Chelsea vs Liverpool: An English rivalry with a BIG European history
They may not be local rivals, but Chelsea and Liverpool have shared the stage on some of the BIGGEST and most significant occasions in recent football history. Let’s rewind all the way back to just before Roman Abramovich landed in London…
Grønkjær’s goal that changed everything
Who knew that Danish winger Jesper Grønkjær would change the trajectory of Chelsea Football Club forever? On 11th May 2003, Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 in a game billed as the £20m match. The result propelled the Blues into the Champions League for the following season, and condemned Liverpool to what was then known as the UEFA Cup.
Goalscorers on the day were the legendary Sami Hyypiä for Liverpool, the incomparable Marcel Desailly’s equaliser, assisted by Grønkjær, and then the Dane’s 27th-minute winner. Chelsea’s line-up included club legend Frank Lampard, with Gianfranco Zola coming off the bench for the final time, and Steven Gerrard was sent off late on for the visitors. Just your typical Premier League fare at Stamford Bridge.
A few weeks later, Roman Abramovich bought the club and the rest, as they say, is history. Glen Johnson and Joe Cole were 2 of the Russian’s first signings, players who represented both Chelsea and Liverpool in their careers.
Ghost goal probably still haunts Mourinho
On 3rd May 2005, Luis García’s highly controversial 4th-minute strike was enough to send Liverpool to the Champions League final at Chelsea’s expense, and we all know what happened in Istanbul against AC Milan.
Speaking about what is now known as the “Ghost Goal”, José Mourinho said: “It was a goal that came from the moon – from the Anfield stands.” He later added: “I felt the power of Anfield, it was magnificent.” Mourinho wasn’t the first man to be wrapped up by that atmosphere and he wouldn’t be the last.
Although the next meeting between these clubs in 2023 takes place in London, this moment remains a key narrative in the rivalry. Images of Milan Baros being floored by compatriot Petr Cech, John Terry desperately flailing to pick up the loose ball ahead of García, and William Gallas seemingly clearing off the line are now frozen in time forever. It’s as if Liverpool’s run to the trophy that year was written in the stars.
The Ghost Goal was the only goal over 180 minutes of intense Champions League semi-final football and, to this day, many people still believe that it wasn’t even one. Would modern-day VAR or even simple goal-line technology chalk it off? Probably, yes. But if we speak, we’re in trouble.
Notable players to play for Chelsea and Liverpool
Plenty of top-class, household Premier League names have donned the blue of Chelsea and the red of Liverpool. Here are some of the BIGGEST.
Nicolas Anelka
The nomadic Frenchman won the Premier League’s Golden Boot with the Blues in 2009, missed a crucial spot-kick in the 2008 Champions League final against Man Utd and also represented Arsenal, Man City, Bolton and even West Brom along the way during his colourful career in England. Never a dull moment.
Daniel Sturridge
There was never any doubt about Sturridge’s natural ability and goalscoring prowess, but injuries stopped him being as prolific as he could have been. Still, a 6-year spell at Liverpool culminated in Champions League glory, albeit as an unused substitute in the final. In 2007/08, as a Man City teenager, Sturridge became the first player ever to score in the FA Youth Cup, the FA Cup and the Premier League in the same season. These days Sturridge is doing a bunch of pundit work, and it’s pretty entertaining. But Liverpool fans will never forget his lethal combination with Luis Suarez at Anfield in 2013 and 2014.
Mohamed Salah
An iconic figure and already one of the league’s greats, Salah has scored 131 Premier League goals, and 2 of them were actually for Chelsea. One of those came in a 6-0 win for the Blues against Arsenal in 2014, a result which spoiled Arsene Wenger’s 1,000th game in charge of the Gunners.
Raheem Sterling
It’s crazy to think that he’s still only 28. From wonderkid status at Liverpool to a BIG-money move and trophies galore at Man City, Sterling is one of the finest Premier League attackers of his generation. Sterling made 292 appearances under Pep Guardiola, more than any other player has chalked up under the Spanish tactician.
Fernando Torres
El Niño was a force of nature in a Liverpool jersey, striking terror into even the greatest Premier League defenders. Just ask Nemanja Vidić. 4 of the Serbian’s 8 red cards for United came against Liverpool, with Torres leading the attack on 2 of those occasions. He was the striker who had everything, including pace, power, aerial ability, clinical finishing prowess.
Although his BIG-money move to Chelsea wasn’t as successful as the Blues had hoped, Torres still played a pivotal role in the glorious run to the 2012 Champions League title, scoring on the break at Camp Nou to break Barcelona hearts in the semi-finals.
Joe Cole
Perhaps one of the most technically gifted English players of his generation, Cole was a key figure in the Chelsea revolution under Jose Mourinho, wearing the number 10 jersey and scoring BIG goals in BIG games. A beautiful curled effort against Man Utd to wrap up the 2005/06 league title surely counts as one of those.
Victor Moses
One of Nigeria’s finest Premier League operators, Moses was famously converted from winger to wing-back, becoming one of the first names on the team sheet at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s 3-0 hammering at Arsenal in September 2016 saw Antonio Conte switch to a 3-4-3 system and they hardly faltered from that point, storming to the Premier League title in 2016/17. Moses was one of the key characters in that success.
Yossi Benayoun
One of the more underrated players of recent decades, the Israeli playmaker represented Chelsea, Liverpool, West Ham, Arsenal and QPR during his stint in England. In 2009, he became the first player ever to score a Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League hat-trick. It took 5 years for Sergio Agüero to join him in achieving this feat when Kun scored a treble against Bayern Munich in November 2014. Harry Kane joined the club in 2017.
This March, not to be outdone, a certain Erling Haaland bagged 3 goals against Burnley in the FA Cup to bring up hat-tricks in all 3 competitions in his debut season in England.
Remember when Steven Gerrard almost moved to Chelsea?
In 2005, Anfield club icon Steven Gerrard was seriously considering a switch to Chelsea, and many people thought the deal was as good as done. When it was announced that he wasn’t going to sign a contract extension, Liverpool fans were seen burning a Gerrard jersey outside the stadium.
Stevie G had a late change of heart, committing to the club and staying for another decade. This was a timely reminder that there’s no love lost between BIG football rivals.
Most recent head-to-heads
The last 5 meetings between these sides, fascinatingly, have ended all-square after 90 minutes, with 2 of those 5 taking place at Wembley in cup finals. Last season’s corresponding Premier League fixture ended 2-2, while this season’s reverse was 0-0 at Anfield.
Chelsea vs Liverpool is always a passionate affair. Tuesday’s meeting has its own set of modern subplots and implications, making it the perfect midweek match to savour.