Liverpool   V   Chelsea

3pm

DATE

KICK OFF

Saturday 16th October 1999

FIXTURE

F A Carling Premiership

Anfield

AT

MAN OF THE MATCH

SCORE

ATTENDENCE

Ed De Goey

0-1

44,826

SCORERS

CHELSEA

LIVERPOOL

Thompson 47

REFS PERFORMANCE

1/10

REFEREE

Mike Reed

TEAMS

CHELSEA

Ed De Goey, Dan Petrescu, Celestine Babayaro, Frank Leboeuf, Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, Gustavo Poyet, Dennis Wise, Albert Ferrer, Chris Sutton, Gianfranco Zola

SUBSTITUTES

Le Saux 64 (Leboeuf) Flo 68 (Zola) Lambourde 74 (Petrescu) Cudicini, Morris

Sutton, Leboeuf, Lambourde

BOOKED

SENT OFF

Wise, Desailly

LIVERPOOL

Friedel, Henchoz, Song, Hyypia, Staunton, Carragher, Smicer, Redknapp, Murphy, Thompson, Owen

Heggem 80 (Murphy) Meijer 86 (Owen)

SUBSTITUTES

BOOKED

Staunton, Redknapp, Murphy, Thompson

MATCH REPORT

Chelsea were always backpeddling against a Liverpool 5 man midfield and created little chances apart from a Chris Sutton header in the 1st half

The 2nd half saw Chelsea with a bit more time on the ball with Deschamps and Wise finding more time on the ball.

However it was not long before Liverpool took the lead from a scrambled ball put over the line by Thompson following a free kick from Staunton.

The rest of the game was was marred by one of the worst refereeing performances I have ever witnessed.

Mike Reed is a absolute disgrace and should be kicked out of the Premiership now, and not be allowed to officiate another game again.

Worse was to come for Chelsea when Desailly was given his marching orders for tripping Murphy in the box, he had previously been given a uneccesary yellow card in the first half by "Reed the Muppet" and left the pitch giving Reed a few choice words before heading down the tunnel.

Luck was on our side however as Owen's resulting penalty went wide of the goal, with 10 men , could we grind a draw out of the game, with minutes ticking away it was looking unlikely.

Reed was yet agian going to play a major part in the game when he sent off, yes you have guessed it, Wise for elbowing somebody in the face, we were down to 9 men , and I knew our chances of getting a draw would be pure fantasy.

Vialli made some changes to his credit having no option really, Flo replacing a tired Zola had a glorious chance to equalise for the Blues from a cross field shot that goalkeeper Friedel easily saved.

I watched the game in Tamblings bar at Stamford Bridge for the £10 a time live beam back, it was a great atmosphere in there before the kick off but sadly the result ruined what could of been a great time in there.

I left the stadium very quickly after the game  thinking of some conclusions to this dismall perfornance:

1: we still need a 25 goal a season striker

2: the form of Flo is disturbing

3: we have lost 2 games already this season and the season is not even halfway yet.

sadly i hope i am wrong but i dont think now, that we are going to win the Premiership this season, I truly hope i'm wrong, but we just dont seem to have the right firepower in front of goal to mount a serious assault on the Premiership.

"MIKE REED YOU ARE A TOTAL DISGRACE"

"Come on Chelsea prove me wrong on this"


Viva Vialli