COSTA
Chelsea and Liverpool will lock horns on Friday night in
what is the latest instalment in a long line of titanic tussles.
A modern rivalry, the two sides share plenty of history
having met 41 times since 2005 in numerous Premier League, Champions League and
FA Cup encounters.
Here, we take a look back at some key clashes at Stamford
Bridge in recent years.
Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool - May 2003, Premier League
Dubbed the '£20m match' this encounter would ultimately
prove crucial in Roman Abramovich's decision to purchase the club the following
month.
With a place in the Champions League at stake, both sides
started nervously - understandably so - and it was the visitors who made the
first move.
Following some slack marking, Liverpool captain Sami Hyypia
rose highest to head in a Danny Murphy free-kick, but there lead was to last
for only a minute.
Much maligned winger Jesper Gronkjaer - mocked for his
supposed inability to deliver - ironically crossed for Marcel Desailly to nod
past Jerzy Dudek and it was the Dane who had the final say, when his brilliant
curling effort proved to be the winner.
Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool (agg: 4-3) - May 2008, Champions
League semi-final
An emotionally charged night saw Chelsea reach their first
Champions League final as they edged a five-goal thriller under the pouring
rain in south west London.
Having been knocked out of the competition by Liverpool
twice before (in 2005 and 2007), Didier Drogba seized the initiative to break
the deadlock. Despite their lead, the hosts then seemed content to sit back,
allowing Fernando Torres to level the match.
When Hyypia felled Michael Ballack in the box it was left to
Frank Lampard - back in the starting line-up following the death of his mother
- to dispatch the penalty.
The brilliant Drogba grabbed his second, before Ryan Babel
unleashed a speculative effort from 35-yards to ensure a nervy end to this most
tumultuous of matches.
Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool (7-5) - April 2009, Champions
League quarter-final
One of the most entertaining ties in the competition's
illustrious history, the attacking brilliance coupled with both teams'
willingness to self-destruct in defence, meant these two somehow eclipsed the
previous year's spectacle.
Leading 3-1 from the first-leg, the second should have been
routine for Chelsea - that was until Fabio Aurelio embarrassed Petr Cech and
Xabi Alonso rifled in his penalty.
After the break, Reina contrived to turn Drogba's deft touch
into his own net, before Alex launched a pile-driver of a free-kick beyond the
Spaniard. The inspirational Lampard netted a well-worked brace to settle this
chaotic affair.
Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool - February 2011, Premier League
If the bad blood between these two had gently simmered over
the years, the pot was soon to lose its lid following Fernando Torres' £50m
switch to Chelsea and to rub salt further into the wounds, his debut would come
against his former employees.
Taunted mercilessly throughout by the fans that once adored
him, the Blues' new-boy cut a subdued figure, as he and the hosts struggled to
make any kind of impact.
A fruitless day at the Bridge was compounded when Steven
Gerrard - once a Chelsea target himself - crossed for Raul Meireles to tap into
an empty net.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool (agg: 2-1) - January 2015, Carling
Cup semi-final
Keeping very much in line with the theme of these meetings,
controversy was never far away on a night where football was almost an
afterthought.
Six notable flashpoints - including two stamps from Diego
Costa - meant Branislav Ivanovic's fine header, which sent Chelsea through to
the final, failed to receive the acclaim it deserved.
With Costa in a mischievous mood, the Reds were rattled,
unable to get the crucial away goal their opponents had grabbed at Anfield to
seize control just days before, as the Blues headed to Wembley.
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