Good Result Not Enough

Hopefully all the mothers out there are having or have had a great Mother's Day.  The mothers of the Liverpool players will be proud of their sons.  They gave a good effort, for the most part, in an always difficult road match against Chelsea.  There were lots of storylines heading into this one.  Steven Gerrard's last trip to Stamford Bridge, the master manager against his former pupil, Chelsea closing out the championship the week prior and Liverpool essentially needing a win to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

The match opened up inauspiciously for Liverpool, as the bane of the club reared its head.  Set pieces have long been a point of contention for this team and again it led to a goal.  This time off a corner kick.  John Terry, the old adversary, peeled his way back from the crowd and jumped over Rickie Lambert and nodded it past Simon Mingolet and Steven Gerrard, who was on the near post.  Though no one could really blame Gerrard for not getting a foot on it, it was just another pinch of salt in the wounds that Chelsea love to rub so vigorously.  

Despite the poor start, Liverpool actually enjoyed a good deal of possession and attack.  Unfortunately for them, the Blues' defense was too well organized for much of the half and really the game overall.  Liverpool poked and prodded, seeked and searched to no avail for much of the opening 45.  It was not until late in the half that the skies would brighten for the Reds fortunes.

As if to say he was not about to let his legacy end at Stamford Bridge with the slip that played a part in Liverpool's downfall last season, Steven Gerrard rose up.  The captain, admittedly with the aide of a slight push, found himself wide open on the back post of Liverpool's own corner kick.  The equalizer came in the 44th minute after Gerrard neatly headed the ball down into the pitch and it bounded just past Tibault Courtois and into the net.  For a player that has had his struggles with fitness, fan appreciation and on-field play this season, it was a far better memory to leave Chelsea with than last season's end.  Gerrard even received a rare standing ovation from the road fans when he was subbed out.

Sadly, his heroics were ultimately for naught.  Liverpool and Chelsea turned into Mayweather and Paquiao for the second half, mainly content to lunge forward on occasion but mainly coming to nothing.  Liverpool only put four shots on target all game and their opponents, only three.  Hardly the stuff of attacking legends.  It was a bittersweet result due to the fact that if you asked anyone mid-season, if they would take a 1-1 draw in Chelsea's home stadium, only a food would not.

Alas, for Liverpool, while the result was good for form, it was not good enough to save their last remaining goal for the season.  While the Reds have had glimpses and flashes of the team of last season, ultimately they are left wondering how it all went so poorly.  A fifth place finish, in one of the most competitive leagues in the world would be nothing to scoff at, but is a bitter pill to swallow.  The pill is extra bitter when you come to the realization that nothing was accomplished.  Champions League, although mathematically still alive, is gone.  Another season will pass without silverware, even though the club got to the semi-finals in two competitions.  Also, another season goes by without a league title.  All were goals set at the beginning of the year, all seemed plausible and now all are simply dust in the wind.

The club must now look to the future, while honoring the past.  Gerrard will most likely get a grand send off in his final game at Anfield in a week's time.  Liverpool's last two games are certainly winnable and, at this stage, you may as well look to finish with as many points as possible.  The dreams of the year may be gone, but fans still have two more weeks to enjoy and that's better than nothing at all.

Walk On.