Liverpool against Chelsea

GOAL! Liverpool go to sleep at a throw. Drogba sprints clear down the left wing, crosses low, Robben mis-kicks in front of goal but Geremi is on hand to smash high in to the roof of the net from a couple of yards out.

SUB: Traore off, Ciise on. A final attacking change from the home side as they try desperately to get back in to the match.

Drogba smashes a low shot in to the side-netting from a very tight angle. He complains to referee Poll about a tug on his shirt by Carragher.

Robben sprints on to a long clearance, and Reina is forced to come out of his box and put the ball out for a throw.

Pongolle wins a corner; Gerrard sends it in to a crowded penalty area, but Carvalho again heads clear.

Gallas is still limping and feeling his hamstring; I'm not sure how he's lasted this long without having to go off.

Liverpool will be left a long way behind Chelsea if they go on to lose this match; it really could be the end to any hopes they had of winning the title.

SUB: Geremi on, Duff off. A defensive move from Mourinho as he sends on the powerful Cameroonian international to help see out the match.

Liverpool have managed just two attempts on target so far; they haven't tested Cech nearly as much as they should.

Oooh! Great skill from Crouch as he brings down a high ball in the area, flicks it over Carvalho, but he then slices his shot high over the bar from six yards out.

Drogba is caught off-side as he attempts to get on the end of Robben's pass in between Riise and Traore.

SUB: Hyypia off, Pongolle on. A tactical change from Benitez, with Riise dropping back to centre-back.

Oooh! Riise latches on to Crouch's header but his first-time shot fizzes a couple of inches over Cech's crossbar.

Chelsea are defending very deep, but are organised and solid at the back and Liverpool are having enormous trouble breaking them down.

Robben rather carelessly heads straight to Gerrard. The ball is worked to Garcia, but his left-foot shot is blocked by Terry.

SUBS: Robben on for Cole for Chelsea; Sissoko on for Hamann for Liverpool.

Carragher attempts what might possibly be his first-ever shot; he drags it horribly wide of Cech's post.

Chelsea appear to be readying themselves to make a change; Robben is stripping off on the bench.

It looks unlikely that Liverpool are going to come from two goals behind; Chelsea's defence is so solid.

There was some suggestion that Cole was off-side for the third goal; Liverpool certainly weren't happy that the flag wasn't raised.

GOAL! Drogba beats the off-side trap, attempts to round Reina, who gets a hand to the ball. Unfortunately for the Liverpool keeper, it rolls to Cole, who slots home from a couple of yards out.

Benitez looks very pensive and thoughtful on the Liverpool bench; he strokes his chin and considers a tactical change.

Carvalho wins another crucial header against Crouch; the two Chelsea centre-backs have been superb so far this afternoon.

Gerrard pressurises Gallas in to a mistake and wins a corner for his side. Hyypia trots forward, but Cech punches the set-piece out for a throw.

Drogba, still being booed by the Liverpool fans, has more to say to Poll, who seems in a remarkably lenient mood.

Liverpool have dominated since half-time, though they are still struggling to get decent crosses in for Crouch to contest.

Cole fouls Alonso. Gerrard curls the free-kick towards the penalty spot, Hyypia flicks on, but Cech collects comfortably.

Liverpool are beginning to push forward more now; Benitez has thrown off their tactical shackles and given them license to put the visitors under pressure.

Hyypia swings a superb pass out to Gerrard on the right wing. The Liverpool skipper beats his man and sends over a cross, but Terry clears.

Play has begun once more. Cole seems fine; no tears or blood. Drogba is still mouthing off to anyone who will listen.

There is some confusion as Cole receives some treatement. Drogba is still stiring up some trouble. He and Alonso are having strong words. Carragher is booked for trying to break them up. Very strange sequence of events.

Cole hits the deck after a tussle with Gerrard. He is holding his face, as if he was caught by a stray arm. Drogba stirs up some trouble.

Cole attempts to beat Hyypia down the right wing, but his cross is cut out by the big defender. Corner to Chelsea.

