Liverpool endure more tough calls in defeat to Chelsea (ESPN article)

by Dave Usher for ESPN

So that 'worst case scenario' I mentioned before the Manchester City game has indeed come to pass; Liverpool have gone from being top at Christmas to fifth going into the New Year. It isn't a massive shock and it shouldn't change how the team are perceived. No re-assessment of Liverpool's ambitions is required at this point, as two narrow, contentious defeats at the most difficult venues in English football do not make the Reds any less of a side than they were on Christmas Day, when they sat on top of the pile.

Nevertheless, they have dropped out of the top four and need to get back to winning ways quickly. Losing at Manchester City and Chelsea is almost to be expected and anything gained from those fixtures would have been a bonus, so from that point of view there's no real harm done. In fact there are a number of positives to be taken from the two losses. I'd describe it as short term pain but long term gain. The losses hurt, no question about that, but Liverpool have shown over the Christmas period that they can hang with the best and should take great heart from their efforts.

Having two such difficult games in a four day period was always going to test Liverpool's resources to the limit, and seeing Rodgers having to send a rookie left-back on to try and salvage something against Chelsea tells you everything you need to know about the lack of depth presently at his disposal. And yet they so nearly got something from the game and have every right to feel aggrieved that they didn't.

The loss at Stamford Bridge really hurts because of the injustice of it. For all Brendan Rodgers' complaints about referee Lee Mason on Boxing Day, Liverpool were beaten fairly and squarely by City. Yes, they played well and deserved at least a point, but they didn't get it due to not taking their chances, giving away bad goals and generally not having a great deal of luck. The linesman didn't help either, but that's not Mason's fault and personally I was a little surprised that Rodgers spoke out as he did.

The FA may yet decide to take action against Rodgers for his comments on Mason, but whatever punishment they hand out will pale into insignificance compared to that dished out by Howard Webb at Stamford Bridge. Mason was poor on Boxing Day but he didn't especially influence the outcome of the game. Webb's decisions, or lack thereof, most certainly did.

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