16/10/1999  Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0

Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf's recent warning that the 
Premiership was too violent came back to haunt him at Anfield 
as his own side had two players sent off in a tempestuous 
encounter with Liverpool.

Having scaled the heights of achievement with their 5-0 
slaughter of Manchester United, Chelsea were brought back down 
to earth with a resounding thud by Gerard Houllier's side.

After an instantly forgettable first-half, the match 
exploded into action within four minutes of the restart as 
Liverpool snatched the lead through midfielder David 
Thompson.

After Leboeuf himself had then angrily limped off following 
a tackle by Michael Owen, tempers began to flare and, by the 
end, referee Mike Reed had booked seven players and sent off 
another two.

The first to receive his marching orders was Leboeuf's 
defensive colleague Marcel Desailly who had earlier been 
booked for handball and was then shown his second yellow card 
for bringing down Danny Murphy in the penalty area.

Owen missed the ensuing spot-kick but Liverpool held on to 
secure victory and Chelsea's shame was complete two minutes 
from time when their belligerent captain Dennis Wise was 
dismissed after clashing with Vladimir Smicer.

But while Chelsea having lost their heads as well as their 
tempers will inevitably make the headlines, Houllier must also 
be left to wonder just how his side can lose to Watford, 
Everton, Southampton and Middlesbrough yet beat Arsenal, Leeds 
and now Chelsea.

It may not have been a vintage Liverpool display yet they 
were for once largely accomplished at the back, industrious in 
midfield and had just enough spark up front to outwit a 
normally resilient Chelsea side.

In the turgid first-half, however, the home side, with a 
five-man midfield, had appeared more determined to contain 
Chelsea than push men forward in support of Owen, their sole 
striker.

For all the overseas players on the pitch, 15 of them to be 
precise at that stage, the match was a sub-standard English 
battle of wills, characterised by energy and effort rather 
than quality and invention.

The only delights for the purist were to be found at the 
back, with Desailly and Leboeuf in commanding form for the 
visitors and even Liverpool's often suspect defence holding 
firm as Gianfranco Zola and Chris Sutton foraged for meagre 
scraps.

Chelsea's only half-chances in the opening 45 minutes came 
when a cross by Dan Petrescu brushed off the forehead of 
Gustavo Poyet and then Wise shot over from a tight angle.

Meanwhile Liverpool, despite one memorable moment when 
Murphy nutmegged Desailly, were forced to try their luck from 
long-range.

Not that Jamie Redknapp cannot score from there, as he 
proved for England last weekend, but his first effort was 
comfortably saved by keeper Ed De Goey and his second - a 
30-yard free-kick - scorched just inches over the 
crossbar.

It took only four minutes of the second-half for the 
complexion of the game to change though as horrendous 
defending by Chelsea gifted an opening to the home side.

Leboeuf was booked for a trip on Owen and Chelsea's defence 
remained rooted to the spot as Steve Staunton's free-kick 
dropped on the edge of the six-yard box.

Three Liverpool players were in position to capitalise but 
it was 22-year-old Thompson who prodded the ball home.

The atmosphere on the pitch degenerated from then on as 
Leboeuf and Owen clattered into each other - with the 
Frenchman limping off - and Redknapp took Wise's legs away 
from behind.

Chelsea needed to regroup - and quickly.

But Liverpool had been were re-energised by their goal and 
the Blues were almost caught out again by a carbon copy 
free-kick from Staunton.

They remained uncharacteristically unhinged at the back and 
when Murphy chased a through-ball, Desailly sent the 
midfielder sprawling even though he was on the very edge of 
the penalty area and heading away towards the touchline.

Reed, the increasingly overworked referee, had no 
hesitation in showing a second yellow card to Desailly and 
pointing to the penalty spot.

Owen stepped up confidently enough but promptly shot wide 
of the target to waste the chance to virtually kill off the 
game, while Redknapp also curled an effort wide shortly 
afterwards.

Chelsea, with Tore Andre Flo and Bernard Lambourde now on, 
certainly gave the home side some nervous moments in the 
closing stages, especially when Flo broke clear and keeper 
Brad Friedel did well to block his shot.

But they had self-destructed by losing their cool and Wise 
- who was dismissed four times last season - was then duly 
sent off again after his clash with Smicer, which left the 
Czech pole-axed.

Even Chelsea boss Gianluca Vialli was incandescent with 
rage by this stage as he slammed the ball into the ground in 
frustration when Reed wrongly awarded Liverpool a 
throw-in.

With just nine men left on the pitch, his side could not 
secure a late equaliser despite five minutes of 
injury-time.

And having now won just once in the League at Anfield in 
almost 64 years, they will be glad not to have to return here 
until next season.