Liverpool Fail to Capitalise

In some respects it’s hard to believe that Liverpool lost to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. They had more possession and in the first half in particular there were times when they battered Chelsea, who for their part created so little that when Gallas scrambled the first goal, it was more than a surprise – it was a shock.

So why did Chelsea win? Well, to begin with there was that first half goal from a corner. Liverpool adopt a zonal marking strategy on occasions like this – in other words they mark space, not man for man. So when the corner was taken, there were 3 of them on the edge of the 6 yard box, marking important space in front of goal. But when the kick was taken, they all rushed out – in other words they stopped marking that space. It’s difficult to account for an action that can only be interpreted as an abandonment of zonal marking – especially as it allowed William Gallas, who of course was unmarked, to score the simplest of goals from close range and put Chelsea ahead against the run of play.

The second reason for defeat is that for all their territorial domination and the creation of chances, including several from corner kicks, Liverpool did not really look like scoring. By contrast, Chelsea created relatively few chances but always managed to look dangerous because as Crespo demonstrated in the way he took the second goal, they have a top quality striker.

In fairness, Liverpool also have such a striker, but he wasn’t at Stamford Bridge on this occasion. So the fans will be hoping and praying that Robbie Fowler gets match fit very soon.