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Craig Bellamy drives Liverpool past Chelsea into semi-finals

Craig Bellamy drives Liverpool past Chelsea into semi-finals

poweredbyguardianBLACK Craig Bellamy drives Liverpool past Chelsea into semi finals This article titled “Craig Bellamy drives Liverpool past Chelsea into semi-finals” was written by Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge, for The Guardian on Wednesday 30th November 2011 05.54 Asia/Kuala_Lumpur

Alex handles the ball in the Chelsea area but Andy Carroll of Liverpool, right, missed the resultant penalty in the first half. Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

The Shed End of this arena, bedecked for the night in the visitors’ red banners, was erupting in riotous celebration as Craig Bellamy quietly turned and walked alone back to the centre circle, a player lost in his own thoughts. The architect of Liverpool’s progress into the last four of this competition had lost a close friend and mentor in Gary Speed on Sunday. Even in victory, football must still have felt trivial.

The forward had been too distraught, too overcome, to play any part in the visit of Manchester City to Anfield that day. This was a wonderful return to action in those desperate circumstances, with Bellamy setting up each of his side’s second-half goals that smoothed passage into the semi-finals at Chelsea’s expense.

When he was substituted 11 minutes from time there were handshakes of appreciation offered by all his team-mates, and a bear hug from his manager waiting for him on the touchline. Speed would have approved.

Recent contests between these sides have invariably courted controversy, though with the scrappiness of the play here reflecting unfamiliar lineups from each, the focus had initially been drawn away from those granted a rare first-team outing and on to the hugely experienced match official. Phil Dowd might have retired at the interval unnerved by a series of major decisions having justifiably drawn fierce criticism from the sidelines. There should have been a trio of penalties awarded in the opening quarter. As it was, only one was deemed worthy, with Andy Carroll duly denied by Ross Turnbull.

The non-awards were mystifying. Only 165 seconds had elapsed when a backheel from Josh McEachran, whose appearance had been eagerly anticipated only for the teenager to hobble from the fray before the interval, sent the rampaging David Luiz into the area.

Sebastian Coates’s lunge was horribly telegraphed, the Uruguayan missing the ball and making clear contact with the Brazilian as he eased beyond him, only for Dowd to deem the Chelsea player guilty of a dive. The centre-half was booked and might still have been feeling aggrieved five minutes later when he blatantly shoved Carroll in the back as the striker leapt to reach José Enrique’s cross. Yet, again, the offence was ignored.

Even the decision to grant a spot-kick midway through the first period was confused. José Enrique’s cross was aimed again at Carroll, with Alex edging in front of the forward but jumping with his left arm raised. The ball deflected off the hand only for the officials to freeze while Liverpool players screamed for an award. Indecision reigned for fully five seconds before the offence was confirmed. Carroll, a player so eager to justify his £35m worth, slapped the kick down the centre when he was permitted to proceed, with Turnbull blocking smartly as he tumbled to his right.

That summed up the farcical nature of proceedings, yet the reality was Dowd’s errors of judgment were not reserved merely for incidents in the area. Quite how Romelu Lukaku, a 6ft 4in man mountain of a forward, was not penalised for a horrendous lunge into Jordan Henderson’s shin right the end of the half was staggering. The booking instead went to the 5ft 10in full-back Ryan Bertrand, who had attempted to tackle Henderson from the other side. Dowd and his assistants departed at the break to a chorus of boos looking as perplexed as everyone else.

The closest either side had come to scoring from open play had been Lukaku’s flicked header from a José Bosingwa cross, the ball drifting wide of the far upright, with Chelsea suggesting they would build up greater momentum after the interval. Indeed, they should have led only for Florent Malouda, reaching Frank Lampard’s free-kick beyond the far post, to see his shot bounce up and on to the bar, with David Luiz’s attempt to convert the rebound suffocated by Coates.

Had either attempt gone in then the hosts’ belief might have grown. Instead, it was quickly shattered. Liverpool had merely been steeling themselves to strike on the counterattack, Henderson rousing himself from the fringes to slip Bellamy clear with Bertrand and David Luiz in no position to recover. The Welshman’s delivery across the six-yard box was unselfish and invited Maxi Rodríguez, a player who so relishes scoring significant goals in the capital and had scored here earlier this month, to convert with ease.

Chelsea were floored, anxiety flooding back into their defensive play. Within five minutes, Martin Kelly was presented with space aplenty to nod in Bellamy’s free-kick. This is an emotional time for the Wales international, with his private contemplation telling as his team-mates celebrated raucously. In the circumstances, both reactions felt appropriate.

Craig Bellamy drives Liverpool past Chelsea into semi finals