liverpool 0-1

Independent:

Torres endures nightmare debut as Liverpool recover old swagger
Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

By Sam Wallace at Stamford Bridge

The first shot that Fernando Torres struck yesterday afternoon hit the banner midway up the Shed End that commemorates Peter Osgood, another famous Chelsea No 9, and if that sounds bad for the £50m man, it got even worse from there.
It was another extraordinary result in an extraordinary weekend of Premier League football in which events on the pitch steadfastly refused to stick to the script. Torres had little discernible effect on the game and was substituted after 66 minutes, Liverpool won the match without Luis Suarez even setting foot on the pitch and the Roman Abramovich strategy to rejuvenate his team fizzled like a damp firework.
Torres will undoubtedly score goals for his new club, but this was one of those occasions when football's great unpredictability confounds billionaire owners and record-breaking signings and serves up a result that no one really expected.
It was Jamie Carragher, the old warhorse who would no sooner contemplate leaving Merseyside than he would contemplate changing his name to Sandra, to whom the day belonged as well as an unlikely supporting cast of Raul Meireles, Lucas Leiva and Glen Johnson.
Carragher's crowning moment came when, as Torres pulled the trigger on a through ball from Didier Drogba, the Liverpool defender slid across and blocked the shot as soon as it left the striker's foot. It was reminiscent of Carragher's great cramp-inducing tackle on Andrei Shevchenko in the 2005 Champions League final and this in his first game back since November.
But Carragher and his two fellow centre-halves that were part of Kenny Dalglish's 3-5-1-1 formation – a system used only for the second time – closed Torres, Drogba and Nicolas Anelka out of this game. When Torres was called to the touchline there was a sense that half the job had been done, and three minutes later Meireles' goal reflected the direction the game was heading.
Carlo Ancelotti's team have now lost seven league games, more in a single season than any since Claudio Ranieri's side lost seven in 2003-04 and the boost of their re-connection with Abramovich's enormous fortune has been postponed. Funnily enough, the player who really impressed was new signing David Luiz who played only 27 minutes as a substitute but looked every inch a talented defender.
As for the rest, it was a tired, mish-mash of a performance. It was always going to need something special to break down what was effectively a five-man defence, especially as the selection of three centre-forwards denied Chelsea width. Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa leant Chelsea some threat on the wings but the arrival of Torres does present Ancelotti with problems.
On the pitch before the game there was a snatched conversation between Drogba and Torres that looked like an ad hoc division of labour between the two strikers. Whatever they decided upon it did not work. Drogba barely had a shot on goal and none of Chelsea's three forward players fancied it much when it came to tracking back.
Chelsea should have been given a penalty in time added on at the end of the game when Johnson craftily barged into the back of Branislav Ivanovic in the Liverpool area. But what was surprising about Chelsea is that for all the attacking talent at their disposal, Ancelotti's side created so few chances.
It will not just be a case of Ancelotti selecting all his strikers in future, he will have to find a combination that actually works – he hinted as much after the game – and that will mean making some tough choices. That is a lot to consider with only 13 games left of the season and the gap to Manchester United still a troubling 10 points.
When the focus on Torres is put to one side, and the emotion taken out of the occasion the biggest blow to Chelsea is that they could not close the lead that United have on them. Once again Sir Alex Ferguson's team have escaped relatively lightly after that defeat to Wolves. Only Manchester City have gained three points on them after the leaders' worst result of the season.
It was hard to recall a single Chelsea chance other than a Florent Malouda shot that Pepe Reina blocked on 75 minutes. Their diamond formation in midfield played into the hands of Liverpool who closed down the central areas with excellent performances from Lucas and Meireles.
This time it was not Steven Gerrard who was required to perform his usual heroics; instead he laid on the ball for Meireles' goal. Making space for himself down the right wing Gerrard struck a cross that, disastrously for Chelsea, Petr Cech and Ivanovic left to one another. Although the ball travelled beyond the far post, Meireles did an excellent job of getting his foot round it and steering it inside the post.
Once ahead it never looked likely that Liverpool would relinquish that lead and something of that old intransigence that they made their trademark in games against Chelsea in the Rafael Benitez years was evident. They seem to perform best when they have something to defend and when the occasion requires them to be stoic and determined.
Otherwise their best chance came when Maxi Rodriguez got his shin on Gerrard's fast-travelling cross from the left from which, a matter of yards from goal, Rodriguez could not control his shot and instead rattled the crossbar. Chelsea never even got that close to their opponents' goal.
With four straight wins, four clean sheets and sixth place in the table this job is becoming Dalglish's by default. Some would argue he has already done enough. Last night he played down his role in the whole show and contended that he would not stand in the way of anyone who was better suited to the job. But who is he kidding? Liverpool is becoming Dalglish's club again and having nursed them through the departure of Torres, to win this game six days later only cemented his position.
"It has been a great week for us," he said, renewing that old habit of dismissing anyone or anything outside of Liverpool. Dalglish has certainly delivered Liverpool a grand consolation in the Torres saga. Torres got his move but his moment of glory will have to wait.

