Chelsea vs Liverpool: 10 players who have played for both clubs

Liverpool and Chelsea have played each other a bucketload of times in different competitions. Aside from the annual home and away fixtures for both teams, the Reds and the Blues have had many memorable encounters. As evidenced by Chelsea's 2-1 victory at Anfield in the third round of the League Cup, these two sides have met each other plenty times outside the Premier League. They faced off in the finals of both domestic cups, with Chelsea winning both of them by tight margins.

Perhaps the most bizarre fact about their rivalry beyond the league is the fact that Liverpool and Chelsea faced each other in the Champions League, for five successive years! That is a streak that even Arsenal vs Bayern would be proud of. Aside from the fact that they will have played each other at least 46 times in the past 15 seasons, including this one, the Reds and the Blues have had many common players between. Whether it was a move from Anfield to Stamford Bridge, the other way or an indirect route, there has been a whole bunch of players who have played for both Liverpool and Chelsea.

The success between each players' stints at both clubs is varied, with some finding greater success at Liverpool and others making a greater name for themselves in West London. It is really fascinating to see the number of players who have played for both clubs. Some of them are forgotten ex-players, while others are fondly remembered by supporters of one or both clubs. There are quite a few players who are still playing at Liverpool or Chelsea. An interesting fact is that seven of these ten players have scored in a Liverpool vs Chelsea fixture, with one scoring for both sides.

Here are ten players who have played for both Liverpool and Chelsea, along with which club they were better at.

#10 Boudewijn Zenden

Bolo Zenden was a part of both Chelsea and Liverpool between 2001 and 2007, with a two-year stint at Middlesbrough coming in between.

The Dutchman signed for Claudio Ranieri's Blues in '01 from Barcelona but would struggle to become a constant starter at Stamford Bridge. He moved to Middlesbrough at the beginning of the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea, where he won the League Cup in 2004.

Zenden signed for Liverpool in 2005 but suffered a serious injury soon after arriving at Anfield. He would recover for the start of the 2006-07 season, which would end in a drama for him and the Reds. Zenden scored Liverpool's first penalty in their 4-1 shootout win over Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final but suffered heartbreak after losing the final to AC Milan.

Where was he better: Liverpool

#9 Victor Moses

Here is one player who you certainly would have forgotten played for Liverpool. Victor Moses joined the Reds on loan from Chelsea for the 2013-14 season.

Moses signed for Chelsea from Wigan Athletic in 2012 but failed to make a major impact. After a couple of loan moves, the Nigerian's career was revitalised when Antonio Conte saw value in him as a wing-back. He played a key part in Chelsea's sensational title win in 2016-17. Moses remains at the Blues, two seasons after that triumph.

He almost won the Premier League in 2014, as the Reds were narrowly edged by Manchester City in the title race. However, Moses was so unspectacular at Anfield. He scored a good goal on against Swansea on his debut but beyond that, he did not contribute anything to Liverpool's eventful season.

Where was he better: Chelsea

#8 Raul Meireles

Chelsea FC v KRC Genk - UEFA Champions League — Raul Meireles

Raul Meireles signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2010, that fateful summer when Roy Hodgson was in charge of the Reds. He was the best signing of that summer, as he went on to enjoy a decent season at Anfield. The Portuguese playmaker even went on a run of five goals in six games at one point during the season. He would win the PFA Fans' Player of the Year that season.

Meireles then shifted from Liverpool to London, as he handed in a transfer request at the end of the 2011 summer transfer window. He did not play a big part in Chelsea's season but he did win two trophies, the FA Cup and Champions League. For that reason, the heavily tattooed midfielder's short stay at Chelsea is more well-remembered than his one at Liverpool.

Where was he better: Chelsea

#7 Yossi Benayoun

Yossi Benayoun was another one who moved from Liverpool to Chelsea. After three great years at Anfield, the Israeli moved to the then-Premier League champions.

Benayoun joined Liverpool in 2007 and enjoyed a consistent run in the team during a time where the Reds had an extremely strong spine consisting the likes of Gerrard, Carragher, Torres and Alonso. He had many memorable moments at the club, with his biggest highlight coming when he scored a late winner for the Reds against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Benayoun even scored hat-tricks in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. He really was a big-game player for Liverpool.

After moving to Chelsea, the Israeli wide-man would not feature nearly as much. He scored a single goal, as he only made 24 appearances amid loan spells at Arsenal and West Ham, where he joined Liverpool from.

Where was he better: Liverpool

#6 Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson was a promising youngster when he made his way to Stamford Bridge from West Ham United, but could not get going. He would kickstart his career at Portsmouth before moving to Liverpool as England's first-choice right-back.

Johnson was the first signing of the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea, but never really convinced at Stamford Bridge. He did win the Premier League title in 2004-05 but did not receive a winner's medal the following year as he did not make enough appearances. He left for Portsmouth, where he truly realised his potential before the move to Anfield in June 2009.

