Nearly all positives on a night where the fringe players shone

On Tuesday night Liverpool travelled to Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea in the League Cup quarter-final, just two days after hosting Manchester City at Anfield. Prior to the game, Kenny Dalglish warned that he would have to rotate his squad, causing many fans to wonder if this was the end of the Reds’ run in the competition this season.

They needn’t have worried. While Dalglish did indeed ring the changes, making seven from the side that started on Sunday against City, Liverpool were the hungrier side throughout. They deservedly secured passage to the semi-finals with a 2-0 win courtesy of goals from Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Kelly.

The win brought with it many positives. Stamford Bridge, which for years was Liverpool’s bogey ground, has now become something of a lucky charm, with the Reds winning their last three games there in all competitions. In defence, youngsters Kelly and Sebastian Coates were outstanding and will surely be a key part of the backline for years to come.

Players who have not had much action recently came in and did a solid job. Jay Spearing was reliable, Maxi once again showed his ability to pop up with a goal (he must surely be pushing for a start against Fulham, where he scored a hat-trick last season), and Craig Bellamy was superb on what must have been a difficult night emotionally following the death of Gary Speed.

Andy Carroll’s goal drought continued when he was denied from the spot in the first half, but credit to him for stepping up when he must be low on confidence. He worked very hard in the second half despite being an isolated figure up front at times, and if the penalty had gone in it would have been a perfect night for him.

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