Revive Liverpool

Chapter 306 Crowded Competition

Liverpool fans are happy, but Manchester City fans are going crazy.

The team seems to be saying goodbye to the Premier League champions again.

Although the season is not over yet, so far this season, Manchester City has not been able to sit at the top of the Premier League once.

Originally, the team had been following Chelsea. Although they had many opportunities to overtake Chelsea but failed to seize them, they have been able to follow Chelsea.

But after the Christmas schedule, Manchester City began to fall behind.

The inability to win two consecutive rounds not only made them fall behind and fail to catch up with Chelsea, but also caused them to be overtaken by Liverpool.

Watch Liverpool and Chelsea battle it out again for the Premier League title.

This is not a good show for Manchester City fans.

……

Not only did Liverpool enter the fourth round of the FA Cup, but their journey in the League Cup is not over yet.

Therefore, Liverpool's schedule throughout January is very intensive.

After the end of the league, Liverpool will return to their home court for the semi-finals of the League Cup.

The two-legged contest is between Liverpool and Chelsea.

The four teams that entered the semi-finals are all from the Premier League, so there is no particularly weak one.

And there must still be strengths and weaknesses among the four Premier League teams.

For example, Liverpool and Chelsea are the top two in the Premier League, while the other two teams are in the middle of the ranking and the other is near the relegation zone.

The result of the draw was a strong encounter between Liverpool and Chelsea. This arrangement really embarrassed the fans of Liverpool and Chelsea.

Although it's the end, no one wants to meet each other so early (it's not too early, after all, it's the semi-finals), how great it is to meet in the final!

But there is no way, this can accept the arrangement of fate!destiny!

Now Liverpool and Chelsea are second in the league and the other is first in the league.

These two rounds of the League Cup may also be a preview of the Premier League title this season.

The first meeting between the two teams in the league this season was at Anfield. In that game, Liverpool defeated Chelsea and won, giving Chelsea their first loss of the season.

The second leg at Stamford Bridge will be the 36th round of the season.

At that time, that game may become a very crucial championship battle.

And these two games now are probably a preview of the next championship battle.

So both sides are serious about this game, even if it is a Carabao Cup game.

But just the prerequisite for the semifinals is enough for them to deal with it seriously.

Anfield is also packed today.

I am afraid that because of Gerrard's retirement, all Liverpool's home games after this season will be full.

In the 18th minute of the game, Emre Can knocked down Hazard in the penalty area and made a foul. The referee Atkinson decisively whistled a penalty kick. Hazard took the penalty overnight and Chelsea led [-]-[-] away.

In the 59th minute, Henderson went straight, Sterling turned around and passed Matic and broke into the penalty area at high speed to face Courtois with a low shot in the lower right corner. The score became one to one!

In the end, the two sides fought one to one, and in this game, Gerrard, as the captain, had the opportunity to help Liverpool reverse the score.

In the 67th minute, Coutinho broke through from the left and returned a pass. Gerrard adjusted his angle from 18 yards and rubbed a shot to the lower left corner, but the ball hit the post and popped out!

After missing this excellent opportunity, Gerrard was also replaced by Klopp, and the vice-captain Henderson took over Gerrard's captain's armband.

In this game, Liverpool fully suppressed Chelsea, shooting as many as 19 times in the game, while Chelsea only had 2 times. The Red Army's ball possession rate reached 62%, fully controlling the game.

This game can be said to be a representative game for Liverpool this season.

The number of shots is much higher than that of the opponent, and the ball possession rate is good, but it is always impossible to win in the end.

After the game, as the Red Army vice-captain Henderson and the Blue Army's top scorer Diego Costa clashed fiercely in the player tunnel.

Henderson first had a verbal argument with Costa in the passageway, and the two quarreled more and more, and then developed into pushing and shoving each other, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Fortunately, several staff members of the Liverpool club worked together to pull Henderson away to avoid further escalation of the conflict.

A big part of the reason for the quarrel between Henderson and Diego Costa was because of Diego Costa's non-stop small moves against Liverpool on the court.

What Diego Costa did made the Liverpool players very angry.

Coupled with the fact that the two teams met in the channel, Chelsea, who got a draw in the away game, is obviously more imposing than Liverpool, who only got a draw at home.

It is very likely that Chelsea will bring up the conflict. Maybe Li Nan's position is slightly biased towards Liverpool, but Chelsea is obviously more likely.

And this scene of conflict also laid the groundwork for the second round of the match between the two sides, and a strong smell of gunpowder has already begun to appear.

The game at Anfield ended with a score of one to one, and the suspense was left to the second leg.

The second leg will be played a week after this match.

Next, Liverpool ushered in the fourth round of the FA Cup, they will face the challenge of Bolton at Anfield.

The result of the game between Liverpool and Bolton was the last result Liverpool wanted to encounter. Liverpool drew Bolton [-]-[-] at home.

It also means that Liverpool will have a rematch with Bolton at Bolton's home next.

Liverpool has fought on four fronts this season, and the schedule is already very crowded. Throughout January, Liverpool has played 8 games without make-up matches.

This is the number of games when Liverpool's schedule is still relatively easy in the middle period.

And Liverpool's game in February will not be easy.

The Champions League has resumed, the League Cup, and the FA Cup are still possible.

Adding a rematch like this is really making matters worse.

If Liverpool failed to enter the final of the League Cup, it would save one game, but they have reached the semi-finals, who would choose to give up?
……

The second leg of the League Cup between Liverpool and Chelsea begins at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool did not have time to rest because of the fourth round of the FA Cup, and Chelsea was eliminated because of the third round. There was no FA Cup game, so they got plenty of rest, and Chelsea was still at home in this game.

So just from the perspective of objective conditions, Liverpool really has no advantage.

But when it comes to rest, at this time last year, Liverpool had a full half-month holiday because there were no FA Cup and League Cup games.

Such a winter break is really rare!

(End of this chapter)