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Guardian: 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent; Liverpool 0 Chelsea 0 Chelsea forced on defensive as stylish Liverpool make a point By Sam Wallace at Anfield Published: 29 September 2005 The first act of a compelling drama in at least four parts this season and the pre-eminence of Rafael Benitez's European champions continues to nag at the Premiership empire of Jose Mourinho. More adventurous, more risky and just the whim of the referee away from victory, Liverpool began where they finished last season: giving hope to those who seek to unlock the secret of Chelsea's domination. It was not the fire-breathing classic that these two sides contested in the second leg of the European Cup semi-final last season but then we may never witness the noise and the tension of that occasion again. Instead Liverpool, who had two convincing penalty appeals turned down by the Italian referee, forced Chelsea deeper and deeper back into their own half as the game developed, inflicting upon Mourinho's side the stifling restrictions that they have imposed on the rest of the Premiership. Where Liverpool failed was in dealing the final, decisive blow to Chelsea who were held together by John Terry in his typically inspirational manner. The noise of the Kop, their songs about Istanbul and the replica tinfoil European Cups that were waved in the direction of the away end were a reminder of the supremacy that this club, above all others in the Premiership, still feels it holds over the league's runaway leaders. In Europe, Liverpool are still Chelsea's masters; come Sunday, the roles will be exchanged. When Chelsea return to Anfield in three days' time the imperative to win will be much more serious for Liverpool if they are to maintain a viable Premiership title challenge. Then they will have to gamble a greater stake on victory, although Benitez was by no means cautious last night. His team's ceaseless possession forced Mourinho to change formation, reinforce his defence and endure a nervous finale to an uncomfortable evening. Yet so many waves of Liverpool attacks produced so few genuine attempts upon Petr Cech's goal. Liverpool's most promising chances to score were their two penalty appeals rejected by the referee, Massimo De Santis. The first, on 52 minutes, came when Luis Garcia burst between Paulo Ferreira and Terry towards the same end where he scored his controversial winning goal in last season's semi-final second leg. Dragged back by the Portuguese full-back just enough to allow Cech to claim the ball, Garcia was denied a penalty. The second appeal was much less doubtful and came three minutes before the hour when Jamie Carragher powered a header from Steven Gerrard's corner towards goal and William Gallas, who had just shoved Djibril Cissé out of his path, handled the ball. The decision to reject it was, in Benitez's words, "unbelievable", from a Spanish coach who buries his opinions and emotions deep, that is as severe a condemnation of an official as we are likely to hear. At the start of the evening, as the two sides warmed up, Benitez and Mourinho had stood on the touchline together - hands in pockets, expensive shoes toeing the slick green turf - deep in conversation. Like two ambitious young dukes discussing the division of an empire it was a remarkably amicable conversation, given the doubt that Mourinho had earlier poured on Liverpool's legitimacy as European champions. Unusually for him, Mourinho seemed to be doing most of the listening. No team, up until now, has quite matched his Chelsea side like Benitez's Liverpool on the big occasion and the same was the case this time. Peter Crouch's battle with Terry was absorbing - the reach and touch of those long legs against the sheer force of the Chelsea captain's will - while Gerrard and Frank Lampard both seized on any loose possession. Only in the directors' box did the comparison seem unfair - the old money of the personal fortune of the Liverpool chairman, David Moores, rendered measly compared with the £7.6bn Roman Abramovich banked yesterday for the sale of his oil company. Liverpool could take comfort from the absence of a significant contribution from either Damien Duff or Arjen Robben. In the first half, the Irishman was caught by an unpleasant studs-raised challenge from Garcia, not a midfield enforcer in anyone's book, but he failed to turn two lofted balls over the head of Djimi Traoré into meaningful attacks Similarly, Robben came to life just once, running at Sami Hyypia before stepping