Liverpool and Chelsea will go into the second leg of their League Cup semi-final all square having played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at Anfield this evening.
The visitors took the lead against the run of play in the 18th minute when Eden Hazard sent Simon Mignolet the wrong way from the spot having been fouled by Emre Can.
Liverpool applied heavy pressure after the break, however, and levelled things up just before the hour as Raheem Sterling burst into the box before sliding home to complete a fine solo effort.
The Reds continued to push for a winner on the night, with Steven Gerrard coming closest when he struck the post, but Chelsea held on to take a draw back to Stamford Bridge.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a thrilling 90 minutes of cup football on Merseyside.
Match statistics
LIVERPOOL
Shots: 19
On target: 6
Possession: 62%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 5
CHELSEA
Shots: 2
On target: 1
Possession: 38%
Corners: 0
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
The statistics tell the story of this match very accurately. Liverpool dominated for long spells and should have come away with the victory tonight, with Chelsea's penalty their only real chance of the game. The hosts would have rarely gone below the 60% mark in terms of possession, if at all, and had a number of chances to get what could prove to be a crucial second goal.
For much of the match it looked like being a vintage Jose Mourinho display away to a big team. His side packed out the edge of the box and did not let Liverpool find a way through, despite the hosts playing some decent football. However, the tide turned in the second half and Chelsea eventually bowed to the relentless pressure when Sterling found a rare bit of space to score.
The second half was more or less one-way traffic, and Liverpool came close through Gerrard, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana. However, a mixture of the woodwork and decent goalkeeping kept them at bay and earned Chelsea a valuable if not fully deserved point. The Blues will certainly be the happier side with this scoreline.
Liverpool's performance
Liverpool have been steadily improving over the last month or so, but this was their biggest test in that time. They passed it with flying colours, although the only thing that was missing from the performance was another goal. They passed the ball around nicely and, with one or two exceptions, kept Chelsea's potent attacking force quiet throughout.
Their big problem for the first 55 minutes or so was getting through the shield of John Obi Mikel and Nemanja Matic, who protected the Chelsea defence brilliantly. However, they finally did manage to break the resistance and went on to create a number of other decent scoring opportunities. Chelsea will not have been dominated many times under Mourinho as much as they were in the second half, with Sterling, Coutinho and Gerrard all heavily involved.
However, while Liverpool's performance contributed greatly to what was a really good cup tie, they will still find themselves as heavy underdogs going into the second leg. Chelsea have been magnificent at home this season, and the failure to find that winning goal tonight could prove fatal a week from now.
Chelsea's performance
Mourinho would have gone into this match knowing that any result other than a defeat would swing the tie in Chelsea's favour. That was evident in the tactics his side employed, and even the team selection, with Mikel coming into the starting XI. Sure enough, the visitors made it very difficult for Liverpool to play through them, with Mikel, Matic, John Terry and Gary Cahill all staying solid.
However, as Liverpool's momentum grew throughout the second half, Chelsea found it more and more difficult to deal with them. Coutinho and Sterling linked up brilliantly, and their quick passing made it very hard for Matic and Mikel to keep tight. Once they finally did lose their men, Sterling punished them with a fine solo effort.
They needed a bit of luck to avoid defeat in the end, with Gerrard hitting the post when he probably should have scored, but Mourinho will be delighted to have escaped from this one with a draw. They could have very easily lost this game by a couple of goals, but will now be confident of doing a job on Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the second leg.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Raheem Sterling: A number of players impressed tonight, but Sterling was the pick of the bunch. He showed flashes of bright play in the first half, but overall was frustrated by Chelsea's stubborn defending. The visitors could barely deal with the youngster after the break, however, and he capped off an electric performance with a magnificent goal. It was a joy to watch.
Biggest gaffe
This one has to go to Can who, while being comfortable on the ball, did not look like a defender tonight. He was beaten far too easily by Cesc Fabregas in the build-up to the penalty, and then went in with a clumsy challenge on Hazard to concede the spot kick.
Referee performance
This was not an easy match for Martin Atkinson to referee. The crowd was vociferous and the players were pumped up, but the official did a good job overall. He got the penalty call right and correctly refused a couple of other shouts. He was never going to get every decision correct in a game with so much incident, but he got more right than wrong.
What next?
Liverpool: It is a week of cup action for Liverpool as they face Bolton Wanderers at Anfield in the FA Cup on Saturday before the second leg of this tie at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Chelsea: The same applies for Chelsea, who have Bradford City in the FA Cup this weekend before welcoming the Reds to West London.
Barney Corkhill
