Chelsea FC's stirring recovery to finally smother Liverpool FC's formidable challenge at Stamford Bridge and claim a memorable UEFA Champions League quarter-final triumph was not the result of any great tactical change but something far more fundamental, according to midfielder Frank Lampard.
'Turn up please'
"It was a case of 'just turn up and play please' [from coach Guus Hiddink at half-time] because in the first half we did not turn up," said Lampard, whose two goals helped earn Chelsea a 4-4 draw on the night and a 7-5 aggregate victory. "No matter what tactics you play, if you don't get near them, if you don't work hard enough, you're going to fall behind. We knew we had to up our game and I'm just delighted to score two goals. The way Liverpool played was very, very special but we made it difficult for ourselves."
'Great personality'
Florent Malouda said it was a "crazy" game and a "fantastic" occasion for the fans". He added the fact Chlesea had conceded three goals against Bolton Wanderers FC on Saturday, in a 4-3 win, weighed heavily on their minds and contributed to a poor start in which Fábio Aurélio, from a free-kick, and Xabi Alonso, from a penalty, had wiped out Liverpool's two-goal deficit from the first leg. "At 2-0 down we showed great personality to change the game and we should be proud because it was not easy," said the French midfielder. "It's unusual for us to concede so many goals but it is also unusual for Chelsea v Liverpool matches to produce so many goals."
Čech beaten
Goalkeeper Petr Čech accepted responsibility for Liverpool's first goal, a disguised free-kick which Aurélio planted inside his left-hand post as the Czech prepared for a ball played to the far post, but insisted he had not lost confidence. "There was a goal I didn't like on Saturday [against Bolton] and another one tonight," said Čech, who was beaten twice again late on by a deflected Lucas drive and a Dirk Kuyt header. "They have been two difficult games for me but my form was good in the 15 games before that."
'Best in Europe'
Now Hiddink's team prepare for another high-quality duel with FC Barcelona in the semi-final – Chelsea's fourth in five UEFA Champions League seasons – after the Spanish side eased through 5-1 on aggregate against FC Bayern München. "Barcelona are probably the form team in Europe, if not the world, and there couldn't be a tougher game for us," said Lampard. "We need to show the confidence we did at Anfield and the character we did tonight if we are going to win."
Malouda warning
Malouda said Chelsea could not afford to defend as poorly again, adding: "If we can show the same spirit and quality we can achieve great things. If you want to win the Champions League you have to beat the top teams. We have beaten Liverpool and if we play to our level we can put Barcelona in danger as well."
(From Website : http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=820339.html)