effortlessly past the centre-half and driving in a shot that Jose Reina did well to touch over the bar. Liverpool's best chance came on 19 minutes when Crouch headed down a cross into Hyypia's stride and the defender appeared to have been subjected to the slightest of trips by Didier Drogba as he miscued his shot. In the second half, Mourinho switched to a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation with the introduction of Hernan Crespo, but Chelsea found themselves clamped back in their own half and controlled in a manner that no other team has been able to force upon them this season. Xabi Alonso was outstanding in his distribution and managed one dangerous shot in the 82nd minute when Florent Sinama-Pongolle's cross was recycled to the Spanish midfielder on the edge of the area. The game's last act was Gerrard's free-kick over the bar. By then Liverpool were encamped in the Chelsea half and whether they can occupy the same territory come Sunday will have a serious effect on how this Premiership season unfolds. Liverpool (4-1-3-1-1): Reina; Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Traoré; Hamann; Garcia, Gerrard, Alonso; Cissé (Sinama-Pongolle, 7; Crouch. Substitutes not used: Carson (gk), Riise, Josemi, Warnock, Zenden, Potter. Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; Robben (Wright-Phillips, 65), Lampard, Essien, Duff (Crespo, 75); Drogba (Huth, 90). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Cole, Geremi, Gudjohnsen. Referee: M De Santis (Italy). Man-for-man marking: How they rated at Anfield last night. By Glenn Moore Liverpool * JOSE REINA Flapped at Chelsea's first corner but brave punched clearance from Essien and decent save from Robben drive restored confidence. 6/10 * STEVE FINNAN Dealt so effectively with Robben's threat the Dutch flyer was substituted with 25 minutes remaining. 8 * SAMI HYYPIA Poor header gifted Lampard early chance but should immediately have won penalty when felled by Drogba. 6 * JAMIE CARRAGHER One lapse apart, he gave his customary sound defensive display and strong 55th-minute header might have brought a penalty when it struck Gallas's arm. 7 * DJIMI TRAORE Impressive in defence and on the ball. Snuffed out Duff and was untroubled by Wright-Phillips. 8 * DIETMAR HAMANN Competent if uninspiring. Held position well and proved a good foil for Alonso and Gerrard. 5 * LUIS GARCIA Anonymous for 51 minutes then eased past Ferreira but too easily tugged back. Reverted back into the shadows. 3 * STEVEN GERRARD Quiet by his usual standards. Makelele kept a close watch and a series of ankle taps may have dulled his edge. 5 * XABI ALONSO Caught in possession and booked after seven minutes. Thereafter classy as he switched the play. Never shirked a tackle despite yellow card, though perhaps lucky not to get another. 8 * DJIBRIL CISSE Utterly wasted on the flank where Gallas was equal to his pace. Withdrawn. 4. * PETER CROUCH Fine lay-off for Hyypia's penalty shout but otherwise well marshalled by Terry and Carvalho. 5 SUBSTITUTE * FLORENT SINAMA-PONGOLLE (for Cissé, 7 Little time to shine but turned Lampard beautifully to illustrate potential. Chelsea * PETR CECH Hard to judge as Liverpool so rarely penetrated defence. His composure always has a positive effect though. 6/10 * PAULO FERREIRA Escaped censure when he pulled back Garcia the one time he threatened to outwit him. Did not go forward often. 7 * RICARDO CARVALHO Committed a string of fouls but managed to avoid a yellow card. Otherwise good defensively. 6 * JOHN TERRY Missed header led to Hyypia penalty claim. Then impressive as ever as Crouch was kept well shackled. 7 * WILLIAM GALLAS Relieved at escaping punishment when his arm got in the way of Carragher's header. Had Cissé under control. 6 * CLAUDE MAKELELE Booked for clattering Gerrard. More careful after that but just as effective as England's action man was kept quiet. Distribution not as effective as usual. 7 * ARJEN ROBBEN Only once threatened, when he escaped full-backs to ghost by Hyypia, but he shot too close to Reina. Booked for dissent. 4 * FRANK LAMPARD Booked for poor challenge on Cissé. Quiet night and was outshone by Alonso. Embarrassingly beaten by Sinama-Pongolle late on. Poor free-kicks. 5 * MICHAEL ESSIEN A powerful presence but never remotely justified £24m fee. 6 * DAMIEN DUFF Wasted clever Drogba flick early on and it did not get any better. 3 * DIDIER DROGBA Willing but too often careless in possession and should have con-ceded a 20th-minute penalty. 