Match facts

Substitutes:

Chelsea Kalou (Torres, 66), Malouda (Mikel, 72), Luiz (Bosingwa, 73). Unused Turnbull (gk), Ferreira, McEachran, Sala.

Liverpool Aurelio (Rodriguez, 75), Poulsen (Meireles, 84). Unused Gulacsi (gk), Kyrgiakos, Suarez, Jovanovic, Ngog.

Booked: Chelsea Mikel Liverpool Lucas.
Possession Chelsea 51% Liverpool 49%.
Attempts on target Chelsea 4 Liverpool 4.
Man of the match Carragher. Match rating: 6/10.
Referee A Marriner (West Midlands).
Attendance 41,829.


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Observer:

Meireles strikes as Liverpool win on Fernando Torres's Chelsea debut

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

Surely it ought not cost so much to play in an impoverished match. Having just become the most expensive signing in the history of English football, Fernando Torres was derided by the fans of his old club when Chelsea took him off in the 66th minute. The centre-forward had certainly not flourished on his debut and the £50m fee is a weight he must learn to carry, but there were many around him whose cheaper stumblings went unnoticed.
Liverpool, even so, are entitled to delight. The obligation was not on them to entertain and they could have taken pride in a goalless stalemate. Kenny Dalglish's tactics were impeccable if unexpected. The manager fielded a back three and that was shrewd since the narrowness of the defence could be risked when Chelsea carried such little threat on the flanks. Dalglish has now won four Premier League matches in a row without conceding a goal.
Any fear that his appointment might be burdened with sentimentality is waning. This success was the club's first at Stamford Bridge since October 2008. Dalglish had the luxury of letting his new acquisition Luis Suárez remain on the bench for the entire game. As matters stand, it seems almost useful that Andy Carroll is injured. Liverpool functioned effectively without him and can now anticipate another fillip when the £35m purchase is over his thigh strain.
Everything necessary to Liverpool was already present at Stamford Bridge. Jamie Carragher, who dislocated his shoulder at White Hart Lane in November, made a comeback at Stamford Bridge that suggested he had been out for no more than a day or two.
The defender snapped into sharp action and made a block on Torres. The striker, all the same, was only in that briefly promising position because of a Lucas error that had left Didier Drogba to play a through pass in the 31st minute.
There was a general drabness to a fixture that will still glow in Liverpool's memory. They have grounds to think that they are on the rise. Chelsea, on the other hand, stalled here and qualification for the Champions League continues to be a test of their mettle more than a foregone conclusion. The manager, Carlo Ancelotti, can be sure, in any case, that the owner, Roman Abramovich, appreciates the extent of the rebuilding that has to be undertaken.
Last week's other acquisition David Luiz, at a mere £25m from Benfica, came off the bench for his first outing with Chelsea. He will not have appreciated the novelty of disappointment for the club at a ground where they are often commanding. This was Liverpool's first win at Stamford Bridge since October 2008. No one at the club will care that it came about through the sheer sloppiness of Chelsea. The goalkeeeper Petr Cech failed to collect a cross from Gerrard in the 69th minute and Raul Meireles volleyed the ball home with great composure.
It was disappointing that the entertainment should mostly have been associated with mistakes. Torres lashed a shot high with two minutes gone, but it had been an errant pass from his former-team-mate Maxi Rodríguez that led to the opening. Ancelotti ought to be uneasy that the invention that would have assisted Torres was lacking in the remainder of the line-up.
The scheming of the Chelsea manager for this fixture only saw him outfoxed by his opposite numbers. A means of accommodating important players is yet to be found.
This, of course, was merely his initial experiment in fitting Torres into the scheme. The Spaniard was paired with Drogba and the Nicolas Anelka took up a position a little way behind the duo of outright strikers. Nobody looked wholly comfortable in that arrangement.
There is more time to come for experiments, but in this game the side was blunt. A draw would have been an unlikely reprieve and a penalty appeal in stoppage time went unheeded although Glen Johnson, the former Chelsea player, had been unwise to bump into Branislav Ivanovic.
All in all, Chelsea had been mediocre. Their campaign has a curious air since notions that they might rally to mount a strong defence of their Premier League title are in doubt once more. It looked here as if a variety of alterations is called for rather than the arrival of one great and costly talent. Torres, at least, is eligible for the Champions League, which must be the principal target.
Liverpool, peculiarly for an institution with such a heritage, may be enjoying a relatively low profile in the league. This was a fine win, but the emphasis is still on the reshaping of the club.
The sales of Torres and Ryan Babel paid for Carroll and Suarez, so there must be so far untouched means to continue with the reconstruction of the squad in the summer.
Dalglish, for his part, had been out of the manager's role since a short spell with Celtic in early 2000, but he can only have assuaged any doubts that Liverpool's owners may have had about making this a permanent appointment. A regretful Chelsea can give Dalglish an excellent reference.


