The Fighter

"Three minutes of stoppage time. Liverpool had won a fairly dangerous free kick in a good position, but Yang Yang did not take it. Instead, he gently kicked the ball away. Referee Howard Weber took the hint and blew the final whistle."

The next day, The Guardian began its front-page report on the previous night's blockbuster match with those words.

The Guardian believed it had been a crucial clash that fans around the world had hyped up and eagerly awaited before the match, yet the game itself had been rather dull. The players had generally failed to reach their best form, making the match somewhat soporific, but it had exploded in the final stages, turning into a thrilling battle between two evenly matched sides.

Therefore, The Guardian believed that Yang Yang's goal had not only saved Liverpool, but also rescued this Premier League heavyweight clash.

"Without Yang Yang's goal, this would have been a truly disastrous match!"

Did that mean the match had no real value?

Not at all!

The Guardian believed this had been a very un-Premier League match, because both teams' head coaches had been filled with reason and restraint.

Chelsea knew that Liverpool possessed a powerful attack and a very solid defense, especially with Yang Yang in the side. So Scolari had devised a strategy centered on defending deep and patiently circulating the ball through midfield and defense, hoping to exploit Deco and Mikel's strengths in possession.

"Chelsea's limp attack severely dragged down this possession-based system. Even Drogba's return could not change that."

Liverpool, meanwhile, had recognized Chelsea's lack of attacking threat, but Benitez had not dared to take risks lightly. For the first hour, the Reds had played very cautiously, leaving Chelsea not the slightest opening and giving the Blues no way to get started.

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