Liverpool left on the ropes after Branislav Ivanovic lands one-two combination

The resident disc jockey opted for a Beatles classic at the final whistle. We Can Work It Out sounded like wishful thinking on Liverpool’s part at the end of an evening when the fortress of Anfield was not just stormed but ransacked, but, to put it in another context, who can possibly work out the remarkable transformation that Guus Hiddink has managed in only two months in charge of Chelsea?
It cannot be rocket science, just a case of restoring some much-needed confidence and tactical discipline to a team who had lost their way under Luiz Felipe Scolari. Given the way that Chelsea capitulated at the same venue just before his arrival, though, the Hiddink effect is looking like something close to alchemy. Only not alchemy, since Chelsea, after crowning a superb performance with two goals from Branislav Ivanovic and one from Didier Drogba, are dreaming not of gold but of silver and, specifically, the European Cup that has proved elusive during the Roman Abramovich era.
Hiddink called Chelsea’s performance “perfect”, at least after they had recovered from the blow of conceding a sixth-minute goal to Fernando Torres. At that point it seemed as though Liverpool’s momentum was propelling them towards yet another Champions League semi-final, but as Michael Essien began to relish his man-marking assignment against Steven Gerrard and, as Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Drogba and the rest warmed to their task, it became a quite outstanding Chelsea display on an evening when they finally cast aside the caution of the José Mourinho era.
Chelsea’s performance contained certain parallels with Liverpool’s tactical masterclass in winning 4-1 away to Manchester United last month, a result that stripped the losers of their aura of invincibility. It remains to be seen whether this result will have such a demoralising effect on Liverpool in their bid for the Barclays Premier League title, but, as Drogba tormented Martin Skrtel and Jamie Carragher much as Torres had given the runaround to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, it was easy to see why Sir Alex Ferguson had suggested that the winners of this tie would pose a far greater threat to United on the domestic front than the losers.
With three away goals to his team’s name, Hiddink was even asked afterwards whether John Terry’s suspension for the second leg, after he was booked for an overzealous challenge on José Manuel Reina, might now be regarded as a blessing in that it would free him up for a semi-final against, one presumes, Barcelona. Hiddink was not too keen to follow that particular line of inquiry, but, given the manner in which Terry exchanged barbs with Gerrard, his England team-mate, in the heat of the battle, the Chelsea captain might just be able to see the logic behind that argument.
It was a glorious night for Terry and his team-mates. They have suffered at Liverpool’s hands in the Champions League in recent years, as well as tasting two defeats in the Premier League this season, but they dealt with everything that Rafael Benítez’s team could throw at them. By the end, Gerrard and Torres looked frustrated and the fervour of the home crowd had been reduced to a whimper — a far cry from the opening minutes, when Torres seemed to have lit the fuse for another of those Anfield glory nights.
Hiddink had identified Gerrard as the main threat to Chelsea, but the Liverpool captain had only a fleeting involvement in the goal that gave his team the lead. It was his lung-busting run into the penalty area that forced Alex into a wild clearance, but then came a surprisingly deft piece of control from Dirk Kuyt and an even better reverse pass into the path of Álvaro Arbeloa on the overlap. Arbeloa surged into the penalty area and picked out Torres, who, neglected by Alex, had the time and the space to steer a cool shot past Petr Cech.
For Chelsea, it was the nightmare start, but their recovery was almost immediate. Within 60 seconds Salomon Kalou harried Fábio Aurélio into a mistake and set up Drogba, who should have scored but shot straight at the advancing Reina.
Drogba then squandered an even better chance on the half-hour, shooting high into the Kop after a perfect first touch, from Ballack’s cross, had taken him away from Jamie Carragher in the penalty area. Drogba’s moment would arrive, but first came not one but two goals from a player who could not get close to the Chelsea teamsheet 12 months ago, let alone the scoresheet.
For the first eight months of his Chelsea career, after his arrival from Lokomotiv Moscow in January 2008, Ivanovic looked destined to go down as the new Winston Bogarde, but his contribution last night will not be forgotten. Five minutes before half-time Florent Malouda swung in a corner from the right and the Serbia defender escaped the attentions of Xabi Alonso and then rose between Skrtel and Albert Riera to beat Reina with a firm header. In the 62nd minute he repeated the act, this time getting between Gerrard and Arbeloa to score again.
Questions will be asked about Liverpool’s zonal marking from set-pieces, as they are on every occasion that they concede from such situations, but Benítez will be more concerned by the way that Chelsea outmuscled and outplayed his team. The third goal was a classic, Ballack releasing Malouda, who hit a superb cross into the six-yard box, where Drogba, attacking the ball ahead of Carragher and Sktel, slammed the ball past Reina.
The closing stages were played out to near-silence until the home supporters responded to questions about the atmosphere by asking “where’s your European Cups?” — note the plural. The Chelsea fans had no answer, but more of this and their players may soon be able to provide the perfect riposte, Barcelona notwithstanding.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): J M Reina — Á Arbeloa, M Skrtel, J Carragher, F Aurélio (sub: A Dossena, 75min) — X Alonso, Lucas Leiva (sub: R Babel, 80) — D Kuyt, S Gerrard, A Riera (sub: Y Benayoun, 68) — F Torres. Substitutes not used: D Cavalieri, S Hyypia, D Agger, D Ngog. Booked: Aurélio.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): P Cech — B Ivanovic, Alex, J Terry, A Cole — M Ballack, M Essien, — S Kalou, F Lampard, F Malouda — D Drogba (sub: N Anelka, 80). Substitutes not used: Hilário, R Carvalho, M Mancienne, J Belletti, J O Mikel, Deco. Booked: Kalou, Terry.
Referee: C B Larsen (Denmark)
Source: The times