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Telegraph:

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1
By Henry Winter

For Liverpool, this has been the year of Kenny Dalglish famously cutting short a cruise and Fernando Torres jumping ship. Sunday confirmed which was the more significant event.
As the clock ticked down on this most tense of contests, Dalglish kept kicking every ball in the dug-out, kept willing Liverpool to protect their lead and kept checking his watch every few seconds until the final whistle brought deserved victory.
Here was Liverpool reconnected to their glorious past, a loyal servant exhorting the team to reach for the skies again. Ably assisted by Sammy Lee and Steve Clarke, Dalglish had Liverpool’s players hunting in pairs, seeking and destroying Chelsea moves before they could build real momentum.
Lucas was outstanding, a figure of perpetual motion between the boxes, a model of composure when Chelsea came calling with urgency late on. Raul Meireles made some important tackles and shuttled between midfield and attack, even ghosting in to score his fourth in five games.
Even without Luis Suárez, who remained on the bench, and Andy Carroll, who remains on the treatment table, Dalglish’s men were too organised and determined for the champions. Even without Torres, now sporting Chelsea blue, so much belief remained.
Liverpool’s fans set the tone of defiance, backing their team with chants of “Suárez” or “Dalglish” whenever the home fans sang Torres’s name. The Merseyside Banner Factory had been busy with the bed-sheets and Sally Bercow, the Speaker’s wife, was well advised to steer clear.
A minute before kick-off, Chelsea stewards failed in their attempt to grab one of the banners. It read: “He who betrays will always walk alone”. Another declared: “Torres a pawn on our chessboard but the King remains.”
Such is Liverpool’s transformation under Dalglish, a reinvigorated team now sixth, it can only be a matter of time before he is confirmed as long-term manager. Martin Kelly’s vibrancy, defending hungrily and attacking with pace and persistence, rivals Meireles in embodying the new model Liverpool under Dalglish.
Clarke, warmly greeted by Chelsea fans beforehand, has also played his part in the revival, notably drilling the defence at Melwood. This was Liverpool’s fourth successive clean sheet, the players showing their adaptability by again making the back three work. Jamie Carragher’s return from shoulder surgery added further to the resistance movement. But the key was that the visitors defended as a unit, playing the old Liverpool way, the Dalglish way.
For Carlo Ancelotti, this numbing defeat reduces the champions’ chances of catching Manchester United, who remain 10 points clear. The last time Chelsea lost seven games in a league season the manager, Claudio Ranieri, was sacked. Ancelotti needs time to bed his new players in but a huge call has to be made on his attack, one that could define Chelsea’s season.
