morning papers liverpool away

The Times August 20, 2007 Chelsea wolf bites Red Riding Hood Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1 Oliver Kay at Anfield It started as a fairytale afternoon for Liverpools new darling, slowly turned into a nightmare for the referee as Chelsea fought back and ended, amid plenty of mud-slinging afterwards, with Rafael Bentez talking about Little Red Riding Hood. If this is a sign of things to come in the Barclays Premier League title race, it promises to be a season full of twists, turns and a taste of the bizarre. Frank Lampards second-half penalty earned Chelsea a draw that they will treasure after falling behind to an early goal from Fernando Torres, on his Anfield debut, but that does not begin to describe the events of a quite breathless afternoon. Throw in the hugely controversial nature of that penalty, nine bookings or ten if you include the rogue second yellow card that Rob Styles, the referee, brandished to Michael Essien during a tense second period some spiky postmatch comments and, lest it gets overlooked, some good football from both teams, and you start to get the picture. Little Red Riding Hood? That cropped up in the postmatch press conference when Bentez, the Liverpool manager, was informed that Jos Mourinho had responded to Steven Gerrards criticism of Chelsea by painting a picture of an angelic, or at least naive, team. Bentez smirked. Then I am Little Red Riding Hood, he said. Look at their team and ask yourself how many times their players do the things they say they dont do. Their players talk to the referee all the time. And they do, as Sir Alex Ferguson, among others, has observed in the past. Mourinho expressed outrage at such accusations in the postmatch press conference, but, if ever perish the thought a team was to harangue a referee in the hope of planting a seed that might later come to fruition, it was here. Only Styles knows why he awarded Chelsea a penalty in the 62nd minute, when Steve Finnan and Florent Malouda were involved in an entirely inoccuous collision, and only he knows why he opted to wave a second yellow card at Essien soon afterwards if, as he claims, he was not booking the player. Both Bentez and Gerrard, his captain, sounded sick at the award of the penalty and it was hard not to sympathise. Liverpool, to borrow Bentezs favourite phrase, had been in control of the game for the first 45 minutes and had taken a deserved lead through Torres, their club record signing from Atltico Madrid. Chelsea got a foothold earlier in the second half, after replacing Salomon Kalou with Claudio Pizarro, but it still took a remarkable intervention from Styles to change the complexion of the game or at least to give Lampard the opportunity to do so, which he duly took. Mourinho said that he felt it was a fair result. Perhaps in one sense, if one looks beyond the injustice of the penalty, it was. Even Chelseas most unedifying quality, the one that sees John Terry and Co swarming around the referee any time a decision goes against them, is a manifestation of the mentality that Mourinho has instilled in his team. Three times in as many matches this season they have conceded the first goal and doubtless this will be a source of concern to the Portuguese perfectionist after an otherwise productive first week of the campaign but on each occasion they have fought back strongly. And yesterdays point, gained at the expense of Liverpool, could in some way prove as precious as the three they won against Birmingham City and Reading. But, no matter what other conclusions Mourinho might draw from this game, he is likely to have departed Merseyside in the knowledge that Liverpool are capable of posing a serious threat in the title race this season. Their first-half performance was highly impressive, with Gerrard and Xabi Alonso pulling the strings the former with the benefit of a painkilling injection after sustaining a broken toe that is likely to keep him out of Englands match against Germany on Wednesday Jermaine Pennant a menace on the right wing and, significantly, Torres showing signs of quality in attack. Recent history carries a few cautionary tales for Liverpools supporters Nigel Clough, Stan Collymore and even El-Hadji Diouf scored on their Anfield debuts but Torres appears to have something about him. He is no great physical specimen witness the number of times he hit the deck in the first half, with Terry imploring the referee to book the forward for diving but his goal in the sixteenth minute as, having been sent clear by Gerrard, he bamboozled Tal Ben Haim before stroking the ball past Petr Cech, was a moment of genuine class. Anfield has a new hero. Torres also appears to have brought a slickness to Liverpools play, one that could have reaped dividends in the second half, as some impressive moves resulted in chances for John Arne Riise and Dirk Kuyt, but Chelsea remain a fearsome proposition. Their