Chelsea vs Liverpool: How a once fiery Premier League rivalry came to lose its spark

The disappointing thing for Chelsea is that, for Liverpool, their meeting on Sunday is not the biggest of games. It is hardly inconsequential but it does not have the frisson of a showdown with Manchester City

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the 2007 Champions League semi-final (Getty)

A former Chelsea executive tells a story about the Champions League semi-final second leg against Liverpool at Anfield in 2005. It was the infamous ‘ghost goal’ game, where Luis Garcia’s disputed fourth-minute strike sent the home team to Istanbul.

At half-time the Chelsea contingent were furious about the referee allowing the goal. Roman Abramovich, the owner, seemed distracted. “We need a song,” the Russian said. The company was confused. “Like the song they have.”

The executive explained that You’ll Never Walk Alone had grown out of an organic supporter culture and that fans at Stamford Bridge had their own separate, distinct way of doing things. “Find a songwriter,” Abramovich said. “Pay him to write us a song.”

A bitter rivalry was growing between the clubs and the story could be an allegory for it. Both sides wanted what the other had got. Chelsea had the cash and the titles, Liverpool had the Champions League trophy and Steven Gerrard.

The Kop revelled in singing, “You’ve got no history,” to their west London counterparts but that was silly. Chelsea’s history – even before the slew of trophies delivered by Abramovich’s money – is rich and fascinating. It features Fatty Foulke, the 20-stone goalkeeper, the highest league attendance at a permanent home stadium when nearly 83,000 crammed into the Bridge against Arsenal in 1935 and Ken Bates and his electric fences.

For a while it was the most fractious duel in English football when Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez were going head to head. The heat has gone out of the contest now. Frank Lampard might retain some residual dislike for the league leaders but it would be hard to find anyone around Anfield who harbours real contempt for Chelsea. That is so last decade.

The hostility was always rather one-sided. The fury was stronger at the Bridge. Even that seems to have softened a little. The disappointing thing for Chelsea is that, for Jurgen Klopp and his team, this is not the biggest of games. It is hardly inconsequential – any ‘Big Six’ clash is important – but this fixture does not have the frisson of a showdown with Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s side are the focus of antagonism on Merseyside. The pattern has repeated itself, too. City have the titles and the money, Liverpool the Champions League trophy…

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the 2007 Champions League semi-final (Getty)

Chelsea and Liverpool had setbacks in Europe this week but Klopp’s side appear best equipped to rebound on Sunday. Lampard is experiencing a similar situation to when the German arrived at Anfield four years ago. He is having to cope with an unbalanced squad that is not of his own making. Like Klopp, the 41-year-old is optimistic about the outlook for the team but it is a very difficult job for a man so early in his career. He needs time and investment if he is to succeed. Klopp got both from Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owners, but the 52-year-old had a long record of success behind him and was a proven winner in the dugout. Lampard does not have the same credentials. There’s that history thing again.

Chelsea’s mix of talented youngsters, shop-worn veterans and injured gamechangers – well, N’Golo Kante at least – leave the club a long way behind the top two teams in the Premier League. While the feud with Liverpool went dormant, the decision-makers at Stamford Bridge fell asleep at the wheel. The title successes of Jose Mourinho’s second term and Antonio Conte disguised a system that was broken. A dozing driver can only stay on track for so long. Chelsea haven’t quite crashed – not in the head-on sense – but they have hit the buffers. It will take some time to turn things around, even if the transfer ban is reduced by the January window. Abramovich is no longer eager to spend money like he once did.

For Liverpool there is the sense of satisfaction from a plan coming together. FSG like to think that they did things their own way, even if the truth is what really made the difference for Klopp was the same thing that the owners would sneer at from other clubs. Like Chelsea in the 2000s and City now, FSG spent big money on proven talent. That, however anyone tries to spin it, is the shortcut to success. Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker elevated Liverpool to trophy winners.

The Bridge will work itself into a frenzy on Sunday and, if you close your eyes, it will be possible to imagine life as it was a decade ago, with Lampard in his pomp terrorising the Liverpool defence. The reality is that the clubs have different expectations and prospects at the moment.

Fifteen years on, Liverpool are still dancing to a different tune. Abramovich may no longer be willing to splash the cash to compete.