After ending Chelsea’s 86-match winning run, Liverpool are top of the table with hopes of ending their 18-year title waitLIVERPOOL: After spending so long in the slipstream of Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League, Liverpool must now learn to deal with the pressure that comes with leading the pack.
Despite ending Chelsea’s extraordinary 86-game unbeaten run at home in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, there is little sign of euphoria breaking out at Anfield as they prepare to face managerless Portsmouth on Wednesday. But with realistic hopes of ending the club’s 18-year wait for a league title, Liverpool’s next challenge is to prove that they can cope with the expectancy that is beginning to grow on Merseyside.
Having lost manager Harry Redknapp to Tottenham on Sunday, Portsmouth would appear to be lambs to the slaughter when they face Rafael Benitez’s table-toppers at Anfield. But Xabi Alonso, Sunday’s match-winner at Chelsea, and veteran defender Jamie Carragher have warned that the hard work starts now for Liverpool after their stunning result at Stamford Bridge.
“It was a great victory for us at Chelsea, but it is only three points. The three points against Chelsea are as important as the three points against Wigan and the three that are available against Portsmouth,” said Alonso.
Carragher has admitted his desperation to complete the set before he retires. But the 30-year-old insists that Liverpool still have plenty of work to do before they can even contemplate their first Premier League title.
Portsmouth were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham in the immediate aftermath of Redknapp’s move to Spurs and they travel to Anfield with former Arsenal captain Tony Adams, already on the coaching staff at Fratton Park, and ex-Bolton boss Sam Allardyce leading names in the race to succeed Redknapp.
