Tuesday 20 January 2015 10:42, UK
Ahead of their Capital One Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday, we look at three recent cup classics between Liverpool and Chelsea.
Garcia’s ‘ghost goal’: Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea, May 3, 2005
Such is Jose Mourinho’s enduring frustration at Luis Garcia’s infamous ‘ghost goal’, which settled this Champions League semi-final in 2005, that he referenced it as recently as Chelsea’s trip to Liverpool in November. “It doesn’t affect me, because I don’t play, but we’ve seen in the past how the Anfield pressure affects some people,” he said. “Goals that are not goals, penalties that are not penalties.”
After a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, Chelsea found themselves 1-0 down inside four minutes at Anfield when Milan Baros beat Petr Cech to Steven Gerrard’s flicked pass and Garcia steered home. William Gallas attempted to clear the ball off the line, but the Blues’ complaints fell on deaf ears and, despite pushing for an equaliser and decisive away goal in the second half, the hosts held on.
“It was a goal that came from the moon - from the Anfield stands,” said an incensed Mourinho afterwards. “Liverpool scored, if you can say that they scored, because maybe you should say the linesman scored. They are in the final and from my heart I hope they win it. The night belongs to them and I don't want to criticise them.”
Little did Mourinho know when he declared his magnanimity towards Liverpool that they would win the final in the most remarkable fashion, coming back from three goals down to draw 3-3 with AC Milan and win the cup on penalties. Had it not been for Garcia’s controversial strike, we may have been denied one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game.
Drogba steals the show: Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool, April 30, 2008
It took three years and a change of manager but Chelsea eventually got their revenge on Liverpool, beating the Reds 4-3 on aggregate in the 2008 Champions League semi-final to reach the main event for the first time.
When Avram Grant replaced Mourinho in September 2007, few would have predicted that the Blues could recover from the loss of their influential coach to end the season with a shot at European silverware. But, just as they did in 2012, Chelsea triumphed through adversity, beating Fenerbahce in the quarter-final to set up another showdown with Liverpool.
John Arne Riise’s 95th-minute own goal at Anfield gave Chelsea a precious 1-1 draw and away advantage to hold on to, but they were pushed all the way at Stamford Bridge. After Didier Drogba opened the scoring, Fernando Torres bagged a second-half equaliser to send the match into extra-time.
The Blues were not to be denied, however, and Frank Lampard converted a 98th-minute penalty before Drogba made the result safe with his second. Ryan Babel set up a tense finish by clawing a goal back with three minutes to go, but it was too little, too late, as Chelsea booked their ticket to Moscow and a meeting with Manchester United.
Goals galore: Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool, April 14, 2009
The 2008 final ended in bitter disappointment for Chelsea, and Drogba in particular given his extra-time red card for a petulant swipe at Nemanja Vidic. Who would have thought at that stage that he would survive 120 minutes in Munich four years later to score the winning penalty against Bayern?
Within a year of the defeat to Manchester United, Chelsea had replaced Avram Grant with Luiz Felipe Scolari, and then Scolari with Guus Hiddink, who oversaw a last-16 victory against Juventus to put the Blues back on the road to the Champions League final. However, the quarters pitted them against Liverpool again, who were three points above Chelsea in the Premier League and embroiled in a fierce title battle with United.
Surprisingly, the first leg was a breeze for Hiddink’s side as they cruised into a 3-1 advantage at Anfield. Torres opened the scoring for the Reds after just six minutes, but a headed brace from Branislav Ivanovic and a goal for Drogba left the visitors firmly in the driving seat.
It was perhaps complacency then, as well as Liverpool’s impressive fighting spirit, that allowed the Reds back into the contest in the second leg as they burst into a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge through Fabio Aurelio and a Xabi Alonso penalty.
Chelsea were shocked into action, replying through Drogba, Alex and Lampard, but two goals in the space of two minutes from Lucas and Dirk Kuyt left Liverpool leading 4-3 and needing only one more goal in the last 10 minutes to progress.
Lampard had other ideas, though, sliding home Nicolas Anelka’s pass in the 89th minute to level the score on the night and secure a semi-final against Barcelona. It was a breath-taking encounter that left both teams exhausted in the run-in, with Chelsea losing to Barcelona in the semi, and Liverpool missing out on the title after failing to keep the pressure on United by drawing 4-4 with Arsenal a week later.
Watch Liverpool v Chelsea live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm on Tuesday
