http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2041540,00.html REACTION: CLOSING IN
Posted on: Sun 02 May 2010
Carlo Ancelotti was understandably a happy man after victory at Liverpool, and thanked the Chelsea supporters for their input on an excellent away day.
Goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard earned us a huge 2-0 win, which goes a long way towards bringing the Barclays Premier League trophy back to Stamford Bridge, on a day when dropping points was simply not an option.
This trip to Anfield had long been tipped as a potential stumbling block in our hunt for the title, but by emerging with three points we now only need to beat Wigan at home on the final day of the season to guarantee the trophy.
'I am happy because it was a key game for the fight for the title, we played very well and we deserved to win,' Ancelotti said. 'We had difficulties in the first half but the second was better. Defensively we did a fantastic job and had a lot of opportunities to counter-attack. It was an important performance, there was a pressure on us and we had good control of our emotion.
'We are very happy but need to wait for the last game. We need to stay focused for the last game but we are happy tonight because it was a difficult step against Liverpool.
'Liverpool played Thursday night, to play Sunday was not easy and they did very well in the first half. Second half [they were] a little bit tired, but playing Liverpool is never easy. They have very good players and it is a fantastic atmosphere. It is the first time for me and I will have good memories of this day. It was a difficult game because Chelsea played well and had control of the game.'
It was a quieter than usual Anfield we encountered though, and it was the Chelsea fans that could be heard singing throughout the 90 minutes, cheering their team on and singing each player's name individually.
A moment of comedy arrived midway through the second half as supporters sang 'Carlo, give us a wave', only for the manager to remain obliviously focused on the game. After a quiet word in his ear from Ray Wilkins, Carlo was able to respond, and could see the funny side afterwards.
'I want to say thanks to every one. I didn't understand, they were singing my name!' he smiled. 'I am happy about this because I think our fans were important today, they supported us and followed us here to Liverpool.'
Manchester United are now in action against Sunderland, needing to win to realistically keep any title hopes alive. Ancelotti will not be watching the game as the squad is flying back south, but expects the race to go down to the final day of the season.
One thing that was settled today was that Liverpool will not be playing Champions League football next season, their defeat meaning they cannot catch Tottenham who are currently fourth.
Their manager Rafa Benitez conceded his side were second best on the day.
'We approached the game thinking we want to win and we are disappointed because it was equal and then we conceded the goal,' analysed the Spaniard. 'We conceded the second goal and against Chelsea that is normally the end.
'Chelsea is a very good team and Ancelotti is a great manager.'
One team that will be dining at Europe's top table in Liverpool's absence is FC Twente, who wrapped up the Dutch title today with a 2-0 win at NAC Breda. Miroslav Stoch, on loan from Chelsea, scored their second goal and our congratulations go to the Slovakian winger.
This time next week, we could be champions too.
