[lfc-news] Reds denied as referee spares Chelsea

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Reds denied as referee spares Chelsea

Kevin McCarra at Anfield
Thursday September 29, 2005
The Guardian

Even if Liverpool had to share the points they held fast to their
reputation as the one English team who can regularly unnerve Chelsea. Jose
Mourinho's side did duck a repeat of the defeat at Anfield that nailed them
in their European Cup semi-final last season, but their general anxiety was
far greater here last night. Though they guarded the goalkeeper Petr Cech
well, it took the Italian referee Massimo de Santis to spare Chelsea a penalty.

The kindest thing to be said is that he is certainly not the kind of
official to let a bellowing Kop make up his mind for him. Unfortunately, he
really should have this time. De Santis was unresponsive on three
occasions, diregarding in particular the handball with which William Gallas
blocked Jamie Carragher's header in the second half.
Despite that, the home crowd could be satisfied by the maturity with which
their team avoided being picked off on the break and by the manner in which
they dominated the second half. "Boring, boring Chelsea," sang those fans
at the end, gleefully contradicting Mourinho's pre-match assertion that it
is Liverpool who "do not play with an open heart".

A goalless draw had been widely predicted and the sort of passion that
might have brought a second booking for Xabi Alonso or Frank Lampard was no
surprise either, but Rafael Benítez's team must have shocked Chelsea with
their sustained tempo and adventure. The fierceness compensated for the
scrappiness and it must have taken a while before either team could recover
the calm to reflect on the significance elsewhere in Group G of Real
Betis's valuable win at Anderlecht.

Minds will soon sweep on to the next clash between Liverpool and Chelsea,
at Anfield in the Premiership on Sunday. By then Mourinho must come up with
a way of preventing the opposition from developing the momentum that might
just have rushed his team to defeat last night. Chelsea did have an
impressive performer in Didier Drogba, who waged a solitary battle in
attack, but it was telling that Ricardo Carvalho, called upon to defuse
many attacks, was the best player on the field.

Despite all the sophisticated scheming, a match can always humble a
manager. This was a meeting of the European Cup holders and the reigning
Premiership champions, but a heavy disguise was standard issue. The talent
of the footballers went unrecognised before the interval and the carefully
prepared strategies tended to malfunction. The crowd was more likely to be
exercised then by bookings than by artistry.

The sight of the refined Alonso first letting Michael Essien steal the ball
from him and then, at the cost of a yellow card, snatching the Chelsea
midfielder's jersey showed that even the most poised footballer could
tumble into error.

Each side cared far too much about this game for the good of their
composure. Chelsea did stumble across a little fluency afer 32 minutes, as
Drogba shielded the ball, turned and released Arjen Robben for a run
checked only by Alonso's excellent challenge. The Dutch winger was
temporarily heartened and when he veered inside Sami Hyypia moments later
it took a good save from José Reina to put his shot over the bar.

A goal then would have been a reward for breakaway football, though, and
the gusto had largely been Liverpool's. Though each manager used a
formation that can pack five footballers in midfield at a moment's notice,
it was Benítez's players who were more geared to advance. They were not
ashamed either to resort to the obvious.

Everyone knew that the ball would be launched for the 6ft 7in Peter Crouch
and, without resorting to the panic measure of starting with the towering
Robert Huth, Mourinho had no simple answer. When the Liverpool striker
headed down after 19 minutes the alarmed Drogba lunged at the lurking
Hyypia in the area. The Chelsea striker certainly made no contact with the
ball and must have had De Santis pondering the award of a penalty. But none
was given.

Chances were rare and neither Steven Gerrard nor Lampard powered the play
reliably. When Hyypia accidentally chested a long ball into the path of the
Chelsea midfielder after 18 minutes, Lampard skewed a drive from the edge
of the area, misplacing his usual searing precision.

It ought to have been Liverpool who made the breakthrough. Luis García,
soon after the interval, might have dissuaded De Santis from granting a
penalty because he shook off Paulo Ferreira's pull on his arm and kept on
pursuing a through-ball that was collected by Cech. Chelsea's luck held in
the 56th minute when Carragher jumped for a corner and Gallas, conscious of
Djibril Cissé beside him, met the Liverpool defender's header with an
extended arm. The referee somehow believed the contact had been legitimate.

Three penalty appeals should have amounted to at least one spot-kick, but
there were small, crucial satisfactions for Mourinho and Chelsea last
night. Cech had not made a save of note and the team, reprieved by De
Santis, remembered how to survive.
Champions League Group G
Wednesday September 28, 2005
FT Liverpool 0-0 Chelsea
07' Alonso
25' Makelele
60' Robben
62' Lampard
89' Terry
Liverpool
Jose Manuel Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypia, Djimi
Traore, Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard, Dietmar Hamann, Djibril Cisse (Florent
Sinama Pongolle), Peter Crouch, Javier Sanz Luis Garcia

Chelsea
Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, William Gallas, Renato Paulo Ferreira, John
Terry, Damien Duff (Hernan Crespo), Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Claude
Makelele, Arjen Robben (Shaun Wright-Phillips), Didier Drogba (Robert Huth)

Referee: De Santis, M

Venue: Anfield

Attendance: 42,743

Corners:
Liverpool 4
Chelsea 3

Goal Attempts:
Liverpool 10
Chelsea 5

On Target:
Liverpool 2
Chelsea 0

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