JANUARY 7
Boss
dedicates win to Liverpool fans
LFC Official Website
Gerard Houllier dedicated the 1-0 win at Chelsea to
the Liverpool supporters and Chairman David Moores and
Chief Executive Rick Parry, as a thank you for their
fantastic support.
The travelling Liverpool fans at Stamford Bridge cheered
the Reds throughout the 90 minutes and the Reds manager
says he is delighted for the supporters, who he admitted
haven't had a lot to sing and shout about recently.
Houllier said: "The win comes at a good time. It has
been a tough week and I dedicate this win to the fans.
They have been patient and deserved this.
"I also dedicate the win to David Moores and Rick Parry.
I must say the support in the camp and spirit has been
wonderful.
"It was a great goal from Bruno Cheyrou and great work
from Bruno Cheyrou and I thought we did really well
tonight.
"Our workrate and team spirit was wonderful and I am
delighted with my players.
"I thought the sending-off of Diouf was wrong. He tells
me he didn't headbutt the player and the referee didn't
see it, and it was the linesman that gave it. The
referee has told me he will look at it again."
JANUARY 7
Murphy: Win
will silence critics
Ananova
Danny Murphy hopes Liverpool's 1-0 victory over
Chelsea will silence their critics.
The Anfield side, reduced to 10 men late on when
El-Hadji Diouf was sent off for a second booking, had
Bruno Cheyrou to thank for their first-half goal.
But midfielder Murphy said the team's work ethic had
helped them through.
"It was a big win for confidence because we lost to the
top three sides early in the season," he said.
"We didn't play great football, it was a scrappy game
but that was the way we intended it to be because we
know their capabilities.
"It was not good flowing football, it was a scrappy one
but one we deserved.
"We have had a lot of bad press recently and there is
only one way to shut people up - win games."
Murphy also paid tribute to man of the match Emile
Heskey, whose cross led to Cheyrou's goal.
"His quality was there for the creation of the goal for
Bruno," Murphy told Sky Sports.
"He was awesome. He showed great strength against two
big centre-halves."
Heskey felt the Reds were well worth their win. "We
showed what we were capable of and we got what we
deserved," he said.
JANUARY 7
Liverpool dent
Chelsea hopes
BBC Sport Online
Cheyrou's first-half goal followed a fine piece of
build-up play by Emile Heskey and left Chelsea trailing
in the Premiership title race.
Liverpool were made to sweat late on when El-Hadji Diouf
was sent off following a tangle with Adrian Mutu.
Reds keeper Jerzy Dudek also limped off late on to hand
a debut to Patrice Luzy but by then Chelsea were beaten.
Chelsea must have known it was not going to be their
night as early as the 11th minute as striker Hernan
Crespo limped off with a pulled calf muscle, Eidur
Gudjohnsen an early deputy.
Yet, surprisingly, it was the Liverpool attack which
carried the most threat, despite Michael Owen's return
from injury being limited to a place on the substitutes'
bench.
In Owen's continued absence, Heskey played the lead
striker's role following his late salvage job in the FA
Cup at Yeovil on Sunday.
England striker Heskey served early notice of his intent
on 13 minutes with an almost undefendable low centre
across the face of goal that Cheyrou just failed to turn
home.
But that combination clicked brilliantly on 32 minutes,
with Heskey again the architect and Cheyrou the scorer
with his first league goal for Liverpool.
Heskey did well to chest down a high ball on the
half-way line and played a one-two with Cheyrou before
racing out wide.
And when his second inviting low cross of the night came
in John Terry was this time unable to clear, allowing
Cheyrou to sweep home past helpless goalkeeper Carlo
Cudicini.
Chelsea's response was a Joe Cole shot which flew just
wide and a stinging Lampard drive over the crossbar from
an Adrian Mutu lay-off.
Gudjohnsen had earlier gone close following the home
side's best move of the night, volleying wide after Cole
had flicked on Makalele's pass.
But the home side were unconvincing and the home fans
frustrated.
Those frustrations turned to anger midway through the
second half as Chelsea's continued impotency prompted
Claudio Ranieri to withdraw Cole at the expense of
winger Jesper Gronkjaer.
The impish Cole was not a popular sacrifice and
Gronkjaer struggled to make a further impact as
Liverpool dug in their heels.
But Liverpool's cause was not helped by a late red card
for Diouf for a petulant second yellow card and a thigh
injury to goalkeeper Dudek, prompting a debut for
Corsican-born goalkeeper Luzi.
Luzi's first job was almost to pick the ball out of the
net as Mutu flicked a header against the crossbar from a
corner.
But in fact his first touch in the Premiership was a
fine save at the feet of Mutu as the Romanian striker
looked destined to end his goal drought.
That secured a valuable victory for Houllier's side,
revenge for an opening-day defeat at Anfield and means
Chelsea's search for a league double over Liverpool now
stretches 84 years.
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