Premier League Report: Fernando Torres Comes Back Strong to Give Liverpool a 2-0 Win over Chelsea
It was a tough battle for Liverpool as they faced Chelsea at Anfield for their fixture in the Premier League. Unlike previous years, this time the battle did not get much hype because of Liverpool’s poor start of the season.
Liverpool was lingering in the bottom three of the League table for quite some time. They also lost their matches against Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City. Things did turn in Liverpool’s favour after a change in their
ownership but they were still in 13th position before this week’s Premier League fixtures. Chelsea, on the other hand, were sitting on top with only one defeat against Manchester City.
Liverpool really needed inspiration from one of their two star players, i.e. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. Apart from these two players, the Liverpool team lacked real quality in their squad. However, it was quite unfortunate
for the Reds that both these players were in the worst forms of their football careers. However, when Liverpool required him the most, Torres did step up to score two goals in the opening half. This performance proved to be the deciding factor between both
sides, as Liverpool won unexpectedly by 2-0.
Chelsea were missing Frank Lampard as well as Michael Essien due to injuries. Liverpool had to play without Glen Johnson, who was supposedly their best player so far in the season. However, Dirk Kuyt was back in the side, which
was a good sign for the home side. By comparison, Chelsea had more quality in their squad, but Liverpool had their newfound rhythm behind them.
The first goal came for Torres in the 11th minute, as he found a lob from Dirk Kuyt shot over the head of John Terry. The Spanish striker took one touch and fired a shot into the goal avoiding the charging goal-keeper,
Petr Cech. After this goal, Liverpool looked comfortable as they created more chances than the visitors. However, they were kept out by Petr Cech and his defenders who seemed to have recovered from the early setback. There was a penalty shout as well, as Yuri
Zhirkov seemed to have handled the ball.
With only one minute left in the first half, Torres came up with his second of the match with an incisive finish. Raul Meireles gave a pass to the striker on the left side, who ran into the penalty area, and with a cut-back, got
the ball on his more comfortable right foot. Then the Spanish international scored on the far post, while two of the Chelsea defenders did the rest blocking their goalkeeper’s sight. Cech did not move an inch as he saw the ball cross his goal for Liverpool’s
second of the night.
As Torres exploded at one end, Chelsea had no reply on the other. Carlo Ancelotti realized his mistake and he brought Didier Drogba from the start of second half. At this point, Chelsea did start to look threatening, but Jamie
Carragher and company did an excellent job at the back.
Towards the end of the match, Liverpool had chances to seal the game. However, Dirk Kuyt was saved by Cech, while Maxi Rodriguez dove in the penalty area when he looked comfortable enough to score. Chelsea tried to exploit some
of the poor goalkeeping by Pepe Reina at the end, but this just was not their day. In the end, Liverpool won the match by 2-0, moving into ninth place in the English Premier League table.
Chelsea was enjoying a five-point lead before this week, but now it has been reduced to only two points, as Manchester United won their match on Saturday. However, the team still looks good, as they were defeated only because they
did not expect Liverpool to come out as hard as they did. Nevertheless, the Premier League, which seemed to have been a one-way battle at one point, has opened up once again. This is great news for the fans who are always hoping for a tough and exciting battle,
rather than an easy road to victory.
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