second-half fightback was strong, with Pizarro narrowly missing with a far-post ahead two minutes after his introduction, and it was the Peru forward who set up the move that culminated the equaliser, releasing Shaun Wright-Phillips, whose cross resulted in that infamous collision between Finnan and Malouda. A phantom penalty to go alongside Luis Garcas phantom goal for Liverpool in the 2005 European Cup semi-final second leg at Anfield. Inevitably, Mourinho mentioned that goal last night. And if he cannot give it up after yesterday, he never will. Liverpool 1 Torres 16 Chelsea 1 Lampard 62 (pen) How they rated Liverpool 4-4-2 J M Reina Y 6 S Finnan 7 J Carragher 7 D Agger 8 Arbeloa 7 J Pennant Y 7 X Alonso 7 S Gerrard Y 8 J A Riise 6 F Torres 7 D Kuyt Y 7 Substitutes R Babel (for Pennant, 76min), P Crouch (for Riise, 83) Not used C Itandje, S Hyypia, J Mascherano Chelsea 4-4-2 P Cech 7 M Essien Y 5 T Ben Haim Y 5 J Terry Y 7 A Cole Y 6 S Wright-Phillips 6 J O Mikel 6 F Lampard Y 6 F Malouda 6 S Kalou 5 D Drogba 6 Substitutes C Pizarro 6 (for Kalou, 46min), J Cole (for Wright-Phillips, 77), Alex (for Malouda, 85) Not used C Cudicini, C Makelele Referee R Styles Attendance 43,924 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Telegraph: Penalty ignites Benitez feud with Mourinho By Tim Rich Liverpool (1) 1 Chelsea (0) 1 The voice of Anfield's Tannoy announcer was almost choked with glee. "I just want to point out that this is Manchester United's worst start to the season in 15 years," he shouted. They talk a lot about history at Liverpool but, had they checked, they would have discovered that the 1992-93 season finished with Sir Alex Ferguson winning his first Premier League title. You can tell little by beginnings, but this was a match that showed the balance of power in the Premier League is very slowly shifting under the patent leather shoes of the big clubs. On Chelsea's last two visits to Anfield, they had seen their hopes of a third Premier League and a first European Cup final drain away, and now they limped home to London grateful for a point. Having turned down a firm commitment to come to Merseyside, citing the Ashley Cole argument that a few thousand extra a week would make a significant difference to a millionaire lifestyle, Rafael Benitez had little love for Florent Malouda. The Liverpool manager would have even less desire to resume his summer conversations with the French winger as he attempted to dummy Shaun Wright-Phillips' cross and collided with Steve Finnan. The ball rolled out to an unmarked Didier Drogba, no Chelsea player appealed, Rob Styles, standing a few yards away, indicated a penalty. It was a dreadful decision, although not quite as ridiculous as one the referee was to make later in the game when he did not send off Michael Essien despite showing him a second yellow card. Significantly, Mourinho did not attempt to defend the penalty, except to argue that Chelsea had suffered so many setbacks at Anfield, including Luis Garcia's "ghost goal" in the 2005 European Cup semi-final, that they deserved some fortune. It was a curiously similar penalty to the one Malouda had won in the World Cup final, the one Zinedine Zidane had clipped home via an Italian crossbar. Frank Lampard converted, but, thereafter, a point appeared to be the limit of Chelsea's ambitions on a ground where they had won 4-1 in October 2005. When Benitez threw on Peter Crouch, Mourinho responded with a defender, Alex. "When I saw their giant come off the bench I thought it was time to bring my giant on," he said. "But we tried to win for 85 minutes. We never play here with our ideal team; last year I had to use Michael Essien as a centre half." Then, Essien had been all but humiliated. This time by pressing him into service as a right back Mourinho deprived himself of his likeliest candidate to win him the midfield. He was also extremely fortunate to finish the game. Essien had already been booked when, not for the first time, Tal Ben-Haim proved unable to cope with the pace of Fernando Torres. John Terry was booked for protesting and so, too, was Essien for a second time. Significantly, Chelsea were stretched almost to breaking point by two men who had rejected their money, Torres and Steven Gerrard. Benitez's policy of risking the broken toe his captain sustained in Toulouse and pulling him out of England's friendly with Germany was absolutely vindicated in one sumptuous pass that released all of Torres' pace and skill. It may be time to end the speculation that had Mourinho signed Ben Haim from Bolton in January he might have salvaged Chelsea's title. The Israeli blundered in, was wrong-footed and looked up to see Torres slide his shot past Petr Cech. The equaliser, however, would have done nothing to ease the dislike Benitez feels for Mourinho. When reminded of the Chelsea manager's observation that his were a "pure, naive team", Benitez quipped that if that were true, he was Little