Clearly, the Drogba-Torres-Anelka triumvirate needs working on, or simply abandoning, omitting Nicolas Anelka and reverting to a 4-4-2 system. Chelsea were desperately short of width on Sunday, particularly with Liverpool’s wing-backs, Kelly and Glen Johnson mainly keeping Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa deep on another epic day in the mighty Premier League soap opera.
Sunday’s two away wins, here and for Birmingham City at Upton Park, capped an extraordinary weekend. Following Saturday’s series of goal sprees and comebacks, Richard Scudamore sent a message to his Premier League staff.
“Remember Saturday 5th February 2011,” said the chief executive. “There has never been, and I doubt we will ever see, quite such a remarkable single day in our great competition… let the Select Committee and Government try to improve it!”
Sunday’s shocks simply added to the drama. Initially, this was a slow-burner, the first half notable only for a skied Torres effort, a Torres shot blocked by Carragher and an astonishing miss from Maxi Rodríguez, who hit the bar from three yards. Heaven knows what Mini Rodríguez is like. Signs of the unease in the Chelsea ranks surfaced when Branislav Ivanovic and Petr Cech argued.
Chelsea briefly stirred at the start of the second half. Anelka shot wide. Ivanovic headed over. But familiar themes continued to be seen. When Torres collected possession, Meireles and Lucas hounded him into giving up the ball.
Chelsea’s menace was too infrequent, too slowly unfurled. Liverpool were too alert, Lucas nipping in to ensure Jose Bosingwa’s cross did not reach Torres. The £50 million man was withdrawn after 66 minutes, to applause from the Chelsea fans and unrestrained glee from the red section of the Shed. “You should have stayed with a big club,” chanted Liverpool fans, clearly not forgetting Torres’ parting words that he was joining a “big club”. As if to emphasise past feats in Europe, Liverpool supporters chorused: “In Istanbul we won it five times.”
Three minutes later Steven Gerrard charged down the right, whipping in a cross that should have been meat and drink for Cech but he made a real meal of it. Hesitating with Ivanovic, Chelsea’s keeper allowed the ball to carry through to Meireles, who finished with an unstoppable volley.
The crowing intensified. “Torres, Torres, what’s the score?” enquired the Liverpool fans. Chelsea were stunned, their attempt at a comeback unconvincing. Anelka had a shot saved and David Luiz came on, allowing Ivanovic to revert to right-back. Luiz kept pushing into midfield but Liverpool stood firm. Cech needed to save from Fabio Aurelio but Chelsea were denied a penalty when Johnson barged into Ivanovic’s ribs, knocking the Serb over. Nobody was going to wrest this victory away from Dalglish and Liverpool.

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Mail:

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1:

Total torture for Torres as Meireles ruins £50m striker's Stamford Bridge debut

By Matt Lawton

Had Fernando Torres still been wearing red, there would have been plenty to celebrate. As it was, he endured the most miserable of afternoons. Not a hint of romance for the most expensive player in British football history.
Just humiliation and what amounted to a humbling defeat that probably marked the end of Chelsea's title challenge.
In three second-half minutes, Torres must have wanted to be anywhere but here at Stamford Bridge. To be hauled off after 66 minutes of misery and frustration in front of the visiting Liverpool supporters would have been bad enough.
'You should have stayed at a big club,' they cried as the Spaniard trudged off the pitch, looking every bit as unhappy as he had done at Anfield in the six months prior to moving south.
But then came the goal from Raul Meireles. Then came the opportunity for his former colleagues to celebrate a magnificent win; a victory that was all the sweeter because of the extraordinary events of transfer-deadline day.
It was no less than Liverpool deserved. A reward for their defiance and determination as well as the tactical mastery of a manager who is demonstrating exactly why Liverpool's new American owners are so keen to see him succeed in his second term at Anfield.
As Kenny Dalglish said, it was a fourth consecutive clean sheet as well as a fourth consecutive win that lifts Liverpool to sixth in the table and the formation he employed worked a treat. A formation that extends a remarkable record for the Scotsman against Chelsea. Played 21, won 15, lost one.
Dalglish said the Stoke game in midweek was not a dress rehearsal for this, but the use of three centre backs proved hugely effective when it came to combating the threat posed by Torres and Didier Drogba. Not to mention Nicolas Anelka in the hole behind the front two.
With Jamie Carragher simply immense in his first start since the end of November, and Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger following his lead, they smothered every Chelsea attack.
When Torres was suddenly presented with an opportunity to strike, Carragher was there to make the block. Only when Maxi Rodriguez passed to his former colleague by mistake in the opening couple of minutes did Torres have another chance, and on that occasion he shot high and wide.
Sunday saw a second outing for a new Chelsea formation too, one that enables Carlo Ancelotti to keep Anelka in the side despite the use of two other strikers. But what worked well at Sunderland was nothing like as successful here, not least because it was so lacking in width.
With Liverpool able to more than match them through the middle, the use of two wing backs in Martin Kelly and Glen Johnson meant the visitors could control the field there too.
Chelsea had nowhere to go and Pepe Reina had very little to do as a result, his only save coming when Florent Malouda provided Chelsea with a threat from out wide and forced Liverpool's goalkeeper to stand tall and parry the Frenchman's effort.
For Ancelotti, rather like Torres, it amounted to something of a nightmare. Not a good day at the office when the boss has just allowed you to spend £75million of his money.
Even if his side did deserve a late penalty for Johnson's foul on Branislav Ivanovic, Ancelotti will wince at the fact that the last time Chelsea lost seven games in the league was Claudio Ranieri's last season in charge.
It will, of course, get better. Ancelotti has bought one of the finest strikers in the world and David Luiz impressed when he came on as a second-half substitute.
But it was so much more positive for a Liverpool side who managed to complete a fine double over Chelsea this season without the two new signings they now have to fill the void left by Torres.
Even with Andy Carroll injured and Luis Suarez sitting on the bench, Liverpool could have won this by more.
More should have been made of some fine passing from the back from Carragher but when Steven Gerrard drove the ball across the face of Chelsea's goal in the 33rd minute, Rodriguez somehow sent his shot against the crossbar from three yards.
It amounted to a lucky escape for Chelsea, as did a moment when Petr Cech and Ivanovic collided in pursuit of a cross from Kelly. Incensed by a lack of communication, an angry exchange between them followed.
It probably contributed to the goal that Meireles eventually scored in the 69th minute, his fourth in five games for Liverpool.
When Gerrard sent in a cross from the right, a moment's confusion between Cech and Ivanovic led to a collective failure by both of them to deal with the danger - although in fairness to the Serb, Cech was more at fault - and Meireles arrived at the far post to strike with a super half-volley.
After that there was a penalty claim, and a brief but physical confrontation between Carragher and John Terry as they both crowded the referee in response to the incident.
But Liverpool remained very much in control against a Chelsea side seemingly bereft of ideas. A Chelsea side that, while looking like they had emerged from their slump with victories over Bolton and Sunderland, again lacked the fluency and finesse they have shown in previous seasons.
Compared to Liverpool they also lacked desire on Sunday, Gerrard's reaction to the final whistle a measure of how much it meant to them. He threw his arms in the air and looked to the heavens; the highlight, clearly, of his season.
'We've had a great week,' said Dalglish, and given how it had started it had most certainly been that.

MATCH FACTS

Chelsea (4-3-1-2): Cech 5; Bosingwa 6 (Luiz 73min, 7), Ivanovic 5, Terry 6, Cole 6; Lampard 6, Mikel 6 (Malouda 71, 6), Essien 6; Anelka 5; Torres 5 (Kalou 66, 6), Drogba 5. Subs not used: Turnbull, Ferreira, McEachran, Sala. Booked: Mikel.