Oooh! Duff lofts a high ball over the top of the Liverpool defence. Hyypia can only flick the ball on, but Drogba's volley from the edge of the area is weak and poor. Dreadful effort.

Hamann clips a cross in to the middle, but Riise's header flies high over the bar.

The Liverpool fans call for a penalty as Crouch contests with Carvalho for Finnan's lofted cross.

Drogba is doing some good work up front for his side, tracking back and contributing defensively.

Garcia slips a pass between Carvalho and Terry, but Riise misses his attempted flick past Cech and the goalkeeper collects.

The second half kicks off. Liverpool were out on the field a good couple of minutes before Chelsea, a signal of their intent to drag themselves back in to the match.

HALF-TIME: Chelsea take a 2-1 lead in to the break. A compelling, if not exciting, half of football.

Within the space of a second, both captains fly in to challenges in the centre of the pitch; great stuff.

Cole wins a throw when he skips past a couple of Liverpool defenders and Traore blocks his attempted cross towards Drogba.

"That's why we're champions," chant the travelling Chelsea fans. The goal has, predictably, quietened the home crowd.

It was a goal that really came out of nothing; Drogba has been dreadful for most of the half, but the flick that took him past his marker was world-class.

GOAL! A sublime piece of skill by Drogba takes him past Hyypia and in to the penalty area. He cuts the ball back to Duff, who slides past Reina.

Drogba is being booed at every touch by the Liverpool fans.

Gallas mis-kicks for the second time, slicing an attempted clearance skywards. Fortunately, a team-mate clears up his rather ugly mess.

Liverpool have gone up a gear since the goal; they are getting a lot more players forward and starting to find each other with their passes. The delivery in to the penalty area could still be better, but you can't have everything.

The Anfield crowd are in full voice now; they went wild at Gerrard's equaliser. There is no love lost between these two sets of fans.

Gerrard's goal was only the second that Chelsea have conceded in the Premiership this season. It was a really sweet strike from around ten yards, low and across Cech in to the far corner.

The crowd are really fired-up now; Liverpool probably deserve to be level, if only because they have been equally as poor as Chelsea. Does that make sense? Probably not.

GOAL! Carragher gets a slight flick on a corner, the ball runs loose and Gerrard arrives at the back post to smash past Cech.

Four players collapse to the grass inside the Chelsea penalty area as they tussle for a loose ball; Carvalho appears to to handle the ball, but Poll turns down the penalty appeals.

Drogba's touch lets him down again; he puts his head down and runs straight in to the considerable frame of Carragher, who knocks him to the ground.

Gallas seems to be suffering from a slight hamstring strain; he looks quite concerned about it, and a couple of Chelsea substitutes begin to warm up.

For all the midweek talk about Liverpool being a long ball side, they have barely managed to find Crouch once with a decent cross in the opening half-hour.

Finnan cuts on to his left foot and chips a cross in to the centre of the Chelsea box, but Terry and Carvalho combine to win the header against Crouch.

The goal should hopefully bring this game to life; Liverpool will simply have to push forward a little more now.

Cole is penalised for a foul on Traore. Benitez is prowling around in his 'technical area', issuing instructions to his side.

Essien and Makalele are doing some great work in the midfield for Chelsea, snapping at the Liverpool players and putting them under a lot of pressure.

Lampard was booked for his celebration; a very harsh decision by Poll. All Lampard did was put his fingers to his lips and kiss the club badge.

GOAL! Reina goes the right way, but Lampard's spot-kick squeezes under his body. Chelsea take an undeserved lead.

PENALTY! Traore hacks down Drogba after he had latched on to a loose ball inside the penalty area.

The corner is curled in to the near post, but referee Poll has spotted some pushing by Hyypia and awards the visitors a free-kick.

Terry is quick to come across and put the ball out for a corner after Gerrard had tried to slip Riise in on goal.

Del Horno fires a good ball in towards Terry, who had stayed up field following a Chelsea free-kick, but it's slightly too high for the Chelsea captain and the ball runs out for a goal-kick.

Carvalho cuts out Crouch's pass through to Riise. Defence is definitely on top at the moment. Both back fours are dropping quite deep.

