Chelsea and Liverpool squared off in Premier League action on Saturday.
Liverpool and Chelsea squared off in one of the most crucial games of the 2013-14 campaign, late last season. The result was a Chelsea win, in part due to a Steven Gerrard slip, that knocked Liverpool out of Premier League title contention.
They were squaring off on Saturday in a rematch and things were chippy throughout the game. Liverpool struck first, scoring in the ninth minute to take an early lead. The Emre Can strike took an unintended deflection but beat Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois to put the Reds on the board, with the lead.
Chelsea answered shortly after in what will be a protested goal by Liverpool fans. Liverpool goal keeper Simon Mignolet made the save on a shot from Chelsea’s Gary Cahill, but was leaning back across the goal line. From replay angles on television it looked debatable, but probably into the goal and goal line technology confirmed it.
That goal tied things up in the 14th minute and the two sides played a tightly contested and physical 50 minutes. There was the storyline of the match up between Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel and Chelsea striker Diego Costa, the two clashing multiple times. It really started when Costa shoved Skrtel in the back, sending him sliding towards the end line, which led to a confrontation.
The two continued to clash throughout the game but neither go a yellow card. In the 67th minute, Costa got the better of the match up and scored a goal to give Chelsea the lead. The ball was crossed, but Mignolet tried to knock it away. It bounced of the thigh of Liverpool defender Alberto Moreno near the far post and at the feet of Costa, who struck the ball cleanly and put it in the back of the net.
In the 88th minute it looked like Liverpool might have equalized, captain Gerrard had a great strike on goal. It was deflected by Cahill and Liverpool players appealed for the penalty. This was the second time in the game Liverpool players called for a handball against Cahill. The first instance looked like it went of Cahill’s shoulder, but this instance looked like it clearly went off of Cahill’s arm and that Liverpool’s protests were justified.
The referee didn’t give Liverpool the call though.
Chelsea held on to win the game 2-1.
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