A goalless draw that kept the European champions above Chelsea was celebrated like a victory by the visiting team’s supporters and, given that they had seen only one win in seven previous encounters with José Mourinho’s team, they were entitled to their triumphant roar.
Mourinho is not used to finishing second best and his substitutions, throwing on attacking players, suggested that he was more eager for victory than he had admitted 24 hours earlier. His players will have been irritated not to have beaten opponents who have competed with them for trophies and the affections of Steven Gerrard in the past 18 months, but they did not create nearly enough chances to argue that they deserved victory. And when Essien escaped sanction midway through the first half, they forfeited any claims to bad luck.
No amount of rivalry between these clubs could excuse the studs-bared assault on Hamann’s upper shin. Missed by Herbert Fandel, the German referee, it was only ten yards from the Liverpool bench. Rafael Benítez leapt to his feet and he was entitled to his fury, given that no punishment was being administered for a red-card offence.
As Hamann lay on the ground, both sets of coaches became embroiled in a slanging match. Mourinho bluntly told Alex Miller, one of Benítez’s assistants, to return to his seat, but this was not the first time that the Chelsea manager had sought to defend Essien for leaving an unwelcome calling card.
The Ghana midfield player has been a fine addition to Mourinho’s squad, impressing when bursting from midfield or, as last night, standing in for Claude Makelele in the holding role, but his lunge on Tal Ben Haim, the Bolton Wanderers defender, in October was equally crude. The FA was powerless to intervene, despite calls for a yellow card to be upgraded, so Essien can regard himself as doubly fortunate.
Remarkably, Hamann managed to complete the game. Not so Peter Crouch, who appeared to be complaining about seeing two of everything after a blow to the head — an affliction that some may say could explain a few things — but Benítez will have been pleased that his players showed more of the resolve that has characterised their recent charge up the Barclays Premiership table.
A patternless match mostly fought out between congested midfields, it was probably more feisty than anyone had a right to expect. With Mohamed Sissoko catching Eidur Gudjohnsen’s ankle and the latter raising a foot for a challenge on Steve Finnan, it was evident that appearances are not deceptive. Despite the mutual respect between Mourinho and Benítez, these teams do not like each other.
There have been plenty of opportunities to fall out and the two sets of fans were engaged in their own battle for supremacy. Liverpool’s travelling army taunted Chelsea for having "no history", a jibe that was met with cries of "champions". With a fifth European Cup sitting in the Anfield trophy cabinet, the Scousers clearly felt that they were entitled to the last word.
Finishing top of the group would hardly be a significant addition to either club’s boasts, but with two strong XIs on the field, there was intent from both sides. José Manuel Reina saved smartly from a Frank Lampard shot as Chelsea exerted early pressure, but it was Liverpool who created the best chance of the first half when Gerrard slipped the ball to John Arne Riise, who shot crisply but too close to Petr Cech.
Aside from the knowledge that they should have been playing against ten men, Liverpool also felt that they had been deprived of a penalty, but the referee judged, probably correctly, that John Terry had simply won a shoulder-barging contest with the lightweight Luis García. Like the game, it was too close to call.
Chances were being strictly rationed, which will have suited Liverpool after their 4-1 humbling at Anfield in the Premiership two months ago. Defensive resilience has been the cornerstone of their surge up the table and, with Sissoko, Hamann and Gerrard snapping away in midfield, they mostly succeeded in restraining Mourinho’s men, although, inevitably, there were times when Chelsea’s greater possession looked as though it might count.