3 SUBSTITUTES * SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS (for Robben, 65) Energetic, but little impact 5. * HERNAN CRESPO (for Duff, 75) Offside only time he saw ball. * ROBERT HUTH (for Drogba, 90) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sun: Liverpool 0 Chelsea 0 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER JOSE MOURINHO and Rafa Benitez will not care less - but this was another waste of 90 minutes. Two of the Premiership's best teams going head-to-head in a crunch Champions League match. But all we got was a repeat of last season's semi-final which was separated by a single goal over 180 minutes. What we would have done for a goal at Anfield... True, there was some thunderous challenges to excite the crowd. But Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso failed to live up to their reputations with a series of pot-shots that peppered the fans behind both goals. Mourinho and Benitez will both happily take the point which keeps them joint-top of Group G. But the abysmal display will only aid those complaining that football supporters are getting a poor return for their money. These sides face each other again in the league on Sunday - we can only hope they don't serve up another bore draw. They struggled to turn decent possession into anything of real substance in front of goal for the opening 45 minutes. Lampard's opening free-kick, after Alonso was cautioned for pulling Michael Essien, forced Jose Reina into a low save to his right. Gerrard and Lampard then exchanged inaccurate long shots, while Didi Hamann's inviting ball across the face of the Chelsea goal could not find a team-mate. Sami Hyypia went down in the box under pressure from Didier Drogba but referee Massimo de Santis waved away penalty appeals. Claude Makelele was next in the book after a foul on Gerrard before Alonso's curling cross tested Petr Cech. On 33 minutes the best chance of the game arrived for Arjen Robben who cut inside Hyypia before forcing Reina into a fingertip save over the bar. The second half did not provide much more in the way of goalmouth action although home fans believed they should have been awarded two penalties. First Luis Garcia's burst into the box was thwarted by Paulo Ferreira's tug on his arm. De Santis rightly waved away the appeals although Williams Gallas' handball from Jamie Carragher's header soon after should have been given. Robben and Lampard were both cautioned for careless tackles but the most dramatic incident of the half came when Carragher and Hyypia collided going for the same ball on the edge of the their own box. Damien Duff sensed a chance to pounce but Reina just managed to get his fingertips to the ball to clear the danger. Alonso twice tried his luck from distance in the final 15 minutes - his first effort well wide before Cech comfortably kept out his volley. Lampard and Gerrard summed up the night with another shot from distance apiece - which, you guessed it, missed their target comfortably. CHELSEA DREAM TEAM RATINGS PETR CECH HAD little to do but when called into action demonstrated why he is rated the best in the country. Composed. 7 PAULO FERREIRA STEADY, accomplished display but Liverpool’s lack of width made it a comfortable night for the Portuguese defender. 7 JOHN TERRY WILL not have an easier evening than this. With nobody to mark, he just did the tidying up when necessary. Booked. 8 RICARDO CARVALHO DID not have it all his own way as he man-marked Crouch but never looked in any serious difficulty. 7 WILLIAM GALLAS HAD Cisse in his pocket right from the start. Even matched French striker for pace, which not many are capable of. 8 CLAUDE MAKELELE AS ever, totally reliable protecting the Chelsea back four but he was kept busy by Gerrard. Booked. 8 MICHAEL ESSIEN A SUBDUED figure despite the big price tag. Drifted in and out of the game without making any real impression. 6 FRANK LAMPARD NOT at his commanding best but still had moments when he looked a real threat. Booked. 7 ARJEN ROBBEN ANOTHER Chelsea star unable to get into the game apart from a first-half effort that Reina tipped over. Booked. 6 DAMIEN DUFF DID not make the impact Chelsea were hoping for — much to Liverpool’s relief. Replaced after a quiet performance. 6 DIDIER DROGBA ALWAYS a nuisance but his histrionics did the big striker no favours. Went to ground far too easily. 7 SUBS: Wright-Phillips (Robben) 6, Crespo (Duff) 6, Huth (Drogba) 5. Not used: Cudicini, J Cole, Geremi, Gudjohnsen. