Chelsea have been narrowly focused on the FA Cup and Champions League for quite some time. It was obvious when they fielded their second team against Arsenal, it was obvious when they lost to Newcastle and it was obvious when that paid off in a win over Liverpool in the FA Cup final. Still, there's something a bit shocking about the way they played on Tuesday. Three days after the final, they looked completely disinterested in a 4-1 loss at Anfield.
John Terry was the goat of the evening, making a seemingly infinite number of errors in the first half. Chelsea could have conceded many times over in the opening 20 minutes, but it took Liverpool that long to score. Michael Essien netted for the Reds, putting a ... shot? pass? kicked ball thing? ... yeah, kicked ball thing by Luis Suarez into the back of the net.
The comedy of errors continued five minutes later when Terry fell on his face, allowing Jordan Henderson to run straight at goalkeeper Ross Turnbull with the ball. He scored, making it 2-0 to Liverpool. Three minutes later, Daniel Agger scored a header on a set piece to make it 3-0.
Liverpool should have made it 4-0 before the break. Andy Carroll drew a penalty on Branislav Ivanovic in stoppage time with a world-class dive. Stewart Downing -- the expensive signing who is yet to score in the league -- stepped up to the spot and hit the post. It's been a bad year.
Ramires gave Chelsea a bit of hope in the 50th minute, scoring with his midsection and/or groin, assisted by Florent Malouda. Unfortunately for supporters of the Blues, they were not hopeful for long. Jonjo Shelvey sealed the game for Liverpool in the 61st minute with a long-range effort, assisted by Turnbull. It was just that kind of game.
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