Red Riding Hood. There is no doubt whom he sees as the Big Bad Wolf. When congratulating Chelsea for breaking Liverpool's record of 63 unbeaten home matches set in the days of Bob Paisley, he talked of Claudio Ranieri, under whom the run began, and Roman Abramovitch, who had paid for it. Mourinho, who had supervised most of Stamford Bridge's triumphs, was mentioned not at all. Man of the match: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 9 Assist for Torres' goal 82% accurate passes Completed 80% successful passes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indy: Liverpool 1, Chelsea 1: Malouda leap leaves Benitez feeling bitter By Andy Hunter There was no mention of Jose Mourinho as Rafael Benitez paid a pointed tribute to Chelsea's 64-game unbeaten home record in his programme notes yesterday but, however much he may wish otherwise, the Liverpool manager will not find it so easy to write his rival out of his pursuit of the Premiership title this season. Only a highly-contentious penalty award prevented Liverpool maintaining their 100 per cent start to the campaign at a soaked Anfield yesterday, the Kop's chorus of condemnation for the referee Rob Styles on the final whistle deafening following his dampening of what had promised to be an impressive announcement of intent from Fernando Torres. The afternoon had promised much for Liverpool as they attempt to develop into genuine championship contenders this term, the performance bright and belligerent and even the PA announcer struggling to contain his elation at events in Manchester as he revelled in United's worst start to a Premiership season for 15 years before kick-off. But this was an opportunity lost. There was a shrug from Roman Abramovich in the directors' box at full-time, yet it should have been relief that shaped Chelsea's reaction to a game in which they struggled to assert authority. Last week they had passed Liverpool's record of 63 home games unbeaten with victory over Birmingham, an achievement that prompted Benitez to write, "It is a record that was started by Claudio Ranieri when Roman Abramovich arrived at the club and we must congratulate them," and his spitefulness would not have eased after these events. "It was a very, very unfair decision," insisted Steven Gerrard. "Unbelievable," stated his manager. "Unbelievable." These sides have made a habit of nullifying their opponents' attacking edge beyond the boredom threshold in recent years and it was therefore an enthralled Anfield, and disgusted Chelsea bench, that saw the visitors prised apart and punished with beautiful simplicity by Gerrard and Torres in the 16th minute. The Liverpool captain, toe fractured yet instrumental in a strong opening from the home side that should have yielded a breakthrough from John Arne Riise after only 110 seconds, put the Spaniard clear with a weighted diagonal ball down the left, and the striker then showed the skill, acceleration and finishing worthy of a £26.5m club record signing. Tal Ben-Haim came across to cover but Torres glided away from the Israeli defender with ease before steering his shot into the far corner of Petr Cech's goal, a fine way to open his Liverpool account and to suggest he could have a major influence on the club's title aspirations this season. Benitez has long stressed the value of taking the lead in fixtures against the big four, usually after Liverpool had again failed to do so during their meagre return of four points from a possible 36 under his stewardship prior to yesterday, and the impact of the striker in whom he has invested so much money and reputation threatened widespread significance until his second major transfer target of the summer, Florent Malouda, left his own indelible mark on the contest wearing the blue of Chelsea. The French international, who Benitez has indicated rejected a move to Anfield only because of the better personal terms on offer at Stamford Bridge, had embodied the frustrations Chelsea encountered in attempting to escape the limpet-like attentions of a Liverpool team inspired by Gerrard in all areas of the pitch. Though Salomon Kalou and John Terry both failed to capitalise on half chances before half-time and the substitute Claudio Pizarro squandered an inviting header at the back post moments after the restart, Mourinho's side had failed to exert any meaningful pressure on Jose Reina in the Liverpool goal until gifted a penalty by Styles in the 62nd minute. Contact was clearly made by Steve Finnan in the back of Malouda as they converged on a Shaun Wright-Phillips pass but only as a consequence of the left-winger leaping into the Liverpool full-back as he attempted to dummy the ball for the waiting Didier Drogba. Styles, however, saw differently, awarding the spot-kick that allowed Frank Lampard to send Reina the wrong way in the goal where he registered Chelsea's only success in the Champions League semi-final shoot-out. The Chelsea equaliser was merely the start of a contentious period for the Hampshire official whose generosity with the yellow card appeared to create his own Graham Poll-moment in the 73rd minute. Booking Terry, on his return from a medial knee ligament injury, for remonstrating with the theatrical Torres, Styles also waved a card in the direction of the dissenting Michael Essien for what would have been his second yellow yet failed to produce a red card. It took clarification from the fourth official to explain that the card was meant for the Chelsea captain only, but Liverpool's annoyance would not be satisfied. