Player Ratings

Liverpool

Pepe Reina 6

Owes Skrtel and Carragher large drinks for protecting him so well against Drogba. He was underemployed for long periods

Alvaro Arbeloa 5

Mostly sound but gave possession away too cheaply on occasions and struggled to second-guess Malouda at times

Jamie Carragher 8

Excellent throughout. Detailed to mind Drogba, their duel was to a key subplot. Survived penalty claim but seemed to win ball

Martin Skrtel 7

Not always sure whom to pick up but, on the plus side, often combined well with Carragher to keep Drogba in check.

Fabio Aurelio 6

Kept Joe Cole on the fringes of the action. Not much of an overlapping threat. Taken off on a stretcher just after the hour mark

Dirk Kuyt 8

Used his strength to out muscle all-comers and scored Liverpool's goal. Involved in most of their best openings

Xabi Alonso 7

Nearly made a goal for Kuyt with an intelligent pass, and his cute back heel provided a vital link in the preamble to Liverpool's goal

Javier Mascherano 7

Slowed the tempo and locked down central midfield when Chelsea started looking lively

Ryan Babel 6

Boasts pace and talent but found Ferreira a stubborn first-half obstacle. Was much improved in the second period

Steven Gerrard 6

Got a lot of attention from Makelele. A rare escape and a volleyed pass made a great chance for Torres. Not at his best

Fernando Torres 6

Contained by Carvalho for long periods. With Gerrard often tied up, lacked customary service but showed flashes of brilliance

Chelsea

Petr Cech 6

Made a great late save from Gerrard. Earlier came out to block a Torres strike. The busier of the keepers, he could do little about the goal

Paulo Ferreira 5

Not overly troubled by Babel during the first period but was given a thorough work-out by the winger after the interval

Ricardo Carvalho 7

Assigned as Torres' principal shadow but made a vital early challenge on Kuyt. Lost the Spaniard more than once

John Terry 6

Announced himself with a sliding tackle on Torres but was troubled by Kuyt's incursions and when Gerrard escaped from Makelele

Ashley Cole 5

Looked uneasy during aerial duels and was turned by Kuyt to costly effect. Totally lost him in the build-up to the goal

Claude Makelele 6

Tasked to keep close to Gerrard and succeeded in subduing him for long periods. Failed in last-ditch attempt to prevent Kuyt's strike

Michael Ballack 5

Contributed too many slack passes and struggled to carve out space for himself. Not the German's most effective evening

Frank Lampard 6

Lost the ball in the build-up to Kuyt's goal. Found Alonso a tough opponent and Joe Cole was rarely on his wavelength

Joe Cole 4

Often seemed on the game's periphery. Froze when Lampard presented him with an inviting opening. Replaced by Kalou

Florent Malouda 4

Frequently forced to forage extremely deep for possession behind Drogba and often ran around to limited effect

Didier Drogba 5

Eclipsed by Carragher. Wasted an inviting early free-kick and saw soft penalty appeal rejected. Betrayed by a heavy touch