Many football pundits thought Chelsea were fortunate to escape the first leg of their Capital One Cup Semi-final against Liverpool last week with a 1-1 draw. It’s tough to argue against that standpoint. After all, Liverpool fired 19 shots to Chelsea’s two at Anfield and had it not been for heroic work in goal from Thibaut Courtois, the Blues could have been dealt a much worse result.
The first 45 minutes of Tuesday’s second leg had a similar feel. In the opening half Liverpool appeared to be the better side at Stamford Bridge, creating more dangerous chances and once again only being held off the score sheet thanks to stellar keeping from Courtois.
Liverpool’s attacking advantage was a product of its superior play in midfield. The Reds were exploiting Chelsea’s high line and Phillipe Coutinho was overrunning Cesc Fàbregas to create chaos for the Blues defence.
In the second half a change came in the Chelsea midfield that would turn things around. That change came in the 50th minute when Fàbregas was forced off following a sliding collision with John Terry, bringing Ramires on in relief. The Brazilian, who had been hindered for much of the past few months due to a groin injury sustained in September, provided immediate stability in the Chelsea midfield and the Blues dictated the match for much of the 70 minutes that followed.
While Fàbregas has been deadly for Chelsea this season with his incisive passing and mesmerising vision, his defensive capabilities have proven to be a bit of an Achilles heel at times. With Chelsea’s resolute holding midfielder, Nemanja Matić, also not playing his best half, the addition of Ramires was much needed, even if the circumstances of Cesc’s departure were unfortunate.
Tuesday’s match was a wide open, end-to-end affair at the Bridge; the kind of game that suits the Ramires down to the ground. Using his powerful running ability and trademark work rate to patrol the midfield, Ramires hounded Coutinho and shored up the gaps between Chelsea’s midfield and defence. The Blues appeared to be the more deserving side for most of the second half and extra time, and the protection of the midfield by Ramires was instrumental in that development.
Liverpool’s chances were cut down greatly and they failed to truly trouble Courtois following the substitution, misfiring from distance on several occasions. The best chance for the visitors came in the 100th minute, but Raheem Sterling’s excellent service was squandered by a poor header from Jordan Henderson in front of goal.
An exemplary play came in the 65th minute, when Liverpool rushed out on a counter attack. After the ever dangerous Sterling was played forward by Alberto Moreno, he darted toward the Chelsea goal on the left side of the pitch. At about 25 yards out the Englishman decided to play a cross toward the right side, which would have set up Lazar Marković with more than enough room in which to operate on the edge of the Chelsea box – but the opportunity never materialized. As Sterling’s ball flew through the air the counter was extinguished by an impressive defensive run from Ramires who had hurried back down the field, identified Marković with a quick glance to his right, and executed a well-timed, jack-knifing interception just in front of the penalty area. He tapped the ball back to Filipe Luis, who swiftly cleared. Threat neutralized for Chelsea.
It was a fast sequence and not one that will gather a ton of fanfare, but it’s the type of play that helped Chelsea take back the midfield.
It was the first time in a long time for Chelsea that Ramires looked like his old self, having struggled in mostly spot duty since his injury. His return to form was a long-awaited sight for Jose Mourinho.
“My Ramires is back, that’s the second best news of the day,” the manager said in his post-match press conference. “The first to be in the final, but to have our Ramires back after weeks of work and sacrifice.”
Ramires was not perfect on the evening, as he could have slammed the door shut on Liverpool with better end product on two attempts late in extra time. Thanks to Branislav Ivanovic’s 94th-minute score, though, the Blues had already clinched the 1-0 win and 2-1 aggregate victory.
Chelsea would have preferred to avoid the 30 minutes of extra time before a weekend tie with Manchester City, but a trip to Wembley for the Capital One Cup Final provides solace.
“When you win, fatigue doesn’t mean the same as when you lose,” Mourinho told Chelsea TV.
Despite Mourinho’s statement, the win was a taxing one for Chelsea. With some injuries popping up and 120 minutes of energy sapped, there’s a chance that Mourinho could once again look to his inexhaustible box-to-box Brazilian again on Saturday against City.