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Styles pulls Poll's card trick and Chelsea escape Kevin McCarra at Anfield Monday August 20, 2007 The Guardian The teams could not be prised apart but this was an afternoon when Liverpool's spirits soared and plummeted. A likely victory was taken from them with the dubious award of a penalty by the referee, Rob Styles, whose form was so poor that he would have been substituted well before the interval had he been a player. Despite denials the footage suggests that, like Graham Poll at last year's World Cup, he showed a second yellow card to a miscreant without dismissing him. Michael Essien was the player in question and the incident involved prolonged wrangling over a decision in the 73rd minute. Styles attracts sympathy purely because the badgering of him by John Terry and others had, as is so often the case when Chelsea are at work, been frequent. There will be complaints about that, yet the proud obstinacy of these visitors has to be recognised as well. There never was a sense, following the interval, that they would necessarily be downed by Liverpool. The 62nd-minute penalty came when the substitute Claudio Pizarro sent an incisive pass down the right to Shaun Wright-Phillips. As the winger's low cross ran along the face of the area, Florent Malouda, attempting a dummy to the benefit of Didier Drogba, jumped and turned, making himself as responsible as Steve Finnan for the contact. Frank Lampard, undistracted by shame, slotted the penalty smoothly. When Jose Mourinho emerged later, he raised again the extremely questionable goal from Luis Garcia that eliminated Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final of 2005. Any sweep would have been won by the person guessing that the Portuguese would launch into the topic within moments of yesterday's penalty being raised. Nevertheless, when the bickering is over, few will claim that the result itself was a travesty. John Arne Riise might have scored for Liverpool and John Terry, returning from injury, could have forced a Lampard free-kick over the line. If Didier Drogba had enjoyed one of his superhuman moments, he could have claimed an earlier equaliser instead of heading Wright-Phillips's cross wide from beyond the far post. If Liverpool can stop themselves from recycling this fixture endlessly in their minds, they will reach some sort of serenity by dwelling on Fernando Torres's first competitive goal for the club on his Anfield debut. There was an immediate satisfaction for Rafael Bentez in the banishment of any fear that the £26.5m striker would begin his Premier League career with a long and much publicised wait to get off the mark. Better still, it was a goal that would most likely have been beyond Liverpool's scope had they not bought the Atltico Madrid attacker. Steven Gerrard, particularly impressive considering his fractured toe, hit a good pass down the left towards Torres in the 16th minute. If Tal Ben Haim imagined he was in command of the situation, he was disabused of the idea in explosive fashion. There was speed as Torres went outside the Israeli, then conviction and delicacy as he opened up his body to roll a right-footed shot across Petr Cech and into the net at the far post. It turns out that there can still be Thierry Henry goals in England even if the Frenchman has decamped to Camp Nou. While Chelsea had no such star quality, they are in an engrossing phase. Mourinho's concept of innovation would not previously have embraced a trend that entailed his men conceding the first goal in the three Premier League fixtures with which their season has begun. The manager will tolerate that, or pretend to do so, because there is a suppleness to the side he is developing. The system was fluid and, while there were periods when it resembled the old 4-1-3-2 formation, there is a key difference in having the versatile Mikel John Obi rather than the magnificent specialist Claude Makelele in the holding role. If the younger man cannot be the guardian of the back four to the same extent, he should make a more varied contribution to the team. Liverpool and Chelsea cannot be sure what they will become but there is no doubt that an abrasive rivalry will continue. Man of the match Fernando Torres No one could dominate a fixture as hard-bitten as this but the debutant came up with the most memorable contribution. Best moment The pace, confidence and refinement of the goal that put Liverpool ahead. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mail: You've blown it Styles - own up to blunders, says Gerrard Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1 By NEIL ASHTON After doing his talking on the pitch, Steven Gerrard could not be faulted for having his say after the final whistle. For 62 minutes at Anfield yesterday, the Liverpool captain had driven Chelsea to distraction with a performance that slipped effortlessly between the sublime and supreme. He ignored the pain of a fractured toe to set up Liverpool's opening goal with a superb pass but then came the moment that will rankle for the rest of the season. It has taken Jose Mourinho over three years to exact revenge for Luis Garcia's 'ghost goal' in the Champions League semi-final but he was repaid with interest when referee Rob Styles awarded a highly-controversial penalty in the second half. "Which penalty?" demanded a flustered Benitez as he began the inquest and the Liverpool manager was certainly not short of sympathy. The Premier League title will not be won or lost on the moment Florent Malouda collapsed inside the penalty area under pressure from Steven Finnan but it will certainly not be forgotten. "We felt that the referee did not play well," said Gerrard. "If players have to hold their hands up when they play badly so should referees." On that basis, Styles should walk the streets for the next week with his right arm reaching for the sky. Big games are for big names but Styles refused to explain his decision to award Chelsea's controversial penalty and he also sidestepped the issue of Michael Essien. The Chelsea right back was booked in the first half and television replays clearly showed him being cautioned for dissent when Tal Ben Haim tripped Fernando Torres on the edge of the area in the 72nd minute. It was another remarkable moment of good fortune for Chelsea but it was the decision to award the penalty that had brought them back on level terms. Until then, Liverpool had been in complete control. Gerrard, who will tell England coach Steve McClaren this morning that he will not be joining up with the national squad, weighed in with another towering display in the centre of midfield. The Liverpool skipper ran Chelsea ragged with a performance of pace, power and poise. Mikel John Obi, who played in the holding midfield role, was terrorised throughout a first half that Gerrard dictated. McClaren will have been marvelling at a performance that put his England colleagues in the shade but Wembley will not be witnessing a display like that on Wednesday. His exuberance earned him a booking just before half-time but by then Liverpool were ahead and threatening to score more. Gerrard provided the stellar moment of an absorbing first half when Chelsea's midfield gave him the freedom of Merseyside to deliver a weighted pass into the path of Torres with the outside of that mercurial right boot. With Essien hopelessly out of position, Torres showed Ben Haim one way and then the other before beating him for pace and curling the sweetest of shots beyond Petr Cech. That is what you get for £24million and the Spaniard continued to tease and torment. Chelsea's players complained to the referee that he was practising the dark arts but, in truth, they could not contain him. Instead, they simply took him out whenever he threatened to add to Liverpool's lead. He has added another dimension to their attacking thrust but Liverpool will have to find other ways to open up teams if they are to compete for the title. Gerrard delivers week in, week out remember his winning goal at Aston Villa on the opening day of the season but Dirk Kuyt, Jermaine Pennant, Xabi Alonso and John Arne Riise must also shoulder some responsibility. Benitez's side always raise their game for the visit of Chelsea and they had leaders all across their back line. They coped with Mourinho's tactical switch at the break, when he replaced the ineffective Salomon Kalou with Claudio Pizarro, but there was nothing they could do about the decision to award Chelsea a penalty. Even Malouda looked slightly sheepish when Styles pointed to the spot but Frank Lampard took responsibility. Abramovich, in the directors' box alongside his girlfriend, put his head in his hands when Lampard placed the ball on the spot but he had nothing to worry about. Lampard may have missed a penalty in the Community Shield against Manchester United but he made no mistake with a drilled effort to Pepe Reina's right. Honours even but Liverpool continued to press. Benitez is under pressure to deliver the club's first league title since 1990 but Mourinho shut up shop with his substitutions. Joe Cole, who had spent the previous 77 minutes attempting to attract the manager's attention by sprinting up and down the touchline, was finally brought on for Shaun Wright-Phillips. Five minutes from time, Alex was brought on to keep Peter Crouch quiet but Liverpool threatened relentlessly. Cech blocked Riise's effort at his near post, Kuyt's header was tipped over the crossbar and the Kop celebrated their own ghost goal when Ryan Babel's effort hit the side netting. "We tried to win the game and it was only in the last five minutes when I saw their giant come off the bench I decided to put mine on," said Mourinho. "So many times we have been unfortunate in this stadium. I really don't know if it was a penalty." Sorry, Jose, you will just have to trust Benitez on this one. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mirror: Raf justice as woeful Styles triumphs over Kop substance BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE LIVERPOOL 1 CHELSEA 1 CONTROVERY AT ANFIELD Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer 20/08/2007 You Can forget the "ghost goal", now, Jose . And be thankful for the ghost penalty. On a day when Manchester United wobbled again, their two most likely challengers had the chance to show why they both believe this could be their year. This should have been remembered as the game where Rafa Benitez's new-look Liverpool showed they are the real deal, where Fernando Torres began his love affair with The Kop and Steven Gerrard proved that even with a broken toe, nothing can break his spirit. Or the match where Mourinho's men demonstrated their resolve and refusal to yield even when playing nowhere near their best. But now it will always be inextricably linked to the man who got the got the big decision wrong. This match was all about Rob Styles. On the hour the ball ran to Florent Malouda just inside the box. The Frenchman's dummy, and a fairly obvious block of Steve Finnan, allowed the ball to run through to Didier Drogba. If there was a foul, at all, it had been committed by the Chelsea man, and Mr Styles, eight yards away, could not have had a better view. Instead, to the disbelief of the everyone inside Anfield, Styles pointed to the spot. Frank Lampard's conversion, struck unerringly into the bottom corner, meant that Mourinho stole away with a point his Chelsea side simply did not deserve - pay-back time for Luis Garcia's 2005 Champions League semi-final winner. If left Chelsea seven points clear of United, three ahead of Liverpool, and still unbeaten. And while referees do make mistakes, they should not be this blatant, this clear-cut, this crucial. Let there be no argument, Liverpool deserved far better. Where Mourinho got it so spectacularly right at halftime at Reading in midweek, yesterday, for 45 minutes, he got it just as comprehensively wrong. Michael Essien was patently unfit, Shaun Wright-Phillips a fish out of water through the middle and Drogba forced to battle away single-handedly up front. With Gerrard irrepressible and Liverpool flying out of the traps, there was only one side calling the shots. John Arne Riise's poor touch, after Essien's second-minute error, spared Chelsea once but when Gerrard brilliantly led the counter in the 16th minute, it left Torres one on one against Tal Ben Haim. It was not a contest. The Israeli defender showed the £26million Spaniard the outside but could do nothing to prevent Torres exploding into the space inside the box, before opening his body brilliantly and steering past Petr Cech and in off the post. Not a bad way to mark your home bow, especially from a player whose natural striking instincts have been doubted. Chelsea were floundering. Salomon Kalou did nothing on the right, Malouda was invisible, John Obi Mikel exposed. Only once, when skipper John Terry stole in at the back post but failed to make proper contact to Lampard's spearing free-kick, had they genuinely threatened. Mourinho, belatedly, recognised his folly, sending on Claudio Pizarro for Kalou and putting Wright-Phillips in his natural position. Yet Liverpool remained in the ascendency and Xabi Alonso should have hit the target rather than stabbing wide. It was to prove a costly miss, as Mr Styles showed his generosity to the visitors. Liverpool, rightly angered, looked to respond and lifted their game. Gerrard eased past Ashley Cole but blazed into The Kop, before Riise's flashing volley flew wide from 14 yards. Cue Mr Styles again, seemingly booking Essien for a second time - the African felt he was about to see red - and then failng to give a corner after Cech's fingertips denied Dirk Kuyt. Liverpool kept coming and the pace of substitute Ryan Babel gave Riise another chance at the far post, with Cech spreading himself superbly. Yet as Mourinho and Benitez prepared to restart the war of words, the jeers at the final whistle were directed squarely at the man in black. If his call matters in the final analysis next May, Mr Styles will have to take a long, hard look at himself. Liverpool: Reina 6; Finnan 7, Carragher 8, Agger 6, Arveloa 6; Pennant 7 (Babel, 68, 6), Gerrard 