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Telegraph: Lively Liverpool suffer stalemate By Henry Winter Liverpool (0) 0 Chelsea (0) 0 Liverpool won the Champions League final on penalties and last night should really have won this intriguing, if unfulfilling Group G tie on spot-kicks. Three times they appealed for legitimatelooking penalties but three times their pleas were ignored by the Italian referee, Massimo De Santis. Close contest: Djibril Cisse and William Gallas at Anfield If all draws are equal, this one seemed more equal for Chelsea. Away from home, and constantly under pressure from a fired-up Liverpool, Jose Mourinho's side were clearly delighted with the point and even brought on Robert Huth for Didier Drogba, centre-half for centre-forward late on as they shut up shop. Inevitably in a spat between the champions of Europe and the champions of England, few niceties were observed when loose balls were contested. Frank Lampard, John Terry, Claude Makelele and Xabi Alonso were all cautioned for nasty lunges. But the real offences, the penalty-box fouls on Sami Hyypia, Luis Garcia and then a hand-ball by William Gallas, went unpunished. Liverpool, who stay top of the group, take can take great pride from their performance, and their fans saluted Steven Gerrard and company at the final whistle, while deriding De Santis. South versus North, cash versus cachet, this absorbing collision of contrasting cultures unfolded into a fascinating tactical duel embodied in the battle between Makelele's defiance and Gerrard's adrenalin-fuelled ambition. As Liverpool kept a high line and a high tempo, as Gerrard kept running at Makelele, the hosts' enterprise made a mockery of Mourinho's belief that Benitez's side would sit deep and play on the counter. "They don't play with an open heart," insisted Mourinho as he walked into Anfield last night. "They wait for the opponents' mistake." Cautious? Liverpool? No chance here. Not with the Kop in full voice. Not with Gerrard so determined to pile into last night's visitors "because of the speculation about me and Chelsea for two years". With the outstanding Alonso and Didi Hamann the mobile holding men, Liverpool were set up tactically and temperamentally to flow forward. Gerrard played the advance clearing house behind the willowy and willing Peter Crouch while Garcia and Djibril Cisse attempted to insinuate themselves behind Chelsea's fleet full-backs. It was Mourinho's team who were prepared to wait and wait for a mistake, and they always exuded the menace of a breakaway goal. Following an Alonso foul, Lampard drilled in a free kick that Pepe Reina pushed away. Then Liverpool seized control, moving the ball around a pitch made perfect for passing football by a late-afternoon monsoon by the Mersey. Liverpool's commitment to attack saw Djimi Traore forsaking his left-back station after 16 minutes, gliding upfield and squeezing a good pass through to Gerrard. Liverpool's captain controlled the ball well but then, leaning back, lifted the ball badly over Petr Cech's bar. The force continued to be with the European champions, whose fans kept waving cardboard-and-foil models of the famous trophy at Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's smiling benefactor. Every art class in every Huyton and Croxteth school yesterday must have been taken over by boys making copies of the European Cup. Liverpool banner-makers had been typically busy as well, with one sign detailing the five European Cups won by Liverpool with the words "You Can Only Envy Us". But for the poor positioning of the referee, Liverpool should have had a penalty after 18 minutes when Drogba felled Hyypia from behind. Crouch screamed his disbelief at De Santis as the official ignored the offence. Nip and tuck, pace and parrying, neither side could find a way through. Chelsea have been constructed into a formidable machine by Mourinho, with the smoothest of midfield engines pumping through the industrious limbs and minds of Lampard, Makelele and Michael Essien. With Drogba struggling to win the physical battle against the stout-hearted Jamie Carragher, Chelsea lacked a high-class outlet, though Arjen Robben made inroads down the flanks. Racing on to one Lampard pass, Robben cut inside Hyypia and let fly venomously. Reina, reacting brilliantly, flicked the ball over into a relieved Kop. Liverpool's frustration with De Santis intensified after the break. Attacking the Kop, where legend had it they were so often awarded spot-kicks, they twice had appeals rejected by the Italian. First Paulo Ferreira appeared to pull back Garcia as he raced in on Cech. Then William Gallas clearly handled Carragher's header following a clever corner routine. With 17 minutes remaining, a mix-up between Carragher and Hyypia sent the ball skidding free across the Liverpool area. As Damien Duff darted in to exploit the mistake, Reina responded well, dashing out to flick the ball away. The moment encapsulated the night. Promise but no finish. Match details Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore; Hamann, Alonso; Cisse (Sinama-Pongolle 77), Gerrard, Garcia; Crouch. Subs: Carson (g), Riise, Josemi, Warnock, Zenden, Potter. Booked: Alonso. Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; Essien, Lampard; Duff (Crespo, 74), Robben (Wright-Phillips, 64); Drogba (Huth, 90). Subs: Cudicini (g), J Cole, Geremi. Booked: Makelele, Lampard, Terry. Referee: M De Santis (Italy). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Times: The Times Chelsea given a helping hand By Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent THE rivalry between Chelsea and Liverpool is still a long way short of the malevolence between, say, Arsenal and Manchester United, but the more they face each other, the more they seem to be discovering that they do not like each other very much. Familiarity may not be breeding contempt, but after last night’s 0-0 draw in the Champions League at Anfield there was an accusation from Jamie Carragher that Chelsea lack dignity. The Liverpool defender had been riled by pre-match comments from José Mourinho and he was even more annoyed when he was denied a penalty after a clear handball by William Gallas “It was a definite penalty, a certain penalty,” Carragher said. “Before the game there was a lot of crying coming from their camp. They were crying about various things from last season and there were some sour grapes. But we have a little bit more dignity about this club than that and we will not cry too much about obvious decisions going against us.” Carragher was referring to Chelsea’s complaints after last season’s semi-final, when Mourinho argued that his team had been beaten by a phantom goal from Luis García. Last night he was the beneficiary of a large slice of good fortune in the first of several rematches, a feisty one, but there was never much hope of him holding up his hands and saying that luck had evened itself out. “I didn’t see it,” was all he would say of the 56th-minute incident when Gallas used an arm to block Carragher’s goal-bound header. Whether or not the ball would have ended up in the Chelsea net, it was a clear penalty. Liverpool’s immediate and vigorous protests suggested as much. Video replays bore them out. “It was clear and, watching the TV, it was unbelievable,” Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, said. “When you play against a big team, the small details are the difference. And that was a big detail.” He claimed that Gallas was fortunate not to have been sent off. Mourinho had said that the whole world was united against Chelsea and, after eight wins in a row this season, to see them chasing such an intense, high-tempo game would have been fascinating. As it was, they held on to a draw, but not with any comfort. Liverpool had played with dynamism and they will hope to provide a similarly rigorous test on Sunday, when Chelsea return in the Barclays Premiership. “We were better than them,” Ben ítez said. Although a draw was perfectly acceptable for both teams at kick-off, the history of last season, including the Carling Cup final and Steven Gerrard’s on-off transfer, dictated that there would be more to it than that. John Terry had admitted that he would feel a cold shiver walking back into the dressing-room where, five months ago, he had sat in tears after Chelsea’s failure to reach the Champions League final. It would, he said, be like returning to a room full of ghosts. There was no smiling, no chatting to Gerrard when the captains and England team-mates exchanged handshakes and when Frank Lampard injured Gerrard with a late tackle in the first half, the mood was set for a full- blooded, although frustratingly goalless, night. “It was a game for men,” Mourinho said. The players are developing a rivalry that could make life interesting if there is still something to play for when they meet at Stamford Bridge for the final match in group G in December. That seems unlikely as they sit tied at the top on four points, although Liverpool will believe that they should be outright leaders. They had two other claims to a penalty, but, on the day that Roman Abramovich put £5.1 billion into his savings account by selling his stake in Sibneft, the oil company, it seems that some guys have all the luck.