To frustrate Liverpool with a seemingly 6-3-1 defensive set-up was an absolute master class by one of the best managers/coaches in world football. The Liverpool faithful were booing the tactics but in all honestly, they lost to in my opinion a second-string Chelsea side. They were outsmarted and paid the price.
After the midweek Champions League Semi Final in which Chelsea 'parked the bus' and held Athletico Madrid to a nil-all draw, Liverpool should have known better, they should have expected Chelsea to bring their 'bus' to Anfield.
What I will say is Chelsea's time-wasting did go a bit too far but at the end of the day, that was their tactic and they played it perfectly. As both a fan and a player, I feel for Steven Gerrard. I've made countless mistakes in my few games but I couldn't imagine the feeling of making a mistake that crucial in front of 44,000 fans.
It happened to Vincent Kompany two weeks ago and now Gerrard's slip-up has opened up the title race yet again. That being said, Gerrard will bounce back as he is simply too good a player to let one mistake ruin the season.
During the final moments Liverpool threw everything at Chelsea and paid the price when the Blues scored off a runaway counter-attack. That goal gave Chelsea the three points and gave neutral fans another week of unpredictable twists in the title race.
My full praise goes to Mark Schwarzer who made some crucial saves late in the game. It's good to see the Aussie legend doing what he does best.
I'm already looking forward to next week's EPL fixtures and to find out who's going to lift the trophy on the final day. (Hopefully it's Man City!)
-Ty Stedman
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