15 April 2009
by Jerrad Peters
Chelsea win was careless, not brilliant
"Was it the game of the decade?" So read a headline in one of London's venerable daily newspapers on Wednesday morning. It's a debate that was always going to be stirred after Tuesday's thrilling 4-4 draw between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. I happen to find it a rather easy argument to clear up. Best game of the decade? No it was not.
Of course, most Chelsea supporters will immediately disagree with me in the wake of a topsy-turvy affair that saw their side advance to the Champions' League semifinals at Liverpool's expense. But they've accomplished so little of note in Europe that you can hardly blame them.
Liverpool fans, conversely, will be having none of the "best game of the decade" talk. They lost the match after all, and there's that little matter of Istanbul that still tends to pull at their heartstrings.
As a spectacle, the second leg of the Chelsea-Liverpool quarterfinal was sensational. There's no doubt about it. Multiple lead changes, shifting advantages given the away-goals rule, shrewd substitutions—the match had it all. Except one thing. The football was absolutely, unequivocally dire.
Of the eight goals scored, at least six were preventable. The thunderbolt from Alex just prior to the hour mark was the only strike that could be described as impressive. The rest were either the result of poor goaltending or sloppy defending.
It didn't take long for the observer to realize that there would be goals in this one. The match simply didn't settle. Neither side retained possession for an extended period; neither carried the tempo for more than a single, counter-attacking movement. The ball was in limbo for much of the 90 minutes—aimlessly bouncing around the park as players chased it down without either purpose or imagination.
Peter Cech was woefully out of position for Fabio Aurelio's free-kick in the 19th minute. Had the goalkeeper remembered the Brazilian's recent effort from a similar set-piece against Manchester United, he would surely have done better. And despite the Chelsea protests when Liverpool were awarded a penalty after 28 minutes, the decision was more than justified, given a Branislav Ivanovic back-pass that was ignored just moments earlier.
On the other side of the ball, Didier Drogba's equalizer in the 51st minute should have been an own-goal attributed to Pepe Reina. The Ivorian striker was out of position and barely touched the ball before the Liverpool 'keeper juggled it into his net.
Frank Lampard's brace—scored within 23 minutes at the end of the second half—came as Liverpool pressed desperately for a pair of away goals to see them through. They got them, although Guus Hiddink will be furious at his backline for allowing Lucas and Dirk Kuyt to score from in close when Chelsea's full concentration should have been dedicated to defense.
All that said, it was a thrilling game of football, however mediocre. And while "Best Game of the Decade" is certainly an exaggeration, "Most Careless Match of the Decade" is a rather more fitting depiction.
Twitter.com/petersjerrad
jerradpeters@gmail.com
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