Chelsea's Russian revolution dawned with the storming of one of English football's great winter palaces. Since Stalin was conducting show trials in the Soviet Union, Chelsea had won only one league match at Anfield and the way a team supposedly made up of rank strangers performed was ominous enough to make you wonder what they will achieve deeper into the new season. They overcame their first test of Roman Abramovich's rule with the kind of quality not normally associated with a collection of expensively assembled millionaires; character. Having seen Michael Owen equalise with a penalty which was initially missed but then retaken, Chelsea regrouped and drove on. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, one of those whose place is supposedly most under threat, was fed a delightful ball from Frank Lampard, effortlessly forced his way past Jamie Carragher and buried his shot into the right-hand corner of Jerzy Dudek's net.
Tim Rich, The Independent
This result left the leading managers as grouchy as a Liverpool supporter. In the face of Chelsea's riches rivals had consoled themselves that there must be a time-lag before results reflect the calibre of a group that is yet to gel. There was to be no delay at all at Anfield as they immediately outstripped every previous line-up that the club has brought to this ground in Premiership history. This was the first away league win against Liverpool since 1992 and only their second in 68 years. Even so, the new Chelsea, to their benefit, have avoided disowning all of the past. Even that confirmed meddler Claudio Ranieri does not dare tamper with that defensive triangle of Carlo Cudicini, Marcel Desailly and John Terry.
Kevin McCarra, Guardian
After high-fiving his way through Chelsea’s first victory at Anfield in the Premiership, Roman Abramovich declared that the experience was “worth every penny I have put into the club”. It was certainly a triumphant afternoon for the billionaire owner but, at £224 million and rising, he will surely hope that this was just a sign of greater things to come. This was only Chelsea’s third league win at Anfield since 1935 so, like the rest of the Chelsea fans, Abramovich will have left believing that, if his new team can win at Anfield, they can win anywhere. Dampening expectations has already become a futile exercise at Stamford Bridge and this victory, through goals from the sublime Juan Sebastián Verón and the indignant Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, has raised them to levels that make Claudio Ranieri’s task unenviable.
Matt Dickinson, The Times
The experiment in buying Chelsea a team to win the title could hardly have got a better start yesterday with a win at Anfield. But the players assembled by Roman Abramovich will have learnt one thing at least by now: that they have instantly become a team who everyone wants to beat and that the real tests lie ahead. For now, the signs are good. I have watched them come to Liverpool over the past two seasons and put in better performances than that, but lose. They have underachieved in previous seasons, but the strength in depth they have now is phenomenal and they showed the character to come back from a bizarre penalty decision.
Alan Hansen, Telegraph
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