Forcefully criticised at the club’s annual meeting on Monday evening, Gérard Houllier heard his name sung by many Liverpool fans at Stamford Bridge last night as his side secured a rugged and important Barclaycard Premiership victory. Claudio Ranieri will advise him not to listen to a fickle public because it was not so long ago that he was the darling at Chelsea. Last night, the Italian’s press conference had to be delayed because of an unusually long debrief with Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, after a third defeat in five league matches. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here tomorrow,” Ranieri replied to questions about his own position. “He (Abramovich) is not happy, but he’s patient.” Wild fluctuations can be expected for both managers over the next five months but, last night, Houllier could savour his team’s most significant conquest of the season. They had come to fight and frustrate and they did it right up to El-Hadji Diouf’s late dismissal for tangling with Adrian Mutu. “Liverpool had never won here in the Premiership, so we had to take what we could,” Houllier said. “You can dream, but sometimes we have to be realistic.”
Matt Dickinson, Times
Liverpool show their spine
Liverpool's dreams of the fourth Champions League qualification place disappeared here last season; last night, they dramatically rekindled their hopes with a marvellously dogged display embodied by the tireless spine of Sami Hyypia, Dietmar Hamann and the outstanding Emile Heskey, who created Bruno Cheyrou's exceptional winner. Even El Hadji Diouf's late dismissal could not trouble Liverpool. Houllier's line-up had appeared riven with caution, Heskey playing the lone striker with occasional support from Cheyrou while Michael Owen began on the bench. Yet when the moment came to spring out with most venom in the first half, Liverpool cut through Chelsea with pace and ease, the Heskey-Cheyrou axis suddenly looking a headline act. If not yet a real heavyweight partnership, at least there was real life flowing from the man christened Bruno in conjunction with the man nicknamed Bruno in his Leicester City days. When they combined, it was devastating stuff.
Henry Winter, Telegraph
Cheyrou starts clock ticking on Ranieri's reign
The Premiership is beyond Liverpool but they retain the power to influence its destination. This victory, their first at Stamford Bridge since the 1980s, may have struck a mortal blow to Chelsea's hopes of breaking the Manchester United-Arsenal axis and claim their first championship since 1955. It may thus also spell the beginning of the end for Claudio Ranieri's stewardship. Ranieri emerged from an extended post-match meeting with Roman Abramovich, the club's owner, to insist: "I will be here for a long time". He added: "Mr Abramovich is not happy but he is patient. I told the players 'well done'. They gave their maximum. We just need to get through this bad period." Perhaps he should try some old-fashioned management. The modern footballer, wealthy beyond imagination, is a hard animal to motivate. Recently, though, managers and chairman have risked a return to public lambasting with startlingly effective results. The Newcastle chairman Freddie Shepherd's criticism of his team was followed by the stunning win at Southampton; David Pleat's questioning of Freddie Kanouté's commitment to Tottenham prompted a hat-trick; and, last night, Gérard Houllier's admission, at Liverpool's AGM on Monday night, that Bruno Cheyrou had been a "disappointment" was followed by his first League goal since joining the club 19 months ago.
Glenn Moore, Independent
Houllier's reprisal hits Chelsea
Liverpool have suffered greatly at the hands of Chelsea but on this one night they carried out a dramatic reprisal .Claudio Ranieri's side are now seven points behind Manchester United and the manager will have to wait to discover the ramifications of failure in their quest for the title. Gérard Houllier's team, with a marvellously judged and organised effort, departed with renewed optimism. They endured even after the harsh 87th-minute dismissal of El Hadji Diouf, who had already been booked, after tangling with Adrian Mutu. Last night they appeared far closer than Chelsea to achieving the maturity of a successful team. That could prove to be a mirage but there was no doubting the substance of this result. It was Liverpool's first victory at Stamford Bridge for 15 years and it came after seven consecutive defeats here for Houllier. This was a manager who badly needed to halt a trend that might have been leading towards his dismissal. There had been enough hostility at Monday's annual general meeting to make the manager more devoted than ever to his allies. "It was a great game to show our determination and togetherness," said Houllier. "It came at a good time after a difficult week. I want to dedicate this victory to the fans and to the chairman David Moores and Rick Parry [chief executive]." It was understandable that he should be happy to have, for once, a kindly spotlight trained on him. The debate about his prospects and the club's future does not end here but the review process will be more intense at Chelsea for the time being.
Kevin McKarra, Guardian
