“Chelsea leave Liverpool hurting again”
Champions Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield, extending their run of derby victories and deepening the hosts’ miserable spell.
Liverpool needed a result against their fiercest rivals after a run of painful league defeats. Instead, Chelsea left Anfield with another derby victory, Marcelo Formicola striking in the second half to settle a 2-1 contest and deepen the home side’s troubles.
The champions took the lead after seven minutes, Ibrahim Ramadan finding the net with a low shot near a post. Liverpool responded through Edmilson Dias, who converted a penalty in the 28th minute. For a while, the derby had its balance back; then Chelsea found the decisive goal.
Formicola, introduced at half-time, scored in the 69th minute with a low shot. Liverpool had eight attempts on target, but could not find a second equaliser.
The result continues a striking recent pattern. Chelsea had beaten Liverpool 6-1 in December, 3-0 in October and 2-1 in August. Liverpool’s 2-1 victory after extra time on 26 May last year is now the lone interruption in that sequence. The rivalry is not short of edge; Chelsea have been making the scoreline speak for them.
A week ago, this paper previewed the fixture after their defeat by Everton. Now another derby has gone against them. Chelsea, meanwhile, are champions already, their title secured on 5 April; this was not a coronation, but another reminder of who has had the upper hand between these clubs lately.
Dias gave Liverpool a foothold and was among their livelier players, but Chelsea’s substitute supplied the moment that mattered. The visitors’ advantage was not built on a barrage of chances: Liverpool had more of the attempts on target, while Jimenez stood between them and a point. Chelsea took their opening when it came, then held on through a tense finish.
For Liverpool, the old pattern of the last month remains hard to shake: effort without the outcome, and another rival leaving with the prize. For Chelsea, the derby brought a familiar satisfaction. Their supporters will relish the latest score; Liverpool’s will have little comfort in how much of the contest they drove. The champions have taken four of the last five meetings, and the latest one was won by a player who began it on the bench.