Liverpool (3-4-2-1): Reina 6; Carragher 9, Skrtel 7, Agger 7; Kelly 6, Lucas 7, Rodriguez 6 (Aurelio 75, 7), Johnson 7; Gerrard 7, Meireles 8 (Poulsen 83, 6); Kuyt 7. Subs not used: Gulacsi, Kyrgiakos, Suarez, Jovanovic, Ngog. Booked: Lucas.

Star man: Jamie Carragher
Referee: Andre Marriner 6. Attendance: 41,829.

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Sun:

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

From SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge

LIVERPOOL fans felt Fernando Torres was talking bull when he said he was joining Chelsea because it was a bigger club.
And how they lapped it up as their matadors slayed the Spanish defector and his new pals.
This was so sweet for the resurgent Reds, who have now notched up four straight wins under the Kenny Dalglish regime without conceding a single goal in the process.
Dalglish has transformed Liverpool's fortunes and it cannot be long before the caretaker boss gets the job full-time again. He is working the magic Roy Hodgson could not produce. Even so, Hodgson can take some credit for this victory. The man who scored the 69th-minute winner, Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles, was signed by the former Fulham boss in the summer for a mere £11million.
That is chicken feed compared to the £50m Chelsea splashed on Torres.
Meireles struggled to find his feet under Hodgson. He seemed lost in the middle and did not appear to know his job.
But he has blossomed with Dalglish in charge and become one of Liverpool's most influential players.
Torres will hope to improve in the same way at Stamford Bridge. He could not have made a worse start. To say he was quiet was an understatement - comatose more like.
He had two attempts on goal. The first sailed high over the bar, while the second effort came from a Didier Drogba pass on to the striker's right foot.
Torres hit it first time but there was a man in the opposition defence who was never going to allow the ball past.
Jamie Carragher, a Liverpool legend playing his first game since the end of November, flung himself at the shot and blocked before Pepe Reina had to take action.
That was that. Torres was never seen again, apart from a pass straight into touch, and was subbed on 66 minutes to mass hilarity from the travelling Reds.
Liverpool supporters had made their feelings known well before then on a variety of banners.
One read 'Once a hero in our hearts. You are dead. Lying Judas'.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti tried to accommodate Torres, Drogba and Nicolas Anelka. It did not work.
There is a strong belief Ancelotti had little say in the Torres signing, that it was all down to Roman Abramovich. But it is Ancelotti who has to find a way of sorting it out.
The trouble is there is no time. Chelsea failed to capitalise on Manchester United's defeat at Wolves and are clinging to a top-four place on goal difference from Tottenham.
How ironic it would be if Torres was to miss out on Champions League football at the end of this season - especially if Liverpool, coming from nowhere, were to nick a place off them.
The visitors were well worth their win. They were disciplined, organised and could afford to leave £23m striker Luis Suarez on the bench for the whole game.
After Torres had failed with his couple of efforts, Liverpool should have gone ahead on 33 minutes.
Skipper Steven Gerrard drilled a left-foot shot across the box and Maxi was there at the far post. But the ball bobbled off his ankle and cannoned off the bar.
Anelka, another former Liverpool player now in blue, shot wide from 20 yards and Michael Essien was narrowly over the top.
But the home side were restricted to long-range efforts.
Liverpool seemed to take encouragement from Torres' departure and the winning goal capped their day.
Gerrard was given too much space by Frank Lampard on the right and, when the cross came in, the ball flashed between defender Branislav Ivanovic and keeper Petr Cech.
Meireles got round the back to hammer in a left-foot shot in front of the Liverpool fans.
Gerrard, who twice almost joined Chelsea, went absolutely nuts as he joined Lucas and Meireles in the celebrations.
He sensed his team were turning a very big corner.
The Reds rode their luck in the closing stages, after Chelsea's other new signing, £23m centre-back David Luiz, entered the fray and looked calm and composed on the ball.
There were two shouts for penalties which might have been given.
One was for handball against Lucas. It definitely hit his hand but there seemed little intent. The second came right at the death, as Glen Johnson blocked off Ivanovic.
Referee Andre Marriner was not having it, though Ancelotti claimed that it was a definite penalty.
Then again, Ancelotti said Torres played well. So perhaps his judgment was actually a bit skewed all round.

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