Jose Reina - 7:
Flapped at first corner but stayed tall to save from Robben and off line quickly to cover mix-up.

Steve Finnan - 7:
Irishman kept compatriot Damien Duff quiet and wasted few passes when venturing forward.

Jamie Carragher - 7:
Saw strong shout for a penalty turned down and kept Drogba quiet throughout the night.

Sami Hyypia - 7:
Had Liverpool's best chance in attack in the first half and remained watchful in defence.

Djimi Traore - 5:
Troubled by Duff when he swapped flanks and also by high balls. An unconvincing performance at left-back.

Dietmar Hamann - 8:
Full of deft touches and neat passes, the oil in the midfield machine, and protected defence well.

Xabi Alonso - 6:
The least effective member of the midfield triumvirate spraying a few too many passes astray.

Steven Gerrard - 7:
Athletic and aggressive from first to last. Drove Reds on and was at the forefront of the action.

Luis Garcia - 7:
Sparked into life in the second half with typically darting runs that kept Chelsea on their toes.

Djibril Cisse - 6:
A peripheral figure for large parts of the game but a willing runner harrying the defence on the flanks.

Peter Crouch - 6:
A thorn in the side of Chelsea's defence, but while he linked play he did not threaten to break the deadlock.

Substitutes/manager

Florent Sinama-Pongolle (rep. Cisse, 78 mins.) - 6: Caused panic in Chelsea defence with run to the bye-line but did not offer anything different to Cisse.

Rafael Benitez - 6:
Went with a more attacking game plan than usual, but his side failed to match his adventure at home.

Petr Cech - 7:
Aerially sound, a commanding presence when dealing with crosses. Aside from that, not much to do.

Paulo Ferreira - 6:
Uncertain and below par, the weakest Blues defender and often exposed by Liverpool's forwards.

John Terry - 7:
Solid, authoritative and a composed presence. Well-timed tackles and flawless positioning.

Ricardo Carvalho - 7:
Unfussy, combative and - in tandem with Terry - kept Crouch very quiet.

William Gallas - 6:
Seemed to get away with handball in the penalty area but otherwise untroubled and assured.

Claude Makelele - 6:
His usual destructive force but unable to completely suffocate Liverpool's midfield.

Michael Essien - 7:
Strong in the tackle, superb ball retention and a lone creative probe for his side.

Frank Lampard - 6:
Tested Reina with an early free-kick but failed to influence the game as much as he can.

Damien Duff - 6:
Suffered from his side's lack of forward impetus. Could not provide his usual inventiveness.

Arjen Robben - 5:
Forced a smart save with a first-half shot but was largely a bystander in a misfiring attack.

Didier Drogba - 5:
Overly ambitious and ineffective with his flicks. Managed only one weak effort on goal.

Substitutes/manager

Shaun Wright-Phillips (rep. Robben, 65 mins.) - 5:
Attempted to run directly at his opponents but his close control not up to his normal high standard.

Hernan Crespo (rep. Duff, 75 mins.) - 5:
Unable to make an impact in the time he was on the pitch, barely getting a touch of the ball.

Robert Huth (rep. Drogba, 90 mins.) - 5:
Not enough time to contribute.

Jose Mourinho - 7:
Tactics designed to avoid defeat rather than achieve victory - so in that sense, a job well done.