Liverpool vs. Chelsea: Score, Grades, Reaction from Capital One Cup Game

Liverpool and Chelsea are all square in the Capital One Cup semi-final following a thrilling 1-1 draw in the first leg Tuesday night at Anfield.

Hosts Liverpool held the majority of possession throughout the match but fell behind to Eden Hazard's 18th-minute penalty.

Raheem Sterling equalised with a superb individual strike in the 59th minute, but although the Reds came close to scoring the winner on multiple occasions, the tie will head to London with Chelsea holding a slight advantage.

The second leg is scheduled for next Tuesday at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge. The winner of the two-legged tie on aggregate goals will advance to the final to face either Tottenham Hotspur or Sheffield United at Wembley on March 1.

Per Rule 13.5 of the Capital One Cup, away goals do not serve as a tiebreaker if the second leg of a semi-final tie is level after 90 minutes. Thus a scoreless draw after 90 minutes next Tuesday will not send Chelsea to the final. However, away goals would serve as a tiebreaker following extra time, meaning the Blues would advance if the second leg finished without a goal over 120 minutes.

For Liverpool, the cup is an opportunity to give legendary captain Steven Gerrard a shot at silverware in his final season with the club. Gerrard, 34, has confirmed he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season to join the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

Chelsea, meanwhile, remain in the hunt for silverware on four fronts. Currently atop the Premier League table, Jose Mourinho's men are also chasing glory in the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.

Liverpool edged possession in the opening quarter-hour but encountered stiff resistance from Chelsea in the final third. The Reds' first sight of goal came in the 16th minute, when Gerrard tried his luck from distance with a dipping shot, which Thibaut Courtois tipped over the bar.

Chelsea had been the more defensive team to that point, but in the 17th minute, the Blues won a penalty after Liverpool's Emre Can bundled over Hazard in the box. Hazard took the penalty himself one minute later, sending Simon Mignolet the wrong way to give Chelsea a 1-0 lead.

The rest of the first half played out much like the beginning, with Liverpool holding the majority of possession but struggling to break through Chelsea's disciplined defensive ranks.

In the 32nd minute, Courtois batted away a Gerrard free-kick from a tight angle on the left. Nine minutes later, Philippe Coutinho had a long-distance shot deflected over the bar.

Liverpool had a penalty appeal turned down in first-half stoppage time. Just before the break, the ball struck Diego Costa's arm as the Chelsea striker was on the ground in Liverpool's box. The contact was definite, if unintentional, and referee Martin Atkinson allowed play to continue.

After the break, the Reds continued to hold the majority of possession as they searched for an equaliser. When the goal arrived, in the 59th minute, it came from a moment of individual class.

Accepting a pass from Jordan Henderson in the midfield, Sterling turned into space past Nemanja Matic before bearing down on goal with searing pace. After reaching the box, Sterling blew past Gary Cahill and shot low across his body, beating Courtois at the far post to make it 1-1.

Finally level, Liverpool nearly took the lead in the 67th minute. Coutinho played the role of provider, dribbling to the byline on the left before pulling back and picking out Gerrard on the edge of the box. Gerrard picked his spot with a curled shot at the near post, but the ball hit the base of the upright and bounced away to safety.

The Reds had another chance moments later after breaking forward at pace. Coutinho tried his luck with a powerful, low shot from outside the box, but Courtois saved to keep Chelsea level.

Courtois made a double save in the 75th minute, first stopping Henderson's low drive, then keeping out the Sterling rebound from a tight angle on the left. The Belgian bailed out his side again in the 79th minute, pushing away Adam Lallana's sweetly struck piledriver from outside the box.

Liverpool continued to push for the winner until the end of the 90 minutes but were unable to turn their superiority into another goal. With a trip to Stamford Bridge looming in the second leg, the Reds might come to rue their missed chances. 

Grades

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Simon Mignolet	6
Emre Can	6
Martin Skrtel	7
Mamadou Sakho	7
Lazar Markovic	6
Jordan Henderson	7
Lucas Leiva	7
Alberto Moreno	7
Steven Gerrard	8
Philippe Coutinho	7
Raheem Sterling	8
Adam Lallana (for Gerrard, 70')	7

Starting XI	Rating
Substitutes	Rating
Thibaut Courtois	9
Branislav Ivanovic	7
Gary Cahill	6
John Terry	7
Filipe Luis	6
John Obi Mikel	5
Nemanja Matic	6
Willian	7
Cesc Fabregas	7
Eden Hazard	7
Diego Costa	5
Cesar Azpilicueta (for Willian, 89')	No rating

Reaction

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers (Sky Sports via BBC Sport):

"

I'm delighted with the performance, disappointed with the result. We thoroughly deserved to win the game.

We showed wonderful character. Some of our play was very impressive and it sets up the second leg perfectly because they've probably got to open up a bit more.

It's still all to play for. It was a great game and that shows the improvements that we're making.

…

We're getting better with every game, you can see the confidence returning. We were very unfortunate not to win the game. We went behind against the run of play but we created opportunities.

You've seen the return of the aggression in our intensity. The only thing which was missing was more than one goal. You'd expect Chelsea to open up a little more in the second leg and that will help us because of the pace and invention we have in the team. They have got a good record at home but we haven't conceded in our last three games away from home. We know it's going to be a difficult game. It felt like a big game tonight and the performance was big.

"

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (Sky Sports via BBC Sport):

"

It was a proper semi-final and a fair result. Liverpool played well but we were in control. Maybe with a bit more quality in our passing we could score more goals. We were not very efficient in our transition when we recovered the ball.

Thibaut (Courtois) had a couple of good saves and Steven Gerrard hit the post and I don't remember (Simon) Mignolet having saves to make.

We had lots of chances, spaces to counter-attack but our passing was not the best.

…

I'm not saying we are the favourites, I'm saying now the semi-final is one leg. We have to win and Liverpool have to win but it is at Stamford Bridge.

Some people consider the League Cup secondary but a big club like us and a big club like Liverpool respect the competition and that is good for English football.

"