Taking The Extra Touch

Went down to The Globe to watch Chelsea at Liverpool, and liked very much that Fabio Aurelio took the time to settle the ball on the left wing before sending the cross to the near post, where Fernando Torres buried the header in the back of the net to finally give the Reds the lead in the 89th minute. With the game in the late stages, and the pace somewhat frantic, he could have easily tried to hit it first-time, which almost certainly would have yielded a poorer quality cross.

And, to be honest, had it happened on the right earlier in the match, I have no reason to doubt that Dirk Kuyt would have just whacked the ball about twenty yards out of anyone's reach in any direction. Two things that struck me about Liverpool in this match were Kuyt's poor passing vision and the way their defenders are maybe a little too deferential, backing off balls they think their teammates might be able to get to. They're lucky that didn't bite them in the ass. On the other hand, I liked the pressure Liverpool applied to Chelsea's backline, ultimately paying off as Yossi Benayoun pounced on a ball in the final moments and slotted it in front of an onrushing Torres for his second goal of the match.

The game summary says Liverpool were only warned for a tackle "similar" to the one that send Frank Lampard home early with a straight red card, but it looked pretty clearly like he was over the ball with his studs up. The referee was right on top of the play and did not hesitate.