They are nine points adrift of the leaders Portsmouth. More relevantly, perhaps, Liverpool trail Manchester United and Chelsea by eight, with their game in hand a minor solace. These may be the early phases of the season, but Rafael Benítez's forwards urgently need real firepower.
Chelsea must have relished an afternoon that left them appearing more sound than any challenger and delighted in having suspicions confirmed about United. Celtic pointed up flaws in the Old Trafford back four in the Champions League match and Arsenal cracked open the defence.
Emmanuel Adebayor's winner was well-worked, even though Cristiano Ronaldo will be scolded for his mistake, and the visitors had already seen a penalty saved as well. The immediate effect was to put Arsène Wenger's team a point above Liverpool, but they have much to do before Chelsea get apprehensive.
Jose Mourinho could have become disturbed yesterday but Liverpool made little of a numerical advantage gained following Ballack's horrible challenge on Momo Sissoko, who was on the ground after breaking up a move. The Chelsea midfielder's late tackle sank studs deep into his opponent's thigh. No team, all the same, are ever short of a grievance.
While Ballack's lunge at Sissoko was ghastly, the Malian should not have been on the pitch. Having already been booked, he had caught Frank Lampard on the ankle moments before the interval. The referee Mike Riley may have been merciful because he was annoyed by Chelsea's tasteless demands for a red card. Mourinho had edged on to the field, as if supposing he held the casting vote.
An astonishing goal by Didier Drogba, his fourth of this campaign, could not be overshadowed. Steven Gerrard did get through after 68 minutes but his drive was too straight and rebounded from the knee of Petr Cech. There was just one person with space and time for the considered finish that would have levelled the score. In the third minute of stoppage time Steve Finnan crossed and the unmarked Peter Crouch headed into the hands of Cech.
Openings were infrequent during a fixture between two teams adept at disrupting one another. It took a moment of supreme individuality to break the deadlock. Lampard flighted a pass to Drogba after 42 minutes and although Jamie Carragher forced him out of the area, the Ivorian made marvellous use of a sliver of space. Controlling the ball on his chest, he spun to sweep a 20-yard volley beyond an unmoving José Reina with his left foot.
Drogba can baffle as much as he battles, veering from the clumsy to the exquisite. All the same he has been more composed of late, establishing himself as Chelsea's chief striker while Andriy Shevchenko's acclimatisation is either stalling or going into reverse. Following the dismissal of Ballack, the Ukrainian was hauled over to the right of midfield before being withdrawn completely. While Arjen Robben did take over to make his comeback, Chelsea are still limited at present.
There may be mixed feelings for a visiting side when the red card is wagged at a Chelsea player. For many fans the iconic episode last season was the team's reaction to the expulsion of Maniche when they were losing to West Ham. The team regrouped and gambolled to a 4-1 win.
No repeat was feasible against Liverpool, who are nevertheless aggrieved. They seethed in particular at the rejection of appeals for a penalty in the 76th minute, when Gerrard went down following an alleged shove by Lampard. The officials presumably believed that the pair had been grappling with one another.
Goals of any sort are elusive for Liverpool these days, despite the acquisition of more flair through the summer. Having started with a 4-2-3-1 that pushed Gerrard on to Claude Makelele, Benítez changed his mind and adopted the 4-4-2 system.
This had the serious disadvantage of relocating Gerrard to the left flank, but it worked to a certain extent and Liverpool had the better of the early action. Chelsea, attempting to push up, were caught out when Xabi Alonso slid the ball through to Dirk Kuyt after 16 minutes. The angle was not ideal and the forward had to trust in sheer power, forcing a drive past Cech and watching it smack against the crossbar.
The Dutchman is a good team player and was faultless in that episode, but he needs to be sharper if he is to maintain the strike rate he enjoyed in his own country. Although he connected with Finnan's delivery in the 75th minute he put the header beyond a post.
A more exacting situation seven minutes later saw him send a bouncing knockdown from Crouch over the bar. It will be hard now for Liverpool to hit their target, too, despite the feeling that this would be the season when they were in the thick of the battle for the title.