Chelsea's Approach Leaves Them Lucky to Be on Top Against Liverpool

Chelsea might well consider that they are firmly in control of their Capital One Cup semi-final against Liverpool after the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Tuesday.

And justifiably so. They are, after all, level following the away portion of the tie, with the home half to come at Stamford Bridge in a week, where they will be justifiably confident of getting a result.

Jose Mourinho's side have an almost flawless record at home, winning all of their league games and drawing just one in cup competitions—against Schalke in the Champions League. In addition, they have an away goal, although that will only become relevant after extra-time in the second game.

After the game, Mourinho declared that it was now a “one-legged semi-final,” which it effectively is, thus declaring his satisfaction with the draw.

However, by adopting such a cautious approach at Anfield, Mourinho and Chelsea's plan actually almost backfired, and in the end they were lucky to get away with a draw.

Mourinho's decision to bring John Obi-Mikel into his starting line-up in place of Oscar was not a particularly surprising one, and neither was it necessarily one that made them less attacking. The switch meant Cesc Fabregas moved into a more advanced role, where he has performed well in the past, and he still had Eden Hazard and Willian either side of him.

This was displayed in the early exchanges, with Chelsea attacking with some purpose, and it was the persistence of both Fabregas and Hazard that led to their goal, with the Belgian drawing a foul from Emre Can inside the box and then converting the resultant penalty.

However, Chelsea seemed to almost settle for just one goal, and as the game progressed, Liverpool grew in confidence and attacking intent, at some stages in the second-half resembling the exhilarating side that so nearly won the league last season.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Chelsea nevertheless sat back and invited pressure, a dangerous move considering the pace in Liverpool's attacking line. The likes of Raheem Sterling and Lazar Markovic, then Adam Lallana after his introduction for Steven Gerrard, ran and ran at the Chelsea defence, a back line that may well be solid but is chronically lacking in pace. Gary Cahill and John Terry, of course, have their qualities, but neither are fleet of foot, and they were nearly embarrassed on a number of occasions.

Indeed, Liverpool's goal came about when Sterling advanced on Cahill, leaving the England defender grasping in his attempts to close the attacker down, which he couldn't do, and Sterling slotted a neat finish into the corner.

There were several other occasions when Chelsea's caution could have resulted in another Liverpool goal, most notably when Lallana's fine effort was clawed away by Thibaut Courtois, while they made little effort to increase their own goal tally.

Chelsea attempted just two shots on goal in the entire game, and given one of them was a penalty, it doesn't exactly speak to a team with an enormously positive attitude.

Of course, Mourinho wasn't especially worried. He told Sky Sports after the game: "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."

Mourinho's interpretation of Chelsea being "in control"' of the game at Anfield is hugely generous, and while they are clearly favourites to advance to the final after the second encounter, their unadventurous approach to the first very nearly landed them in some trouble, and they can count themselves lucky not to be behind.