5 controversial moments from the Chelsea-Liverpool rivalry

The Chelsea-Liverpool rivalry is one which has been boiling over since the Mourinho-Benitez era. The two teams have faced each other multiple times in the League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup over the years and many of the matches between the two have turned out to be memorable ones.During the Benitez era at Liverpool, the Reds denied Mourinho a chance to reach the Champions League final in a controversial manner and in the same year Mourinho’s Chelsea defeated Liverpool in the final of the League Cup.However, the tension between the two sides rose due to several reasons and in April 2014 it reached the pinnacle as Chelsea defeated Liverpool at Anfield to deny the Reds a chance to lift their maiden Premier League title.The next match between the two teams should be an entertaining one as both teams have animated managers in the dugout who are very passionate and tactically brilliant. It will be a game between Chelsea’s brilliant defence versus Liverpool’s free-flowing attack. So here are five controversial moments from this intense rivalry as a curtain raiser for this mouthwatering clash.

#1 Mourinho shushes Liverpool fans

Mourinho was sent off for his goal celebration

The year 2005 was a memorable one for both Liverpool and Chelsea as it was in this year that Chelsea lifted their maiden Premier League title and Liverpool their fifth Champions League title. But before these events happened, in February 2005, the two teams faced each other in a League Cup final.

Liverpool took the lead in the very first minute of the game, courtesy of a volley from John Arne Riise. The Reds continued to frustrate Chelsea, but in the 79th minute an unfortunate header from Steven Gerrard following a Chelsea free kick landed in his own net.

Mourinho celebrated the goal by making a shushing gesture towards the Liverpool fans and he was sent off for the same.

The Blues went on to win the game in extra time and in his post-match press conference he claimed that the gesture was for the press and not the Liverpool fans: "The signal of close your mouth was not for them but for the press, they speak too much and in my opinion they try to do everything to disturb Chelsea. Wait, don't speak too soon. We lost two matches and in my opinion you (the media) try to take confidence from us and put pressure on us."

#2 Luis Garcia\'s ghost goal

The battle between Liverpool and Chelsea in 2005 didn’t end with the League Cup as the two teams were drawn against each other in the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League.

The first leg at Stamford Bridge ended goalless and the game was to be decided at Anfield. In the fourth minute of the game Luis Garcia scored the only goal of the tie to put Liverpool in the driving seat. However controversy erupted instantly as Chelsea players argued that Garcia’s shot was cleared off the line by William Gallas, but the officials ruled it as a goal that put Liverpool through at Chelsea’s expense.

To make matters for Mourinho and Chelsea, the Reds went on to famously lift the trophy in Istanbul by beating Milan on penalties and Mourinho failed to reach the final with Chelsea in three attempts since the semi-final in 2005.

Mourinho has not forgotten the incident and brought up the matter when the two teams played each other in the League Cup semi-final last season, he said: “I lost a semi-final with a goal that was not a goal. Today it would not be a goal. Today with goal-line technology it would be different.”

#3 Fernando Torres transfer saga

In the red of Liverpool, Fernando Torres was one of the most feared strikers on the planet. The Spaniard was on song for Liverpool during his stay at the club and became a fan favourite due to his talent and personality.

In January 2011, Torres made a decision that broke the hearts of millions of Liverpool fans worldwide. He handed in a transfer request amidst growing interest from Chelsea and on transfer deadline day he completed a British record transfer to Chelsea for £50m.

Carlo Ancelotti signed Torres to help aid Chelsea’s quest to win back to back league titles and their first Champions League title, but his arrival made absolutely no difference.

Earlier in the season Torres had tormented Chelsea at Anfield by scoring a brace which gave the Reds all three points. The return leg at Stamford Bridge was his debut for Chelsea and his presence on the field spurred the Liverpool players on.

Torres struggled to make any impact in the game and he got one good chance to take a shot on goal, but a resilient Carragher blocked the attempt. Torres’ night was about to get worse as Daniel Agger blocked Torres with his elbow and knocked him to the ground and in the end Liverpool won the game thanks to a goal by Raul Meireles, a player who would later go on and play for the Blues too.

Torres scored just once for Chelsea in that season and he left Chelsea in 2014.

#4 Luis Suarez\'s biting incident

In April 2013, Chelsea travelled to Anfield for a league game and the headlines before the game were about Rafael Benitez, who was returning to Anfield as the manager of Chelsea. However, the post-match headlines were all about Luis Suarez.

Suarez was at the center of everything in that game. He assisted Daniel Sturridge’ goal to put Liverpool level with Chelsea at 1-1, but five minutes later his handball inside the Liverpool penalty box gave Chelsea a penalty which was converted by Eden Hazard.

If that wasn’t enough, Suarez bit Ivanovic during the game and it was the second time he had bit an opponent in his career. The incident was not spotted by the referees and Suarez was not sent off and to make the matter more controversial he went on to score the equalizer deep into injury time.

After the game FA charged Suarez with violent conduct and he was subsequently suspended for 10 games.

#5 Diego Costa stamp on Emre Can

Diego Costa was a figure of controversy when he was at Atletico Madrid and he continued in the same manner after moving to Chelsea in 2014. The Chelsea man was one of the best performers in England throughout the course of the season, but his on field antics often drew criticism his way.

In January 2015, Liverpool and Chelsea faced each other in the semi-finals of the League Cup. The first leg at Anfield ended in a 1-1 draw and thus a very exciting second leg unfolded at Stamford Bridge.

Over the course of the two legs Costa was involved in incidents with several Liverpool players. He was confronted by a furious Martin Skrtel for an alleged stamp and by Steven Gerrard for his behaviour on the pitch. Things got out of hand in the second leg when Costa stamped Emre Can when the ball and the player had gone out of play.

The Chelsea man was not sent off during the game as the referee didn’t spot the incident, but he was given a three-match ban by the FA for violent conduct. Costa was lucky to be punished only for the incident involving Can as his stamp on Skrtel was also a subject of discussion.