Jose Mourinho delivered a managerial masterclass as Chelsea kept the Premier League title race alive with a 2-0 win over Premier League leaders Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers Liverpool were committed to attack while Chelsea were intent on defending - it may not have been pretty but it was effective as Mourinho triumphed with two runaway goals. Sportsmails DOMINIC KING was at Anfield and rated the performance of each player and manager. VIDEO Scroll down to watch Mourinho say Chelsea still have no chance of winning league Clinical: Chelsea striker Demba Ba makes no mistake with his one-on-one finish as they take a 1-0 lead Destructive: Nemanja Matic (right) was immense in the midfield for Jose Mourinhos side TELL US YOUR RATINGS Copy the team below, add your own ratings and post it in the comment section. Liverpool: Mignolet X Johnson X Skrtel X Sakho X Flanagan X Lucas X Gerrard X Allen X Sterling X Suarez X Coutinho X Chelsea: Schwarzer X Azpilicueta X Ivanovic X Kalas X Cole X Mikel X Matic X Salah X Lampard X Schurrle X Ba X Danger man: Liverpool striker Luis Suarez gets away from Chelseas Namanja Matic LIVERPOOL Simon Mignolet - Couldnt do anything to prevent Ba scoring and made one outstanding stop to thwart Schurrle in the second half. 7 Martin Skrtel - No blame attached to him for the goals Liverpool conceded, he wrestled with Ba all afternoon and maintained his good form. 7.5 Mamadou Sakho - Still looks awkward when in possession but made a few solid challenges, with one on Ba by the halfway line standing out. 6.5 Jon Flanagan - Wasnt fazed by the occasion but was fortunate not to concede a penalty in the first half when handling Salahs shot. 6.5 End to end: Defender Mamadou Sakho finds himself at full stretch in front of goal Glen Johnson - Arguably Liverpools best outfield player, consistently provided an outlet down the right but couldnt supply the final ball. 7.5 Joe Allen - Excellent in flashes and was always available in the second half, as Liverpool chased the game; had his sides best chance. 7 Lucas Leiva - Struggled to have any impact against the giants figures of Matic and Mikel and was eventually substituted; doesnt have Jordan Hendersons energy. 5.5 Steven Gerrard - The slip that enabled Ba to open the scoring will haunt him; so cruel as nobody had done more to keep Liverpool on the front foot. 7 Rodgers: Chelsea had two buses parked in front of goal Uncharacteristic: Gerrard scratches his head after his error led to Bas goal Luis Suarez - Picked the biggest game of the season to have his least effective performance; Chelseas defenders gave him no daylight. 5 Philippe Coutinho - Usually so sure on the ball, his passing was poor on this occasion and kept being intercepted by Blue shirts. 5 Raheem Sterling - Chelsea were wise to the threat he provided and doubled up on him at times, never giving him space to run in to. 5 Substitutes: Iago Aspas (For Flanagan 81), Sturridge (For Lucas 58) Manager: Brendan Rodgers - Has provided the right answer all through this season but this time didnt have a solution to outwit Mourinho - 6.5 Stacks on: Chelsea players surround Ba after the striker gave them a 1-0 lead in what was dubbed a title decider CHELSEA Mark Schwarzer - A measure of how well Chelsea defended could be gauged by the fact he didnt have a save to make until the 58th minute. 7 Branislav Ivanovic - Should be rechristened the magnet given how he could draw the ball away from danger; doesnt get credit for what a brilliant defender he is. 8.5 Cesar Azpilicueta - Has become one of Mourinhos most trusted lieutenants and again showed why as he kept Liverpools wingers quiet. 8 Mourinho: Best team won, Im confused about what defensive is Heavyweights: Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic goes up against Liverpools Martin Skrtel Tomas Kalas - Fluffed one headed clearance and missed a great chance to score but, otherwise, this was an excellent debut. 8 Ashley Cole - Fortunate to escape a booking after he smashed into Suarez during the first half; otherwise didnt put a foot wrong. 8 John Obi Mikel - Wasnt in team to do a pretty job but he did what Mourinho wanted him to do to the letter; guarded his defenders with aplomb. 8 Booked: Chelsea captain Frank Lampard gets a yellow card after a challenge on Raheem Sterling Nemanja Matic - As was the case when Chelsea beat Manchester City, the Serbian delivered a monster performance in the art of destruction. 9 Frank Lampard - Played a captains role, used the ball well and barked out instructions; delivered some dangerous set pieces. 7 Demba Ba - Scorer of the goal that has blown the title race open; had been a menace even before he capitalised on Gerrards slip. 7.5 Mourinho: We still have no chance of winning the title Going in hard: Chelseas Andre Schurrle challenges Gerrard Andre Schurrle - Almost scored Chelseas second goal; worked so hard that he was running on empty from the 75th minute, when he dropped to the floor. 7 Mohamed Salah - A few nice touches and could have won a first half penalty but perhaps the least effective of the starting line-up. 6 Substitutes: Torres (For Ba 84), Willian (For Salah 60), Cahill (For Schurrle 77) Manager: Jose Mourinho - Whether you love him or loathe him, there was no disputing that his game plan to frustrate then swoop worked to perfection. 8.5
Posted on: Sun, 27 Apr 2014 18:14:31 +0000
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