Liverpool Rally Behind the "Normal One"...Bye Bye "Special One"?

It was an improbable result to imagine a few months ago.  Chelsea were flying high as champions of the Premier League and Liverpool were still struggling to deal with injuries and get new signings to gel within the squad.  My, how things have changed.  Liverpool have struggled to find the results but they still looked like a team with plenty in front of them.  Chelsea on the other hand have appeared to be a shell of a team despite the majority of last year's championship squad still being in place.

The match got off to a rough start for the Reds and a dream start for Chelsea.  Ramires was fed a line drive cross from the right in the fourth minute and he smartly finished it off with the head.  Simon Mingolet had no chance and the defenders, though ball watching yet again, were left relatively powerless even if they were in perfect position.  As mentioned, it was a dream start for Ramires, who had just signed a new contract, a dream start for the Blues and a perfect start for Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea almost doubled their advantage two minutes later after a free kick led to a header on the near side that sliced across the face of goal.  Martin Skrtel was tightly marking John Terry and almost surely prevented a goal.  Then Mourinho became Mourinho.  Despite all his talents as a manager and skills for providing wins for whichever club he is managing, Mourinho can't help but slide into defensive shells when he thinks it is beneficial.  You can't argue completely with his tactics as he has won so much, but it does not provide beautiful football when his teams often have so much skill.

Although Liverpool never looked disinterested, they just seemed to lack that spark, as we have seen so many times, unfortunately, regardless of who the manager is.  But, seemingly from nowhere, the Reds would get that spark.  Coutinho, known mainly for his right foot, created a large area of space just outside the box as he cut the ball back to his left as the halftime break was approaching.  Whether it was intentional or not, there was not a ton of power on the shot but it was placed to perfection.  Asmir Begovic, the Blues' goalkeeper was left with no chance at all as the shot came from near the center of the pitch and was slotted neatly into the left hand side of the net.

Immediately after the goal was scored, the camera cut to Mourinho, who was headed down the walkway to the dressing room.  Whether he was already down there and came back to see the goal or the goal forced his departure is unknown, but a sweet sight for the Liverpool supporters.  It almost seemed a bit of foreshadowing, for the result of the contest and for the possible future of the Chelsea manager.

Nothing would be for sure for most of the second half.  The game went almost 30 minutes with little from either side to make one believe this would not be another game where Liverpool would fail to score more than a goal and another contest where Chelsea would not take full points.  That all changed in the 74th minute.  Fulfilling a Liverpool penchant for scoring goals in bunches after a long dry spell, Coutinho knocked home his second of the contest.  Starting from a nothing play, a long ball from midfield, Christian Benteke nodded it down.  The ball went just by a teammate, but came right to the Brazilian and he made sure to put it to bed.  Getting a deflection off the defender helped the ball in, but the right footer may have been destined for a goal no matter what.

The icing on the cake came nine minutes later.  The Chelsea defense went to sleep and Benteke made them pay.  The summer signing, despite injuries, still proving he is a capable scorer took the ball after an Adam Lallana stepover.  The big striker took a couple dribbles at the reeling defenders, tucked the ball away and that was all she wrote.  Chelsea had chances before and after that, including a little chip attempt that Mingolet scrambled back to parry away, but there was always a hint this would be the result from that reaction at the half.

These are teams that are not headed in polar opposite directions, being as neither is where they want to be.  However, Liverpool are on the edge, peeking in at the top four now.  Chelsea, on the other hand, are dangling over that relegation zone.  Few gave Liverpool much of a chance, given their lack of scoring and playing at Stamford Bridge, but those are the games that show why you go out and play and not let the pundits decide.  There are still a myriad of things to alter and get better with for the Reds, but few victories taste as sweet as one over Chelsea and the players and their manager earned it.

Random Thoughts:
- Being a fan of a team that sings "Manchester is full of s***" leaves little room to take a moral stand.  However, it seemed like all of Chelsea's songs had to do with spiteful things, like Steven Gerrard and never winning again etc.  Made the final result a little bit sweeter with their silence.

- Oh how I look forward to a day when Liverpool has two healthy strikers.  I'm no tactical genius and will never claim to be a coach.  That said, this team just seems set up to play with two strikers and Coutinho tucked in behind.  You have to have everyone healthy, which seems impossible of late, and it creates problems with who to play in midfield but if it is beneficial to the team then that's all anyone can ask for.

- Mourinho proved how much of a clown he can be as he refused to say anything to the postmatch reporter.  He kept saying he had nothing to say and looking at the man like he was an idiot for doing his job.  The egotist may feel better for not speaking, but he has done himself no favors.

- I never root for anyone to lose their job, no matter how much I dislike them.  Even so, to paraphrase a certain dark lord of the Sith - This will be a day long remembered.  Liverpool may have seen to the end of Mourinho and perhaps caused the relegation of Chelsea.

- That last one was a bit harsh, but when you have family members who root for Chelsea, it's ok to have a little dig ;)

Walk On