To become a genuine rival and ex-friend of José Mourinho, as Brendan Rodgers admits his job necessitates, Liverpool must trouble Chelsea as often as they did when Rafael Benítez was ensconced at Anfield and the last man Roman Abramovich would employ. This Capital One Cup semi-final brought that separation closer.
It is now six games without a win and counting for the Liverpool manager against Chelsea, including four against the man who appointed him youth team coach at Stamford Bridge in 2004, but that irritating statistic will not overshadow the evidence of his team’s development in this finely poised first leg. The wait would have been over for Rodgers but for Thibaut Courtois’ performance at Anfield. His confidence that Liverpool can win next Tuesday’s second leg was not a psychological ploy but based on a display that yielded 20 shots to Chelsea’s two and demonstrated the extent of his team’s recovery since losing 2-1 to Mourinho’s team, at Anfield, in the Premier League in November.
Steven Gerrard twice went close to silencing the Chelsea taunts with a goal and his motivation to reach Wembley for perhaps the last time was clear during his 70 minutes on the pitch. But this step forward was as much about Liverpool’s next generation, those who must carry the responsibility post-Gerrard, as much as their captain’s mission. Raheem Sterling produced a superb equaliser and led the late charge, Jordan Henderson impressed back in central midfield while, from among the castigated summer signings, Emre Can assisted in Liverpool’s new-found resilience despite gifting the visitors the lead with a soft penalty.
Chelsea’s breakthrough punctured not only a confident start from Liverpool but that of their £9.8m summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen. Can has made an encouraging conversion from central midfielder to centre-half since being introduced in that role at Burnley on Boxing Day. Defensive intuition does not arrive overnight, however, and the task of containing both Eden Hazard and Diego Costa down Chelsea’s left would stretch a player accomplished in the role. So it proved with Can, on only his sixth start in Liverpool’s rearguard.
Few would have come up with 3-4-2-1 as the formation that would drag Liverpool out of the malaise that threatened to engulf their season two months ago. Even fewer would have identified Can, Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho as a foundation for that gradual recovery and the source of long overdue defensive improvement in Rodgers’ team. At Leverkusen, Can was deployed at centre-half by Sami Hyypia, who knows a thing or two about the art, on one of the Liverpool manager’s scouting missions to Germany last season. An impression was evidently made.
The Germany Under-21 international demonstrated why Rodgers has shifted him to defence as Liverpool made a strong opening, certainly in terms of their energy in midfield and accuracy in possession, two areas where they were found wanting in the league defeat by Chelsea.
Liverpool’s system demands a defender who is comfortable on the ball and Can met that requirement, distributing cross-field passes under pressure with both feet and instructing the central-midfielders Henderson and Lucas Leiva where to receive play. He also showed good pace on the turn to deal with Chelsea counterattacks and the physicality to help Skrtel as he renewed hostilities with Costa. But the intricate skill and movement of Hazard provided a different problem.
With Lazar Markovic providing little defensive support in front of him, and Cesc Fàbregas always willing to capitalise on the void, Can was left exposed against the Belgium midfielder several times. It proved costly as early as the 18th minute when Fàbregas escaped the German’s attentions to reach the byline and cut the ball back for Hazard, who was sent flying by Can’s clumsy challenge. The referee, Martin Atkinson, was perfectly positioned to award a spot-kick.
Can recovered well in terms of his individual contest against Hazard and supporting Liverpool in the final third. His strong penalty appeal for a handball by Costa as the Spain international lay on the ground inside his own area was dismissed by Atkinson, while several surging runs by Can helped Rodgers’ team press Chelsea back to greater effect in the second half. Gerrard struck a post, Courtois saved brilliantly from the captain’s replacement, Adam Lallana, and also escaped carrying the ball outside his area under a challenge from Sterling.
The momentum was firmly behind Liverpool as the semi-final progressed, however, and they levelled in style, Sterling collecting a Henderson pass, spinning away from Nemanja Matic on the turn, no mean feat, and ghosting beyond Gary Cahill before finding the bottom corner of the Kop goal. All to play for.
