Chelseafc.com continues a look back over another eventful year at the club with the words reported at the time. It's Liverpool time again.

The players returned from two weeks' international duty following defeat at Tottenham, ready to put that missed opportunity behind them.

Third from bottom versus third from top was the dry, factual way of looking at Newcastle versus Chelsea - but for the media, it was all about yet another Geordie messiah as the Blues faced the Magpies with Alan Shearer back in toon.

What followed at St James' Park was a microcosm of a Newcastle relegation battle that fell flat. Even the atmosphere in the stadium wasn't that of a crowd that truly believed this time, especially after second-half goals from Lampard and Malouda went in.

Following an uneventful first half, Anelka, playing centrally with Drogba out injured, caught Coloccini in possession deep in his own half. Malouda and Lampard contributed and the ball was worked back to Anelka.

With the keeper closing, the League's topscorer chipped but the ball hit the crossbar. Luck was in and it bounced down for Lampard to head home from close range for his first in seven Chelsea games. He now had more league goals for the season scored with his head than with his right foot!

Any Geordie hopes of a comeback were dashed by Malouda's 64th minute finish under the body of Harper.

The move had been simple but effective, beginning with Cech's kick upfield. Anelka headed on, Lampard played a 10-yard pass forward and the Frenchman struck from an angle on the left, similar to his goal there last season. That time he celebrated with a Crazy Frog impression; this time with fingers pointed to his emerging afro hairdo.

'Shearer, Shearer,' and 'Sacked in the morning,' mocked the Chelsea fans as Lampard nearly made it three with an ambitious attempt, pushed out by Harper. Elsewhere that weekend, Man U turned what looked a home defeat to Villa into a win in the last 10 minutes to keep the chance of the title returning to the Bridge a slim one.

Newcastle 0-2 Chelsea at St James' Park on 04-04-2009
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Alex, Terry (c), A Cole; Essien (Ballack 55), Mikel, Lampard; Kalou, Anelka (Di Santo 67), Malouda.
Scorers Lampard 55, Malouda 64.
Booked Lampard 37, Mikel 45+2.

Newcastle(4-4-2): Harper; R Taylor, Beye, Coloccini, José Enrique; Gutierrez, Nolan (Guthrie 68), Butt, Lovenkrands (Duff 43); Owen (c), Martins (Carroll 80).

'Traditionally dull and tight' was the most frequent description of the now traditional Champions League tie with Liverpool ahead of our visit to Anfield in the quarter-final first leg.

There were also big warnings over the menace of Torres playing up front with Gerrard. They were billed as the most dangerous attack in Europe.

Chelsea's formation under Hiddink had been evolving subtly. Instead of the 4-3-3 with one anchor midfield man and the other two central midfielders pushing forward, it was now more a 4-2-3-1 shape. That allowed Lampard to play further forward and closer to Didier Drogba, with the widemen dropping deeper to compensate - and by playing two deep midfielders, there was still scope for Essien to make his effective surges upfield from time to time with cover still in place.

At Anfield, the Ghanaian and the tactical shape had a good evening as it all but snuffed Gerrard from the game while Chelsea could still advance. And we needed no invitation to do so, despite going down to the customary early goal in this future.

Fit-again Drogba was preferred to Anelka with Malouda and the excellent Kalou the widemen. Ivanovic was retained at right-back with Bosingwa injured and proved a secret weapon.

Drogba hit the keeper rather than the net with a great chance soon after our horrible start. But as the Blues held their nerves, Ivanovic headed in his first Chelsea goal before the break from a Malouda corner before Cech saved well from Kuyt.

In the second half Ivanovic thumped in his second with a header, this time from a Lampard corner, and then a third came just minutes later. Malouda was again involved as he received Ballack's excellent pass between defenders.

The cross was low but perfect for Drogba to slide in and finish from close range at the far post. Liverpool came within a whisker of handing over a gift-wrapped fourth as Reina needed to save from team-mate Dossena after Drogba had crossed.

'Liverpool have a zonal defence and we have players who are tall, whose timing is good and who are very brave going into the area,' analysed Hiddink afterwards. 'We talked about that and we could get some benefit in the set pieces.

'They have five or six players really strong in the air but anyway it was a free header so we made a mistake,' said counterpart Rafael Benitez.

Not so long ago it was Chelsea coaches having to justify marking systems!

Liverpool 1- 3 Chelsea at Anfield on 08-04-2009
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry (c), A Cole; Ballack, Essien; Kalou, Lampard, Malouda; Drogba (Anelka 79).
Scorers Ivanovic 40, 62, Drogba 66.
Booked Kalou 30, Terry 60.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio (Dossena 75); Lucas (Babel 80), Alonso; Kuyt, Gerrard (c), Riera (Benayoun 68); Torres.
Scorer Torres 5.
Booked Aurelio 74.

It had been Liverpool's biggest ever home defeat in a European knockout and although no-one was saying it, deep down the semi-final looked very close indeed.

All that was needed was a typically resolute defensive display at home. What followed during the visit by Bolton that was sandwiched between the two European legs knocked our confidence over that just a little.

