When Qin Xiong kicked the ball back to his previous position with his heel, Chelsea's defense on that side panicked.
Everyone saw that Cabaye had space to control the ball and if he wanted to break through, only Ivanović would be able to intercept him.
Therefore, Meireles and Ramires immediately went to that side to surround him again.
But they did not notice that Qin Xiong cut straight behind Cahill after he kicked the ball with his heel.
Cabaye stopped the ball on the left side in front of the penalty area. When he saw Ivanović rushing up, he decisively stuffed the ball diagonally behind Cahill.
Qin Xiong controlled the ball in the penalty area and kicked the ball inside the penalty area to the side of Chelsea's goal.
Terry was a little hesitant as he had to guard against Suarez's movement and on the other hand, he had to interfere with Qin Xiong's shot.
Many times in the past when he had played against Qin Xiong, Chelsea's defensive line had been broken through by Qin Xiong.
Once he made a move, Qin Xiong would definitely send Suarez a babysitter's ball.
But Terry did not have to worry about it.
Because Qin Xiong did not give him more time to think.
After a lateral adjustment, Qin Xiong decisively raised his leg to shoot.
A powerful volley sent the ball to the top right corner of the goal!
Čech immediately made a save, but his fingertips did not touch the ball. When he looked back, he saw the ball hanging straight in the corner!
Anfield instantly erupted!
Qin Xiong roared and rushed to the sidelines, waving his fists at the Red Army fans in the Kop stands!
Towards the Champions League final!
That was the cheering slogan of the Red Army fans for the game.
"Liverpool has broken the deadlock on the field! The exquisite cooperation between Qin Xiong, Baines and Cabaye!
After a shift in position and a triangle pass on the left side, Qin Xiong cut into the penalty area and made a lateral adjustment to shoot the ball into the goal!
Chelsea's tight defense could not withstand Liverpool's attack in the end.
1:0
The defending champions, Liverpool, have established an advantage at home and are now on their way to the Champions League final for the third year in a row! "
Chelsea's generals felt as if they had been struck by lightning. What they relied on was their tight defense!
In the first round of the game against Barcelona, Chelsea defeated Barcelona 1: 0 at home and forced a 2: 2 draw in the away game.
It could be said that apart from Torres's single-handedly equalizer at the Nou Camp due to Barcelona's massive pressure, Chelsea did not have an advantage at Barcelona's home ground.
It was the same at Anfield.
But the worst thing was that Chelsea lost the ball first!
Comain immediately signaled to the team after the team took the lead. Defensive counterattack!
Liverpool contracted as a whole. Gerard withdrew to play as the side midfielder, Cabaye withdrew to play as the center midfielder, Qin Xiong played as the attacking midfielder, and Suárez played as the striker.
Liverpool immediately changed formation 4411.
Di Matteo did not expect Liverpool to change so quickly and so utilitarian!
They immediately played defensive counterattack after taking the lead.
This forced Chelsea into a dead end!
If Chelsea wanted to play positional play, he was afraid that it would bode ill rather than well.
Did Di Matteo dare to gamble?
Did he dare to gamble at Anfield?
He did not dare!
Chelsea's generals did not dare to either!
Liverpool naturally did not care whether the team's playing style was too utilitarian at this time because they wanted to compete for the title.
Chelsea continued to defend intensively and Liverpool also contracted their defensive line.
This made the game unusually dull.
Both teams were almost unable to penetrate each other's penalty area to create a threatening offensive.
The scene was extremely dull.
The confrontation was intense and the offensive threat was insufficient.
After the first half, the two teams returned to the locker room. Comain's instructions to the team were simple: Stay calm!
Liverpool's players understood how severe the environment the team was in now.
A little carelessness could lead to a complete collapse.
Therefore, Gerard and Qin Xiong also gave speeches.
They worked hard for a season and overcame a lot of difficulties. If they fell at this time, no one would be willing to accept it.
Therefore, everyone continued to stick to defensive counterattack in the second half.
Chelsea originally wanted to see if Liverpool would be aggressive in the second half in the pursuit of expanding the score, but Liverpool showed a stable posture, leaving Chelsea with no way out.
The Liverpool fans in the stands continued to cheer for the team. They did not have any opinions because of the team's playing style.
Comain stood on the sidelines and carefully observed the changes in the game.
For him, with his long-term understanding of Chelsea and his control of Liverpool, he believed that one goal was enough to kill Chelsea!
Yes, a one-goal lead and then a defensive counterattack!
It was not that Chelsea's positional play was terrible, but once Chelsea took the initiative to attack, then Liverpool's quick attacks and counterattacks could definitely break down Chelsea's defensive line!
In the second half of the game, Liverpool only created some threats with two long shots.
In the end, the two teams scored 1: 0 in 90 minutes, with Liverpool winning by a small margin.
At the post-match press conference, Comain talked about the victory and said, "Chelsea's tight defense itself will not allow Liverpool to score easily. Qin Xiong scored a valuable goal. This golden goal will determine the direction of the semi-finals.
Now we're in the lead. If we stay in good shape and go to Stamford Bridge in a week, I believe we can eliminate Chelsea and advance to the final. "
Chelsea's manager, Di Matteo, felt helpless after the game about Liverpool's approach at home.
"I can't imagine that the defending champions are facing the game with such a utilitarian attitude. Of course, everyone is criticizing Chelsea for playing conservatively, but we have experienced a lot of ups and downs this season. If we can make the game beautiful, we will work hard to do so. However, Liverpool is taking a similar path to Chelsea. Obviously, they have failed to live up to the expectations of the outside world.
In a week, Chelsea will show the Blues's courage at home, strive to achieve a comeback and advance to the Champions League final! "
Qin Xiong's golden goal killed Chelsea, allowing Liverpool to take the lead to play the second leg of the semi-finals. This made Qin Xiong the team's hero once again.
Liverpool could not care so much now. Their bid for the title had reached the most critical juncture.
There was a Premier League game sandwiched between the two Champions League semi-finals.
The fourth last round of the Premier League!
The first to debut was Arsenal in the London derby against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea wanted to save their strength for the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, so they went all out in defense. Arsenal wanted to compete for fourth place in the points competition, so they bombarded Chelsea's defensive line at home.
Unfortunately, Robin van Persie, who carried Arsenal forward this season, was not effective. Arsenal could only accept the result of a 0: 0 draw with Chelsea at home.
After the game, Wenger reprimanded Chelsea's playing style, arguing that Chelsea had not improved in ten years!
Di Matteo retorted, "Chelsea wants to play in the Champions League semi-finals. Arsenal can't even enter the Europa League semi-finals. It's clear who has improved and who has regressed!"
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