8, Alonso 7, Riise 7 (Crouch, 83, 6); Torres 7, Kuyt 7. Chelsea: Cech 6; Essien 5, Ben Haim 5, Terry 6, A Cole 6; Kalou 5 (Pizarro 46, 7), Wright-Phillips 6 (J Cole, 77, 6), Mikel 5, Lampard 6, Malouda 4 (Alex, 85, 6); Drogba 7. Referee: ROB STYLES LIVERPOOL V CHELSEA 44% POSSESSION 56% 3 SHOTS ON TARGET 1 10 SHOTS OFF TARGET 5 3 OFFSIDES 1 5 CORNERS 2 12 FOULS 18 4 YELLOW CARDS 5 0 RED CARDS 0 ATTENDANCE: 43,924 Man Of The Match: Gerrard --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sun: Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1 By PHIL THOMAS August 20, 2007 TWO months ago, Rafa Benitez would have wrung Florent Maloudas neck, after the Frenchman opted against joining Liverpool. One can only imagine what the Kop boss would do if he ran into the Chelsea star now, after the wide-boys outrageous con trick saved a point for the Blues. Malouda was all set for Anfield before a U-turn saw him head for the bright lights of London instead and a move, Benitez insists, fuelled by greed as much as desire. Benitez contents himself with a wry smile and a knowing pat of the wallet whenever Maloudas name crops up. Until yesterday, that is. For the £13.5million buy from Lyon suckered referee Rob Styles into pointing to the spot for the most ridiculous of dives across Steve Finnan. Replays showed Malouda was throwing himself down before Finnan was anywhere near him. It was that blatant not even Didier Drogba was seriously appealing! But Frank Lampard was not about to argue the point and drilled a low penalty into the corner. The equaliser was probably deserved. What was infuriating was the fact it came courtesy of as blatant a piece of gamesmanship cheating in any other language as you will see all season. And, most laughable of all, when Fernando Torres threw himself to the ground under a second-half Tal Ben Haim challenge, the ref was surrounded by men in Blue brandishing imaginary cards. Torres, it must be said, does not need too big a nudge to go down although he is still miles away from winning a place in the West London School of Ballet. Sorry, make that the Chelsea side. But he certainly has a sharp eye for goal and he took just 15 minutes to prove it yesterday. First, he showed great instinct in pulling away from Ben Haim on the left edge of the box, giving Steven Gerrard the chance to pick him out from halfway. Then he showed the coolest of heads as he skipped away from the Israeli centre-back, before opening his body and sliding the ball in off the far post. Torres was bought to fill the role of natural goalscorer, a gap created by the departure of the ageing Robbie Fowler. But the finish yesterday was pure Michael Owen in his pomp running at defenders, daring them to dive in and needing only half an opening to finish the job. Not even Chelsea, for all their willingness to complain at anything and everything that went against them, could whinge about the justice of Liverpools lead. In fact, they should have been behind inside three minutes when Michael Essien misjdged Jermaine Pennants deep cross. John Arne Riise, unmarked on the left of the box, cushioned it on his instep but not enough to stop Petr Cech dashing out to smother. Then Gerrard unleashed a first-time rocket that was certainly goalbound until it struck Lampard although, to be fair, there is rather more of the Chelsea star than most midfielders. Gerrard was running the show in the heart of the engine room but Jose Mourinhos men have not won two titles without having the heart for a scrap. And slowly, surely, they grabbed a foothold as much down to the game becoming a bad-tempered series of niggles and fouls as anything else. From one of them, Lampard curled over a free-kick that only needed the faintest contact from John Terry to level things. The more the football degenerated, the more Chelsea came into it. One thing is for certain, if they are going to regain their crown they certainly are not going to do it by winning pretty. It was hardly helped by an official who never entirely had things under control and when he did, got as many decisions wrong as he did correct. A staggering NINE yellow cards are testimony to the point. Although even that figure probably wouldnt be high enough if you asked the ever-moaning Ashley Cole. The England full-backs bleating could have cost his side dear when he led that procession of men demanding Torres be booked. Ref Styles finally showed some backbone in giving a home free-kick in response. But by then Liverpool had resorted to a succession of long balls and the chance of a winner was as likely as Malouda winning a stay-on-your-feet contest. Not that there werent any openings and Riise went as close as anyone with a volley wide, while Ryan Babel rippled the side-netting after cutting inside. Keeper Cech then showed great reactions in diving backwards to tip Dirk Kuyts goal-bound header over the bar. Styles, as you may have guessed, missed it and gave a dead ball.