Glen Johnson was the Reds' first-choice right-back for over five seasons, as his excellent attacking play saw him contribute to a lot of Liverpool attacks. His defending, however, was not the best. Johnson even scored a stunning late winner against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November 2011. He remained England's starting right-back throughout his Liverpool career before he moved to Stoke City in 2014.

Where was he better: Liverpool

#5 Nicolas Anelka

Nicolas Anelka spent the entirety of his career playing a lot of different clubs, with Liverpool and Chelsea both falling in his collection. He joined the Blues seven years and three clubs after joining Liverpool on loan.

Anelka spent the second half of the 2001-02 season at Anfield, where he scored five goals in 22 games. He wouldn't return permanently after Gerard Houllier decided to sign Senegalese flop El-Hadji Diouf instead. Bizarre.

The Frenchman had spells at Manchester City, Fenerbahce and Bolton Wanderers before he joined Chelsea in January 2008. He would win the Golden Boot in 2008-09 with only 19 league goals, before picking up a Premier League winner's medal in 2010. After a respectable spell at Stamford Bridge, Anelka went off to China to become the player-coach of Shanghai Shenhua.

Where was he better: Chelsea

#4 Joe Cole

Going the other way as Yossi Benayoun in the summer of 2010, Joe Cole moved to Anfield on a free transfer from Chelsea in what looked to be an extremely shrewd piece of business.

Cole, like Glen Johnson, was signed at the dawn of the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea from West Ham. The English winger showed off his incredible skills, as he helped the Blues to multiple trophies, including three Premier League titles. After seven glorious years at the club, Joe Cole moved on.

Cole was tipped by many to be the signing of the 2010-11 season, but it all went wrong for him at Liverpool. He got sent off within 45 minutes of his Premier League debut for the Reds and things never really got better for him. The following season, Cole was shipped out on loan to Lille, where he played much better. He would return to West Ham in January 2013, after a miserable spell at Liverpool.

Where was he better: Chelsea

#3 Daniel Sturridge

Daniel Sturridge moved from Chelsea to Liverpool in search of proper game time, after falling out of favour at Stamford Bridge. This was a move that had bags of potential, for a player that had bags of potential.

Sturridge arrived at Chelsea as a 19-year-old from Manchester City and got an opportunity to impress after a successful loan spell at Bolton Wanderers. He did pretty well, but fell down the pecking order during the Blues' famous run to European glory. The English striker moved to Merseyside to get his career back on track.

He enjoyed a blistering start to his Reds career, forming a lethal strike partnership with Luis Suarez during Liverpool's title chase in 2013-14. Unfortunately for Sturridge, he would be mounted with injury problems and lost his spot in the team. After increasing injury problems and a failed loan spell at West Brom, he has been given a second chance at Anfield. Sturridge is currently playing as a backup striker, already proving efficient with 3 goals so far this season.

Where was he better: Liverpool

#2 Mohamed Salah

This is the most brought-up one at the moment, because of the wonders Mohamed Salah has done at Liverpool last season. It must be remembered that Chelsea poached him from Basel in January 2014, but the Egyptian never really got going at Stamford Bridge. He struggled a lot and left for Fiorentina, and later Roma, after a year or so in England.

Salah returned to England with a vengeance and took the Premier League by storm, scoring a record-breaking 32 goals in 2017-18. The Reds took advantage of Chelsea's negligence, as the forward will look to build on an extremely impressive debut campaign. If this season is even half as good for Mo Salah as last season was, Liverpool are going to enjoy success in the coming months.

Where was he better: Liverpool

#1 Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres is the most prominent player who has played for both Liverpool and Chelsea. Having spent three and a half years at both clubs, Torres had two completely different experiences.

At Liverpool, Torres was lethal. He was unstoppable. El Nino was loved and adored by the Kop faithful and always seemed to score. He even scored the winner in the Euro 2008 Final. Torres was the world's best striker during his Liverpool days. He could run, he could create and he could finish. However, he did not win any trophies with the Reds, despite coming close on multiple occasions. After a total change in atmosphere around the club following the disastrous first half of 2010-11, he sought a move to Chelsea in pursuit of team success.

Fernando Torres moved from Liverpool to Chelsea in January 2011 for a then-Premier League record of £50 million, but he became a shadow of his former self. He seemed to have left his scoring boots in Merseyside, as the goals weren't flowing in.

Despite the struggles, Torres did grab some important goals for the Blues en route to a few trophies. The Spaniard sealed Chelsea's famous Champions League semi-final win against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, while scoring in the 2013 Europa League Final against Benfica. At Chelsea, Torres never reached the individual heights he did when he was at Liverpool.

Where was he better: Liverpool

Edited by Sripad