On Tuesday evening in England, the first "Capital One Cup" semi-final match was played.
At "Anfield" stadium, the footballers of "Liverpool" and London's "Chelsea" met. The "Reds" recovered after conceding an early goal and fought back to secure a crucial draw, 1-1.
The first half started with Brendan Rodgers' team putting pressure, but "Chelsea" received a gift in the 18th minute when a foul was committed against Eden Hazard in the penalty area. The Belgian took the initiative and converted the penalty to put the visitors ahead.
After the conceded goal, "Liverpool" players didn't lose focus and continued to press their opponents actively. However, they couldn't find the net in the first 45 minutes.
In the second half, the hosts had the upper hand and in the 59th minute, the first goal for them came when Raheem Sterling, in combination with Jordan Henderson, cleverly sent the ball into the net past Thibaut Courtois.
Throughout the remaining time, "Liverpool" had a few great opportunities to take the lead. Steven Gerrard hit the post once, and Adam Lallana, who replaced him as a substitute, forced Courtois to make a save with a long-range shot, but the referee's whistle for offside resulted in a draw.
The second leg of the "Capital One Cup" semi-final match between English giants will take place on January 27th at "Stamford Bridge" stadium. The winner of this tie will face the winner of the London "Tottenham" - "Sheffield United" in the final.
Result:
"Liverpool" 1 - 1 "Chelsea"
18' [0 - 1] E. Hazard (penalty)
59' [1 - 1] T. Sterling
