FA Premiership: Ken Bates said before kick-off that he hoped Chelsea fans would be able to get drunk for the right reasons afterwards.
They were certainly given cause to celebrate as the club defeated Liverpool to move within a qualifying win of the Champions League. The chairman surely indulged in a tipple as well, given that reaching the first group stage would bring in a minimum of £10m.
Chelsea's recent UEFA Cup experiences suggest it would be foolish to assume they need only turn up to join the elite but such worries can wait. They could enjoy themselves last night while Liverpool were drowning their sorrows. Gerard Houllier's team had needed a victory here to snatch fourth place from their opponents but threw away an early lead and never looked likely to recover.
The UEFA Cup awaits Liverpool after a season in which they have manifestly gone backwards. Their frustration was shown near the finish in a dangerous tackle by Steven Gerrard on Graeme Le Saux which earned him a second booking and a red card.
Chelsea's determination had been controlled and they found a hero in Jesper Gronkjaer. The Dane set up Marcel Desailly's equaliser and scored a fine winner. Ultimately, though, Chelsea were just as grateful to William Gallas, Emmanuel Petit and Desailly, for making sure Liverpool could not find a way back.
Liverpool's need for creativity when they are forced to break down teams rather than counter-attack was again evident.
They scored from a free-kick but created only one more notable chance, missed by the otherwise service-starved Michael Owen. As Chelsea gave Owen no space in which to run behind them, Liverpool struggled.
This was a far more tactically astute Chelsea performance than they gave when faced by the counter-attacking skills of Arsenal in the FA Cup and the rewards are vital. With the Champions League in view, they ought to find it easier to keep key players and will hope to renogotiate contracts with Gallas, John Terry and Gianfranco Zola.
Claudio Ranieri must trust that he will not lose players such as Gallas and Terry if big offers are made but there will be departures. Albert Ferrer is retiring, Jody Morris seems keen to move in search of regular football and Chelsea would probably offload Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink if they can find a buyer. Big summer signings are unlikely for Chelsea under their new regime, which places more emphasis than before on stability and developing youth. Ranieri said he hoped to bring in "one or two players" and believed continuity was key to their success.
In any event Chelsea cannot count on Champions League lucre just yet. In the past three seasons they have gone out of the UEFA Cup to teams from Switzerland, Israel and Norway.
While Chelsea can look back with pleasure, Liverpool have underachieved. Winning the League Cup does not constitute success for them and in the two major competitions they have regressed.
Having reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season, they failed to make it past the opening group.
From second in the Premiership, they slipped to fifth. They also lost in the FA Cup against Crystal Palace. Houllier did not invest well last summer, spending £19m on El-Hadji Diouf, Bruno Cheyrou and Salif Diao.
Houllier admitted that some of his key players "have not been at their best". He is expected to have money but does not envisage making many signings.
CHELSEA: Cudicini, Melchiot, Gallas, Desailly, Babayaro, Gronkjaer (Stanic 68), Petit, Lampard, Le Saux, Hasselbaink (Cole 80), Gudjohnsen (Zola 72). Subs Not Used: de Goey, Morris. Booked: Gallas, Hasselbaink, Le Saux. Goals: Desailly 14, Gronkjaer 27.
LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore, Riise (Cheyrou 75), Diouf (Berger 63), Gerrard, Murphy, Diao (Heskey 45), Baros, Owen. Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Biscan. Sent Off: Gerrard (90). Booked: Gerrard. Goals: Hyypia 11.
Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
Guardian Service
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