After their famous Champions League triumph in Istanbul in May 2005, Liverpool began the next season with their supporters hoping, and perhaps expecting, an assault on domestic honours in the Premier League. Since their last league title in 1990, the Reds had finished runners-up on two occasions, but 15 years without being crowned champions of England was considered too long.
Manager Rafael Benitez had spent the summer attempting to strengthen a squad that had lost two of their European Cup winners, with Vladimir Smicer and Milan Baros both making their departure from Anfield. Boudewijn Zenden and Peter Crouch were brought in as replacements, and with Pepe Reina and Mohamed Sissoko also moving to Merseyside, Liverpool were considered to have a stronger chance of competing with defending champions Chelsea, who had romped to their first Premier League crown during the previous campaign.
However, during the opening weeks of the season, Liverpool struggled to replicate the performance that had seen them fight back so memorably in Istanbul. While they remained unbeaten through five games, four of their matches ended in draws, with a narrow 1-0 victory over Sunderland their only success ahead of their Anfield fixture with Chelsea on this day 10 years ago, which left Liverpool needing to beat Jose Mourinho's outfit to avoid their worst start to a top-flight campaign for 13 years.
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They would require their best showing of the season in order to come close to beating Chelsea, though. The West Londoners had gone almost a year without tasting defeat in the Premier League - a run stretching 35 games - with all seven matches since the opening day ending in maximum points and just one goal being conceded. However, the Reds could take belief from holding Chelsea to a goalless draw in the Champions League just four days before they renewed acquaintances in the North-West.
Like the game that took place on the European stage, the first 25 minutes were largely uneventful as Liverpool's attempt to make their mark on the match was met by Chelsea's resolute and uncompromising backline, but just before the half-hour mark, the deadlock was broken when Djimi Traore drilled an attempted clearance straight at Didier Drogba before proceeding to bring down the Ivorian in the penalty area. Frank Lampard was given the responsibility from the spot, and he was able to fire the ball underneath the body of Reina.
It took Liverpool just nine minutes to get back on level terms, with Steven Gerrard, who had come close to linking up with Chelsea during the summer, netting the goal that saw Anfield erupt. A corner from John Arne Riise was flicked on by Jamie Carragher for Gerrard to drive the ball into the far corner of the net from eight yards. Liverpool had the momentum heading into half time, but just before the break, the visitors netted the goal that would see the game swing in their favour.
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Damien Duff's three goals during 2005 had come against Manchester United, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, and he continued his habit of scoring in the big games when he converted from eight yards after being set up by Drogba, who was terrorising the Liverpool defence. The home side reached the hour mark facing just the one-goal deficit, but Drogba provided the third assist of a ruthless performance when hitting the ball across goal for Joe Cole to apply the simple finish into an empty net.
Liverpool threw men forward in search of a goal that they hoped would give them the impetus heading into the closing stages, but with eight minutes left, Drogba created his fourth goal of the match after his cross found Geremi at the back post, and he made no mistake in getting the ball past a helpless Reina.
The defeat would leave Liverpool with just seven points from their opening half-a-dozen matches, but at the end of the month, they began a run of form - which included 10 successive victories - that would see them eventually earn a third-place finish in May. As for Chelsea, they would lose their unbeaten record at the 41st attempt, losing to Manchester United at Old Trafford, but they registered back-to-back successes in the Premier League as they claimed the title by eight points.
Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore, Hamann, Luis Garcia, Gerrard, Alonso, Riise, Crouch
Subs: Carson, Josemi, Sissoko, Sinama Pongolle, Cisse
Chelsea: Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, Terry, Gallas, Del Horno, Makelele, Joe Cole, Lampard, Essien, Duff, Drogba
Subs: Cudicini, Huth, Geremi, Robben, Crespo
Darren Plant
