Familiarity breeds stalemate

Soccer Champions League: Even if Liverpool had to share the points, they held on to their reputation as the one English team who can regularly unnerve Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho's side did avoid the defeat they had suffered at Anfield in the European Cup semi-final last season, but their general anxiety was far greater here. While their goalkeeper, Petr Cech, was well-protected, it took Italian referee Massimo de Santis to spare Chelsea.

He ignored the three occasions when Liverpool could have been awarded a penalty, disregarding in particular the handball with which William Gallas met Jamie Carragher's header in the second half.

Despite that, the home crowd were impressed by the maturity with which their team avoided being picked off on the break and dominated the second half. "Boring, boring Chelsea," sang those fans at the end, entering a current debate.

There are those who argue, rather unreasonably, that the Chelsea team is a bore, but their manager alleges there is a greater yawn. "Liverpool do not play with an open heart," Mourinho said gravely an hour before kick-off. "They are a team you cannot trust a lot. They play tactically, waiting for their opponents to make mistakes."

This was a meeting of the European Cup-holders and the reigning Premiership champions, but a heavy disguise was standard issue. The talent of the footballers went unrecognised before the interval and the crowd was more likely to be exercised by bookings than by the artistry.

The sight of the refined Xabi Alonso first letting Michael Essien steal the ball from him and then, for the first yellow card, snatching the Chelsea midfielder's jersey showed that even the most poised footballer could tumble into error.

Chelsea stumbled across a little fluency after 32 minutes, as Didier Drogba shielded the ball, turned and released Arjen Robben for a run checked only by Alonso's excellent challenge. All the same, the Dutch winger was temporarily heartened and when he veered inside Sami Hyypia moments later it took a good save from Jose Reina to put his shot over the bar.

A goal then would have been a reward for breakaway football, though, and the gusto had largely been Liverpool's. And they were not ashamed either to resort to the obvious.

Everyone knew beforehand that the ball would be launched for the 6ft 7in Crouch and, without the panic measure of starting with the towering Robert Huth, Mourinho had no simple answer to that strategy. When Crouch headed down after 19 minutes the alarmed Drogba lunged to thwart Hyypia. The striker certainly made no contact with the ball and must have had the referee pondering penalty award. None was given.

The players were left with the duty of creating chances in open play and rarely did so. There were sparks of influence from Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, but neither powered the play reliably.

Chelsea were not neutralising the opposition with their normal ease. It was the pressure being applied that forced Ricardo Carvalho to make himself the leading candidate for any man-of-the-match award. Even he, though, was often powerless and it was too often the referee who saved the visitors.

Luis Garcia, soon after the interval, might have swayed him from awarding a penalty because he shook off Paolo Ferreira's pull on his arm and pursued a through ball that was collected by Cech. Chelsea's luck held in the 56th minute when Carragher jumped and Gallas, conscious of Djibril Cisse beside him, stuck out an arm to connect with the header. De Santis believed the contact was accidental.

Nonetheless, there were small yet crucial satisfactions for the Chelsea manager. Cech had not made a save of note and the team, unable to dominate, still remembered how to survive.

Guardian Service

LIVERPOOL: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore, Hamann, Luis Garcia, Gerrard, Alonso, Crouch, Cisse (Sinama Pongolle 78). Subs not used: Carson, Riise, Josemi, Warnock, Zenden, Potter. Booked: Alonso.

CHELSEA: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Terry, Gallas, Essien, Makelele, Lampard, Duff (Crespo 75), Drogba (Huth 90), Robben (Wright-Phillips 65). Subs not used: Cudicini, Joe Cole, Geremi, Gudjohnsen. Booked: Makelele, Robben, Lampard, Terry.

Referee: Massimo De Santis (Italy).