20/01/2007  Liverpool 2 Chelsea 0
 
Jose Mourinho witnessed a comprehensive defeat of his expensively-assembled Chelsea team as Liverpool under Rafael Benitez finally managed a league victory over the Londoners.

The shock defeat, admittedly with a weakened Chelsea side, gives leaders Manchester United all the incentive they need to beat Arsenal tomorrow and open up a nine-point gap at the top of the table.

For Liverpool, this was vindication of Benitez's recent policy of fielding weakened sides in the cup competitions to give his squad the chance to mount a significant challenge at the head of the Premier League.

Early goals from Dirk Kuyt and Jermaine Pennant gave Liverpool the platform to erase from their memories the two cup defeats by Arsenal suffered at Anfield.

Liverpool weathered a small Chelsea storm each side of the break and should have won by more, with John Arne Riise missing a sitter and then hitting the bar from 40 yards.

Chelsea suffered another blow overnight with Ricardo Carvalho ruled out with a high temperature, adding to the continued loss of John Terry.

Ashley Cole returned after suspension while Claude Makelele was sidelined with a ban, but it left Chelsea with a makeshift backline lacking height that struggled continually against Peter Crouch.

Mourinho opted for Petr Cech in goal, who was allowed to wear a rugby-style skullcap in his first match since fracturing his skull at Reading in October.

And it must be a long time since he was beaten twice in the opening 18 minutes of any match.

Liverpool had Riise back, but in a left-sided midfield role, with Daniel Agger preferred in the centre ahead of Sami Hyypia.

Craig Bellamy was the unlucky striker left on the bench, with Crouch and Kuyt up front. Few, though, would have predicted the damage the pair were able to cause.

Jamie Carragher, making his 450th appearance for Liverpool, was in action instantly to block a John Obi Mikel drive, taking the pace off the effort enough for Jose Reina to save.

But Carragher's next involvement helped create Liverpool's stunning opener on four minutes. The defender's long ball into the box was nodded down by Crouch for Kuyt, who left Paulo Ferreira wrong- footed before drilling his shot past Cech.

Anfield erupted, and they should have been celebrating a second two minutes later when Riise was in yards of space on the left, taking a Xabi Alonso pass, but from six yards he failed to beat the diving Cech.

Chelsea's struggling central defensive pairing of Ferreira and Michael Essien almost let in Crouch again before Riise sent a 25-yarder fizzing over.

But Liverpool's second soon arrived. Steven Gerrard's long ball again aimed at the heart of Chelsea's defence was nodded weakly away by Essien, but it still took a brilliant 30-yard dipping drive from Pennant to beat Cech into the top corner for his first Liverpool goal.

It got worse for Mourinho when Arjen Robben, who had been injured minutes earlier, had to be replaced on 20 minutes by Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Chelsea's reaction to the shock of being two down was limited until Alonso went off with a facial injury after a clash with Didier Drogba.

That gave Chelsea a man advantage and more possession and Liverpool's 10 men were under serious pressure. Alonso was off the pitch for seven minutes having treatment but had to retire again a couple of minutes later, still bleeding.

This disruption gave Chelsea the initiative - even when Alonso returned for a second time. Frank Lampard, from a free-kick, and Drogba from 18 yards, both fired efforts into the Kop.

Chelsea showed more urgency after the break, and Liverpool helped their cause by conceding too many soft free-kicks.

But after 10 minutes of Chelsea pressure, Riise broke out of defence, fed Kuyt on the right and when the eventual cross arrived in the box, an unmarked Crouch headed it straight at Cech.

Chelsea and Cech were fortunate not to be three down on 61 minutes when Riise spotted the keeper a yard too far forward and hit a dipping 40-yarder that smashed against the bar, went up into the air and when Crouch headed the rebound goalwards, Cech scrambled to clutch it on the far post.

Kuyt volleyed a Riise cross wide and then the Norwegian saw another first-time effort fly over the bar.

Ferreira was booked for a foul on Kuyt before Andriy Shevchenko finally arrived.

Mikel went off, and the Ukrainian was instantly serenaded by the Kop with songs about Istanbul, not surprisingly.

The Chelsea boss was also getting the treatment - 'bye, bye, Mourinho' boomed round the stadium.

Liverpool finished with a flourish and could have had more. Chelsea barely created a decent chance to test Reina, and that will bother Mourinho far more than any talk about his future.

Bellamy came on for Crouch with five minutes left, Liverpool looking as if they had weathered everything Chelsea could throw at them.

And they created another chance when Kuyt hooked over after neat work by Bellamy, Pennant and Gerrard. Mark Gonzalez took over from Kuyt on 89 minutes, Liverpool having indulged themselves with a lengthy spell of keep-ball.

Liverpool ended convincing winners and with their season rekindled they dare even to look towards the top of the table.