Drogba's effort a moment or two ago was the first real shot on goal. It has taken almost twenty minutes.

Gallas curls a good low cross across the face of goal, and Finnan is forced to put the ball out for a corner at the far post. The ball eventually falls to Drogba, and his low shot is well saved by Reina.

The Liverpool crowd voice some rather unsavoury opinions regarding Mourinho.

Duff tumbles to the turf after tangling with Finnan; no free-kick, says Poll. Mourinho thinks otherwise.

There has been plenty of committment on show, but neither side has shown much quality in the final third. Too many off-sides, also.

Gallas shields the ball out for a goal-kick with Riise hunting him down.

No chances to speak of so far; it's been quite a poor start by both sides; they are giving the ball away too easily.

Alonso swings a high, curling pass in to the penalty area towards Crouch, but Del Horno is quick to come across and head out for a throw. Well read by the Spanish left-back.

Lampard makes a crucial interception on the edge of his own penalty area, cutting out Garcia's pass towards Crouch.

Benitez is frustrated when Crouch is penalised for barging Makalele as they jumped for a bouncing ball.

Drogba then earns a chat with the official after a free-kick goes against him; the Chelsea striker seems to have a lot to say to the referee, but it all ends amicably.

Cole is booked after sliding in late on Traore; referee Poll weilds the yellow card with some pomp.

Drogba pressurises Hyypia in to giving the ball away once more; the giant Liverpool defender hasn't enjoyed a good start to the match.

Crouch mis-controls the ball and lunges in at Essien. He is lucky that the Chelsea man saw him coming and stepped out of the way, or that could have been nasty.

Lovely touches from Drogba and Essien send Cole in to the penalty box, but he is halted by an off-side flag. Promising move from the visitors.

Liverpool are enjoying most of the early possession, though their delivery in to the penalty area hasn't been good so far.

Liverpool win a free-kick 40 yards out. Gerrard aims for Crouch, though Gallas heads out.

Hyypia gives the ball away cheaply to Essien, who drives towards the by-line, though Carragher clears the danger.

Riise hurls a long throw in towards Hyypia, though Chelsea eventually scramble clear and Garcia smashes a volley high over the crossbar.

Chelsea, of course, have played seven and won seven in the Premiership this season; can Liverpool become the first side to take points off them?

Chelsea are looking straight in to the sun, which might cause a few problems when Liverpool start pumping their high balls in to Crouch.

We're off; Chelsea start on a bright afternoon in Liverpool. The crowd are in good voice, and the teams look primed for a big performance.

Liverpool leave out Djibril Cisse and replace him with John Arne Riise, while Chelsea have Spanish full-back Asier Del Horno back in the side in place of Paulo Ferreira, while Joe Cole took over from Arjen Robben.

Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho both made changes to the sides which fought out a 0-0 Champions League draw in midweek.

Robben rather carelessly heads straight to Gerrard. The ball is worked to Garcia, but his left-foot shot is blocked by Terry.

SUBS: Robben on for Cole for Chelsea; Sissoko on for Hamann for Liverpool.

Carragher attempts what might possibly be his first-ever shot; he drags it horribly wide of Cech's post.

Chelsea appear to be readying themselves to make a change; Robben is stripping off on the bench.

It looks unlikely that Liverpool are going to come from two goals behind; Chelsea's defence is so solid.

There was some suggestion that Cole was off-side for the third goal; Liverpool certainly weren't happy that the flag wasn't raised.

GOAL! Drogba beats the off-side trap, attempts to round Reina, who gets a hand to the ball. Unfortunately for the Liverpool keeper, it rolls to Cole, who slots home from a couple of yards out.

Benitez looks very pensive and thoughtful on the Liverpool bench; he strokes his chin and considers a tactical change.

Carvalho wins another crucial header against Crouch; the two Chelsea centre-backs have been superb so far this afternoon.

Gerrard pressurises Gallas in to a mistake and wins a corner for his side. Hyypia trots forward, but Cech punches the set-piece out for a throw.

