 4 4 2 with Crouch up with Nando leaving Masch and Xabi to play centre mid with Yossi/Pennant/Riise/Babel the options on the flanks. So you woukld have

                                                                                    Reina

Finnan                            Hyppia                                               Skrtel                     Arbeloa

Yossi/Pennant                 Masch                                               Alonso               Babel

                                      Crouch                                       Torres

That side to me could do the job at Chelsea and of couse the option of bringing Stevie in for the last 20 if needed would be there. I know people will say no point saving the lads for the final if we dont get there but I really believe the other lads can do it and could not imagine us stepping on the pitch in Moscow without Stevie and Carra

Does anyone think I could be right or am I off me head? 
 

Makes sense though Brian, but as you said, no point in having them on the bench and losing    and not even getting to the final !!  Cant decide whether your a genius or just being optimistic 

Makes sense though Brian, but as you said, no point in having them on the bench and losing    and not even getting to the final !!  Cant decide whether your a genius or just being optimistic 

im both smiggs   

Took me a bit of time to get over last night, but here's me review.

I also hate to admit it, but yes Torres was poor but everyone has poor games. So, we conceded, but under Rafa we've scored when we had to away from home. Deportivo (doesn't sound big, but was big then), Barcelona (twice), Inter Milan and Arsenal.

TBH 4 minutes was too much, but when its given you have to get on with it and a) we shouldn't have let the cross in and b) Riise f**ked it up, but we all make mistakes.

I'm still confident we'll be in Moscow. 2-1 To the Reds at the Bridge.

I figured that we have scored in all our away goals this season in the CL. Toulouse, Porto, Besiktas, Marseille, Inter and Arsenal. So why stop now?
We deserved more than a draw, but that's the way it is right now. With Chelski being favorites, it's theirs to lose.
I know a win will be hard but a draw (with goals) is enough for pens or Moscow!!!
If you look at it like this we can make it, or at leist stand a chance. we deserve to be in that final after this amazing campaign we had this season. I'm full of confidence that we can do this....
COME ON YOU REDS!!!

YNWA

(if you're still not positive after a couple of days....go try and read that gerrard interview on the site, about torres firing us to moscow!!. If that can't help ya...then i don't know it anymore)

So JAR scored a schoolboy OG and gives Chelski a SLIGHT advantage.  Give they lad a break, there are 90mins to go yet.  Why all the negativity?

The majority of posts on here have been positive, I don't recall a single person saying anythinhg other than 'we can still win this'.

Eddie fair enough it was amature of JAR to react like that, as I stated earlier did we all not see Mascherano's poor clearence that gave possesion back to Chelsea and from the cross the OG insued?

I dont know I just dont like the idea of pin pointing one man, we had ample chances to kill the game off to which you have agreed in previous posts we were unable to do.

I'm not singling out Riise for the result last night, as you pointed out I have already said our attacking players should have killed the game off and this isn't a knee jerk reaction from me, those that have read my posts will know I've been critical of Riise for a long time. If last night had been a one off, or as I said before if it had been someone else that had scored the OG, I wouldn't have been so critical, this is just the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I really want him to go asap as I have some great memories of him, but the longer he stays here they seem to be getting replaced by bad ones.

If you look at it like this we can make it, or at leist stand a chance. we deserve to be in that final after this amazing campaign we had this season.

That's exactly right! Just look how we got out of the group stage, it was magic! Then no-one gave us a hope in hell to get past Inter and we beat them in both matches! Then everyone said Arsenal's beautiful football  : would be too much for us and we turned it on again against them! It's been one hell of an uphill struggle all the way through, so it even seems logical that we have to beat our duck at Stamford Bridge and come up with the goods - if you look at it this way then we're certain to win, it just follows the pattern we've set previously! 

Anyway LFC and logic don't often go together - LFC goes with magic, spirit, guts and bravery, so Moscow here we come! 

The biggest part of me feels sorry for Riise but a small part is thinking WTF was he doing?

Was pissed when the own-goal thing happened, BUT Arbeloa and Mascherano could have done better and not allowed Kalou pull that cross into the 18 yard box. Too bad the ball took a spin off Riise's head and went straight into the net.

