5) Chelsea Fc 1 - 0 Liverpool

17 September 2006 One of Didier Drogba's finest goals in a Chelsea shirt struck an important early blow in the quest for a hat-trick of Premiership titles. His team-mates deserve much credit too, not least because they had to play 40 minutes of an eventful game with only ten men. That was due to a straight red card for Michael Ballack that will put his fledgling Chelsea career on pause for three games. But with Petr Cech to the fore and Ricardo Carvalho matching John Terry's never-shall-they pass display in defence, the Blues were a match for all that Liverpool could throw at them. The opening to the game was fast and frantic, the ball flying around between the two sets of players as possession proved hard to hang onto. Warnock, the Liverpool left-back was booked within the first five minutes after going through the back of Drogba with a late challenge. Chelsea, unchanged from the midweek Champions League game, started to find a little rhythm. There was a frantic scramble almost under the Liverpool crossbar on ten minutes as the ball was nodded around from one side of the goal to the other. The whistle eventually went for a foul on keeper Reina by Drogba. Terry, who had ended up in the back of the net, needed treatment but as ever, was able to continue. It needed a timely interception by Carvalho at the other end to prevent Bellamy's cross reaching Kuyt as the visitors broke. Chelsea cleared the corner initially but when the ball was played back by Alonso, he found Kuyt in space, the new signing from Feyenoord drilling a shot hard over Cech but against the crossbar. With few genuine wide players in the two team, it was rush hour in the centre of the park. The prominent Chelsea player in the game's early stages was Ballack, finding space with quick feet amongst all the bodies. Lampard struck a 25 yard free-kick past the wall but straight at Reina after his German team-mate had been fouled by Carragher. Then Kuyt and Bellamy combined for Cech to save. On 25 minutes, Boulahrouz became the first Chelsea caution, robbed of possession by Gerrard and then fouling as he tried to make amends. Drogba followed him four minutes later when he found himself back in the left-back position and brought down Pennant. That was on half-an-hour and the game was evenlymatched at that stage.

Going into half-time it wasn't. Didier Drogba made sure of that. The striker who has given Liverpool a torrid time in these fixtures before, took Lampard's looping cross from the right on his chest and in one movement swivelled and volleyed with his left foot. The ball flew past Reina who had no chance. Oh how Drogba and his team-mates celebrated, first to one side, then the other of The Shed End. Appreciating such a hefty drive was Tiger Woods, watching from the West Stand having accepted Shevchenko's invitation to the game to fill an unplanned day-off. When the cheers had at last died down, there was still danger to be negotiated in stoppage time after cross-field passes from Gerrard and Pennant opened Chelsea up, but the Liverpool captain's angled-drive at the target came to nothing. So Chelsea had the lead going into the second-half but knew against powerful opposition that the best second-half of the season so far would be needed. The chances of that happening became a lot slimmer just five minutes after the restart when Ballack received his sending-off. Sissoko was the Liverpool player involved. Having won the ball from Ballack, the Mali midfielder lost out to Lampard and fell - his prone leg stamped upon by the chasing Ballack with the ball long gone. Referee Riley had seen it all and produced the red card in a flash. Liverpool, looking to maximise their advantage replaced Warnock with the more forward-running Aurelio behind Gerrard down the left. Drogba by now was playing alone with Shevchenko withdrawn. The Ukrainian was swapped with someone more adapted to those needs when Robben came on with 64 minutes gone. Three minutes later Cech made his big contribution to the game, brilliantly beating away Gerrard's smash when Liverpool had battled their skipper to a clear sight at goal. Chelsea were under siege but broke through Robben. He was disposed by two defenders before an opening could be found for a shot. There was a fleeting claim for spot-kick. Mourinho brought on Ferreira for Boulahrouz in an attempt to counter Liverpool's push for an equaliser. Liverpool were claiming a push of a different kind as Gerrard went down under a challenge from Lampard in the box while Cech pulled off another save from Pennant. Chelsea were by no means under the thumb constantly, Robben prominent in moving the game to the other end at all opportunities. Chelsea were indeed playing their best secondhalf.

As the clock clicked towards the final ten minutes, Crouch came on for Bellamy; former Chelsea man Bolo Zenden having also been introduced. Crouch's header from a cross soon after fell most invitingly for Kuyt on the penalty spot but he looped his shot tamely over. Cech was booked for time-wasting at a goal kick as the board went up for five minutes stoppage time. There was still work to do. It was fortunate then that Crouch headed tamely at Cech after Cole had allowed space for Finnan to cross. That was the final scare. Seconds before the final whistle, Mourinho was urging the crowd to give his players the ovation they deserved, and received. A note on the sideshow that accompanies this fixture - the Chelsea manager shook the hand of his opposite number both before and after the game. It will go down as one of more entertaining encounters between these two sides since the Iberian pair took their current jobs. A game that had promised more than just the single goal in the first-half was less likely to after Ballack's dismissal, but Chelsea's 100 per cent Premiership record over Liverpool under Mourinho continues. A new Chelsea record of 11 consecutive home wins in all competitions had been set. At this early stage, Chelsea already have an eight-point lead over a team expected to be one of our closest rivals. Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2) Cech; Boulahrouz (Ferreira 71), Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole 61; Makelele; Essien, Lampard; Ballack; Drogba (Kalou 90+4), Shevchenko (Robben 64). Scorer Drogba (42). Sent-off Ballack. Booked Boulahrouz, Drogba, Cech. Livepool (4-4-2) Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Warnock (Aurelio 51); Pennant, Sissoko, Alonso, Gerrard (c); Bellamy (Crouch 78), Kuyt. Booked Sissoko, Warnock.