Drogba, still being booed by the Liverpool fans, has more to say to Poll, who seems in a remarkably lenient mood.

Liverpool have dominated since half-time, though they are still struggling to get decent crosses in for Crouch to contest.

Cole fouls Alonso. Gerrard curls the free-kick towards the penalty spot, Hyypia flicks on, but Cech collects comfortably.

Liverpool are beginning to push forward more now; Benitez has thrown off their tactical shackles and given them license to put the visitors under pressure.

Hyypia swings a superb pass out to Gerrard on the right wing. The Liverpool skipper beats his man and sends over a cross, but Terry clears.

Play has begun once more. Cole seems fine; no tears or blood. Drogba is still mouthing off to anyone who will listen.

There is some confusion as Cole receives some treatement. Drogba is still stiring up some trouble. He and Alonso are having strong words. Carragher is booked for trying to break them up. Very strange sequence of events.

Cole hits the deck after a tussle with Gerrard. He is holding his face, as if he was caught by a stray arm. Drogba stirs up some trouble.

Cole attempts to beat Hyypia down the right wing, but his cross is cut out by the big defender. Corner to Chelsea.

Oooh! Duff lofts a high ball over the top of the Liverpool defence. Hyypia can only flick the ball on, but Drogba's volley from the edge of the area is weak and poor. Dreadful effort.

Hamann clips a cross in to the middle, but Riise's header flies high over the bar.

The Liverpool fans call for a penalty as Crouch contests with Carvalho for Finnan's lofted cross.

Drogba is doing some good work up front for his side, tracking back and contributing defensively.

Garcia slips a pass between Carvalho and Terry, but Riise misses his attempted flick past Cech and the goalkeeper collects.

The second half kicks off. Liverpool were out on the field a good couple of minutes before Chelsea, a signal of their intent to drag themselves back in to the match.

HALF-TIME: Chelsea take a 2-1 lead in to the break. A compelling, if not exciting, half of football.

Within the space of a second, both captains fly in to challenges in the centre of the pitch; great stuff.

Cole wins a throw when he skips past a couple of Liverpool defenders and Traore blocks his attempted cross towards Drogba.

"That's why we're champions," chant the travelling Chelsea fans. The goal has, predictably, quietened the home crowd.

It was a goal that really came out of nothing; Drogba has been dreadful for most of the half, but the flick that took him past his marker was world-class.

GOAL! A sublime piece of skill by Drogba takes him past Hyypia and in to the penalty area. He cuts the ball back to Duff, who slides past Reina.

Drogba is being booed at every touch by the Liverpool fans.

Gallas mis-kicks for the second time, slicing an attempted clearance skywards. Fortunately, a team-mate clears up his rather ugly mess.

Liverpool have gone up a gear since the goal; they are getting a lot more players forward and starting to find each other with their passes. The delivery in to the penalty area could still be better, but you can't have everything.

The Anfield crowd are in full voice now; they went wild at Gerrard's equaliser. There is no love lost between these two sets of fans.

Gerrard's goal was only the second that Chelsea have conceded in the Premiership this season. It was a really sweet strike from around ten yards, low and across Cech in to the far corner.

The crowd are really fired-up now; Liverpool probably deserve to be level, if only because they have been equally as poor as Chelsea. Does that make sense? Probably not.

GOAL! Carragher gets a slight flick on a corner, the ball runs loose and Gerrard arrives at the back post to smash past Cech.

Four players collapse to the grass inside the Chelsea penalty area as they tussle for a loose ball; Carvalho appears to to handle the ball, but Poll turns down the penalty appeals.

Drogba's touch lets him down again; he puts his head down and runs straight in to the considerable frame of Carragher, who knocks him to the ground.

Gallas seems to be suffering from a slight hamstring strain; he looks quite concerned about it, and a couple of Chelsea substitutes begin to warm up.

For all the midweek talk about Liverpool being a long ball side, they have barely managed to find Crouch once with a decent cross in the opening half-hour.

Finnan cuts on to his left foot and chips a cross in to the centre of the Chelsea box, but Terry and Carvalho combine to win the header against Crouch.