In defence for the Easter Saturday game, Carvalho started for the first time in nearly a month in anticipation of a Champions League return against Liverpool. Terry would serve a suspension in that game. Essien was rested against Bolton with Mikel back.

Ballack sent Chelsea into a deserved lead just before half-time, exchanging passes inside the area with Kalou, whose pull back was weighted perfectly for the onrushing German to fire high into the net. It was his one league goal of the season.

A Frank Lampard penalty either side of Drogba goals made it 4-0 just after the hour. The penalty, for handball, was only Chelsea's third of the season. Drogba smashed a Lampard free-kick in for his first and bundled Malouda's corner in for his second.

Cue rests for Lampard and Drogba with Deco and Anelka the replacements. What followed was almost inexplicable.

First Ballack had to hook off his own line but Gardner headed the clearance back into the area where O'Brien was waiting to help it over the line, getting to the loose ball before Cech.

The Czech goalkeeper let in a second shortly afterwards when cross passed over him, Kevin Davies looping a free header back across goal to Chris Basham, who poked into the top corner with Chelsea defenders failing to mark.

When Davies was allowed to win another header from Jaaskelainen's long kick 12 minutes from time, the Blues should have been alert enough to clear their lines, but when you switch off it is often hard to switch back on, and so it proved.

Taylor slipped between two defenders and managed to head over Cech for a third goal.

Chelsea rallied and could have scored through Anelka and Malouda but then Steinsson shot wide and Davies caused more havoc with his head before the whistle was blown at last.

Chelsea 4 -3 Bolton at Stamford Bridge on 11-04-2009
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole; Ballack, Mikel, Lampard (Deco65); Kalou, Drogba (Anelka 65), Malouda.
Goals Ballack 40, Drogba 48, 63, Lampard (pen) 60
Bolton Wanderers (4-5-1): Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Shittu (O' Brien h-t), Cahill, Samuel; Davies, Muamba, McCann (Cohen 82), Gardner, Taylor; Elmander (Basham 66).
Goals O'Brien 69, Basham 73, Taylor 78

'We must not let it happen twice,' said Hiddink straight after the game, but by half-time in the Champions League second leg, Liverpool were 2-0 up.

Both teams were playing without their captain, Gerrard's injury added to JT's suspension, but even without their star dead ball taker, Liverpool scored from an 18^th minute free-kick. The position looked without huge threat, wide over on the left and about 10 yards from the area.

But as all Chelsea appeared to prepare for the high ball into the area, Aurelio hit it low at the near post and caught Cech too far across to make it back.

Then a 27^th minute free-kick was swung over high and Ivanovic, with his arms around Alonso, was judged to have wrestled the Liverpool midfielder too much. From the penalty awarded, Alonso netted.

Hiddink decided something had to change. Kalou was withdrawn in favour of Anelka with 35 minutes on the clock. There was no change in shape.

Carvalho made an important clearance two minutes before the break and then Kuyt saw a header clawed out by Cech before a scramble in the six-yard box ended with a Liverpool foul - to great relief. There was so much crucial work for Hiddink to do during the interval!

The Stamford Bridge crowd only had to wait five minutes into the second half for a tension-easing goal by their team.

Anelka was much involved, advancing down the right and crossing low and hard to the near post where Drogba and his marker slid in. It was our man who got the touch on-target which rather than save, Reina turned over the line. 'Are you Riise in disguise?' sang the sympathetic home support.

Six minutes later Alex belted in possibly the hardest struck free-kick ever seen in front of the Matthew Harding Stand to make it 2-2 - and suddenly all looked rosy again.

Breathless is one way to describe the rest of the half. The Chelsea chances kept coming and Ballack and Drogba combined for Lampard to make it 3-2 on the night.

But Liverpool hit back with a two-goal salvo in just two minutes, Lucas's shot deflecting off Essien past a helpless Cech and then Kuyt heading in.

Now one more Liverpool goal would win it and there were at least 10 minutes left. It was Lampard, via both posts, who eventually killed them off. Many neutrals described it as one of the great games, although just how much of it Chelsea fans had actually enjoyed was open to question.

There was also a nagging thought out of the game. A booking for Cole meant a suspension away to semi-final foe Barcelona. We would have no recognised left-back in Camp Nou against Lionel Messi.

Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on 14-04-2009
Chelsea win 7 - 5 on aggregate
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Carvalho, A Cole; Ballack, Essien; Kalou (Anelka 35), Lampard (c), Malouda; Drogba (Di Santo 90+3).
Scorers Drogba 50, Alex 56, Lampard 75, 88.
Booked Ivanovic 18, Carvalho 58, Cole 65.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Reina; Arbeloa (Babel 84), Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio; Mascherano (Riera 69), Alonso Lucas; Kuyt, Torres (N'Gog 79), Benayoun.
Scorers Aurelio 18, Alonso 27 (pen), Lucas 80, Kuyt 82.
Booked Benayoun 40, Arbeloa 73.

To be continued…