Brendan Rodgers sees no reason why Liverpool cannot still reach Wembley despite a home draw with Chelsea in their League Cup semi-final first leg…
Liverpool were magnificent on Tuesday night, giving Premier League leaders Chelsea the run-around during a frantic Capital One Cup semi-final first leg tie at Anfield, but frustratingly for the Reds they couldn’t secure an advantage to take to Stamford Bridge next week.
A penalty from Eden Hazard, which would prove to be Chelsea’s only shot on target throughout the contest, gave the visitors an underserved half-time lead.
Undeterred, and cheered on amidst snow flurries by a vociferous Anfield crowd, the Merseysiders laid siege to away goalie Thiobaut Courtois during the second period.
Eventually they were rewarded by a fine individual strike from Raheem Sterling, who was making just his second appearance after returning from a mid-season break in Jamaica.
Further goals, which the performance certainly merited, were not forthcoming however and therefore it will be Jose Mourinho’s men who go into the second leg on their home turf as favourites.
Analysing his team’s performance and chances of progressing to the final, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers told the post-match press conference: “It was a big performance from us. We’re starting to return to the level that we’ve been at.
“It’s always difficult against them; they sit in a low block, the spaces are closed, and especially if you go 1-0 behind. They are an outstanding team and they know how to defend well.
“They know that they were moved about the pitch tonight. The spaces were opening up for us, we got the goal and they really had to hang on. They’ll be happier in terms of the scoreline.
“But I’m obviously extremely happy with the way our performance level is improving all the time. We can now go into the second leg knowing that the movement and speed could cause them a problem.
“It was a good game – it was a big game between two really good teams. They had one shot on target, which shows you how magnificently we defended, pressured the ball and blocked spaces.
“But then our creation in the game was at a really high level – the only thing that was missing was the finish. It was an outstanding team performance.
“It sets us up perfectly now for the second leg. Obviously you would expect Chelsea to open up a bit more, playing at home, and that will work even better for us.
“You saw how we were defensively tonight, really aggressive and really compact. They have got top-class players but I felt the performance tonight was a good benchmark for us in how we’re working.
“There is absolutely no doubt that we can go into the second leg and get the result that we need. We’ll have confidence in doing that. But we’ve got a big game at the weekend before then.”
Liverpool’s chances in the capital could be boosted by the return of star striker, and former Chelsea player, Daniel Sturridge.
The 25-year-old has not played, due to injury, since the end of August but when quizzed on his progress, Rodgers remarked: “He’s really kicked on in his rehab so we’ll see how that looks between now and then.”
First the Reds must face Bolton Wanderers in the FA Cup on Saturday. Given the fixture’s proximity to the second leg, Rodgers is likely to make a number of changes.
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