The goal should hopefully bring this game to life; Liverpool will simply have to push forward a little more now.

Cole is penalised for a foul on Traore. Benitez is prowling around in his 'technical area', issuing instructions to his side.

Essien and Makalele are doing some great work in the midfield for Chelsea, snapping at the Liverpool players and putting them under a lot of pressure.

Lampard was booked for his celebration; a very harsh decision by Poll. All Lampard did was put his fingers to his lips and kiss the club badge.

GOAL! Reina goes the right way, but Lampard's spot-kick squeezes under his body. Chelsea take an undeserved lead.

PENALTY! Traore hacks down Drogba after he had latched on to a loose ball inside the penalty area.

The corner is curled in to the near post, but referee Poll has spotted some pushing by Hyypia and awards the visitors a free-kick.

Terry is quick to come across and put the ball out for a corner after Gerrard had tried to slip Riise in on goal.

Del Horno fires a good ball in towards Terry, who had stayed up field following a Chelsea free-kick, but it's slightly too high for the Chelsea captain and the ball runs out for a goal-kick.

Carvalho cuts out Crouch's pass through to Riise. Defence is definitely on top at the moment. Both back fours are dropping quite deep.

Drogba's effort a moment or two ago was the first real shot on goal. It has taken almost twenty minutes.

Gallas curls a good low cross across the face of goal, and Finnan is forced to put the ball out for a corner at the far post. The ball eventually falls to Drogba, and his low shot is well saved by Reina.

The Liverpool crowd voice some rather unsavoury opinions regarding Mourinho.

Duff tumbles to the turf after tangling with Finnan; no free-kick, says Poll. Mourinho thinks otherwise.

There has been plenty of committment on show, but neither side has shown much quality in the final third. Too many off-sides, also.

Gallas shields the ball out for a goal-kick with Riise hunting him down.

No chances to speak of so far; it's been quite a poor start by both sides; they are giving the ball away too easily.

Alonso swings a high, curling pass in to the penalty area towards Crouch, but Del Horno is quick to come across and head out for a throw. Well read by the Spanish left-back.

Lampard makes a crucial interception on the edge of his own penalty area, cutting out Garcia's pass towards Crouch.

Benitez is frustrated when Crouch is penalised for barging Makalele as they jumped for a bouncing ball.

Drogba then earns a chat with the official after a free-kick goes against him; the Chelsea striker seems to have a lot to say to the referee, but it all ends amicably.

Cole is booked after sliding in late on Traore; referee Poll weilds the yellow card with some pomp.

Drogba pressurises Hyypia in to giving the ball away once more; the giant Liverpool defender hasn't enjoyed a good start to the match.

Crouch mis-controls the ball and lunges in at Essien. He is lucky that the Chelsea man saw him coming and stepped out of the way, or that could have been nasty.

Lovely touches from Drogba and Essien send Cole in to the penalty box, but he is halted by an off-side flag. Promising move from the visitors.

Liverpool are enjoying most of the early possession, though their delivery in to the penalty area hasn't been good so far.

Liverpool win a free-kick 40 yards out. Gerrard aims for Crouch, though Gallas heads out.

Hyypia gives the ball away cheaply to Essien, who drives towards the by-line, though Carragher clears the danger.

Riise hurls a long throw in towards Hyypia, though Chelsea eventually scramble clear and Garcia smashes a volley high over the crossbar.

Chelsea, of course, have played seven and won seven in the Premiership this season; can Liverpool become the first side to take points off them?

Chelsea are looking straight in to the sun, which might cause a few problems when Liverpool start pumping their high balls in to Crouch.

We're off; Chelsea start on a bright afternoon in Liverpool. The crowd are in good voice, and the teams look primed for a big performance.

Liverpool leave out Djibril Cisse and replace him with John Arne Riise, while Chelsea have Spanish full-back Asier Del Horno back in the side in place of Paulo Ferreira, while Joe Cole took over from Arjen Robben.

Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho both made changes to the sides which fought out a 0-0 Champions League draw in midweek.