I’ll have to be honest, I didn’t make a pre-match review between Liverpool and Chelsea last Sunday as I was so filled with anxiety. To make the matter worse, earlier kick-off saw Manchester City beating Crystal Palace that eventually leapfrogged City to the summit of the English Premier League. I changed my mind about posting something about the Liverpool Chelsea match as I thought that it might jeopardizes the match result.
I am so superstitious, as I believe that it will bring bad luck to Liverpool if I made a post about this important match, and the next four matches ahead.
So, I waited for the match to start and was feeling so uneasy watching the team played to a nil-nil draw in the First Half of the match. Still feeling the anxiety rush, I went out for a while, leaving the living room, to relax outside the balcony of my apartment. I smoked a cigarette, and feeling calm all of the sudden, I had a feeling that Liverpool will do better in the Second Half. I went back to the living room, sat on my favorite couch and sipped my freshly made black coffee. A couple of minutes later, the Second Half started.
I was right, the Liverpool players played like mad men, harassing their opponent to get the ball back when they lose possession. And in one particular incident, Mohamed Salah managed to hassle a Chelsea defender off the ball, and Jordan Henderson sprinted to the loose ball, and at the by line, dinked it over the goalkeeper and a defender, to the far post. Sadio Mane who was lurking, was left unguarded, and had the easiest of task to head the ball home for the 1st goal of the match. That goal clearly relieves the anxiety that was building up, and turned into a feeling of great jubilation.
Three minutes later, the Liverpool fans cheered again after an outstanding goal from Mohamed Salah, which came out of nowhere. Salah rounded off the Chelsea Left Back and strode nearer to goal, saw an opening and kicked the ball towards the top right corner of the goal. It was a thunderous strike, but the fans saw the ball floating in slow motion before it entered the net. Seems like the stadium paused for a second before it erupted with another great cheers.
From then on, I knew that Liverpool was going to win the match. Even though Chelsea had a couple of chance to draw level through Eden Hazard, and another SLIP incident, this time by Andrew Robertson, it was clear that this match belongs to Liverpool. The final whistle was blown, and Liverpool has finally defeated Chelsea and at last buried the nightmare of 2013-2014 season. It was not the best of match by Liverpool standard, but nonetheless, three points has been gained and they are back at the top of the league. It was a great match against one of the toughest opponent.
I sat there on the sofa, still shaken with jubilation with the win. I reached for my coffee, and it already turns cold, I finally realized that I haven’t touched it since the start of the Second Half match till the end. That’s how restless I was, I tend to forget other things when I was too focused on the outcome of the match. But one thing that I am sure of, I have the feeling that this win and the three points will be one of the reason that Liverpool will finally win the League after 29 years. Or will they?
YNWA