Really looking forward to the second leg. We have to draw first blood there at Stamford Bridge. Put them under pressure.

Somehow I like the fact that going into all these big matches, we are inevitably always underrated. But it has worked fine for us thus far, two finals and a semi in the blink of an eye... yes let the world underrate away, the 6th will do very nicely in compensation thank you!

Brian, what you say does make sense. I had this debate with a friend today and came to the conclusion; would you rather be in the final without Gerrard and Carragher or would you rather not be in the final at all? Obivously if we lost either of them in the final it would be a massive blow, but what we've got to remember is that we have to get there first! And that means risking Gerrard and Carragher because the team comes first. All squad memebers will be doing their best to get to the final for the TEAM and not for themselves, regardless of the cards that are given.

Both Carragher and Gerrard will have to be careful though.

Last night I was so pissed off with Riise that i couldn't post, calmed down now, and as smiggs said he was under huge pressure, but it can't be just him to take the blame for it, Masch poor clearance, Masch and Arbeloa were both on Kalou yet he still got the cross in. But still as with Eddie this was the final straw for me with Riise, been crap all season, that OG sums up his season really.

We were very unlucky last night, Torres will never miss a one-on-one chance like that again, the ref was sh*te all game, and we pissed all over them.
We can win at the Bridge, no doubt about it, I'm still very confident that we are going to Moscow, we will score there.

And it's not hard to score a goal, all it takes is for a linesman to say it crossed the line 

Nobody to blame for the goal but Riise... he had time to clear it, he just panicked. We can't kill him for it, he is only human... but his form this season was represented in that one mad/amateur moment.

Let us not forget all the good moments JAR has given us over the years, but even in his own heart of hearts JAR must now he must go now.

JAR YNWA

Whats done is done and I agree about JAR being off at the end of the season, sad but we have moved on from him now. Does anyone think he will get a start next Wednesday? I think he will, think he will want to go and put things right for his mistake last night.

Whats done is done and I agree about JAR being off at the end of the season, sad but we have moved on from him now. Does anyone think he will get a start next Wednesday? I think he will, think he will want to go and put things right for his mistake last night.

Rafa may have no other choice? How bad was Aurelio's injury?

Havn't really seen anything.

They said it was a groin strain but then found out it was not as serious but I can't see Fabby making next week if am honest

The view from me here in London...

Was expecting a torrent of ha ha ha from the Chavs at work today but before it got out of hand I made this point:
"We were unlucky, you were very, very lucky!"

I asked them if Chelsea had actually scored a goal during 95mins of play.

Answer... NO! We didn't have to 'cos you did it for us...
My response.. "Because you hadn't, couldn't and didn't score yourselves  My point 1st point made.

How many saves did Chech have to make?

3 or 4?   Another point made.

How many crucial saves did Reina have to make?
Yeah but...
Yeah but nothing, you were crap.

I also pointed out that a stretcher appeared on the pitch twice, once for Aurelio who was genuinely injured but incorrectly for Drogba as it should have been a coffin with 4 pallbearers - Cheating f**kwit!

Who was MOTM?   Kuyt. Our goal scorer. Nuff said.

Joe Calzaghe got knocked down (but not out) in Vegas in the biggest fight of his life. He was in unfamiliar territory away from home and stepping up a weight but look what happened. Hopkins tried all the tricks but lost the tie at home in front of his fans whilst the traveling fans lapped up the victory celebrations from Calzaghe's grit and determination.

Read Calzaghe, read Liverpool FC. The title is coming home to the European Capital of Culture.

i think as many of you have stated, that we were unlucky (no blame to Riise from me). Chelski had a poor game and deserved NOTHING. Saying that I think had the tie been 1-0 to us, Rafa may have been more defensive but now we must attack as much as we can.

Come on you reds, you can still do this

YNWA

Nobody to blame for the goal but Riise... he had time to clear it, he just panicked. We can't kill him for it, he is only human... but his form this season was represented in that one mad/amateur moment.

Let us not forget all the good moments JAR has given us over the years, but even in his own heart of hearts JAR must now he must go now.

JAR YNWA

I watched the match over again. Arbeloa and Mascherano did not put enough pressure on Saluman Kalou, he put the cross in with little or no stress.