Carling Cup Final *scores inside*

[4tothefloor]

Should be a good and interesting game. Shame the Ireland V England rugby game has to sacrificed, as they are on at the same time. Football comes first though!

For the 'Pool fans, how do you think we'll line up? I'm going for

-------------------Dudek-------------------

Finnan----Hyypia------Carragher-----Traore

Garcia------Hamann-----Gerrard--------Riise

------------Baros-------------------------

----------------Morientes-----------------

SUBS:
Kewell
Biscan
Smicer
Pellegrino
Carson

At near full strength aside from Alonso and Cisse, two key players but out for the long-term. Only decision for me is whether to start Riise at left-back or left-midfield. He's playing too well to drop him back to full back IMO. Biscan and Hamann is a close call as well. He could of course decide to play Baros on the right and draft an extra man into midfield, with Moro up front on his own.

Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool

[drinkfeckarse]

Gotta put Riise back to full back and drop Troare. Get Kewell on the left and give him one last chance to persuade me that he's worth £60,000 a week

Interesting though, you would have got some odds a few weeks ago on Chelsea losing 3 games in a row (if they lose Sunday...hopefully)

[4tothefloor]

Gotta put Riise back to full back and drop Troare. Get Kewell on the left and give him one last chance to persuade me that he's worth £60,000 a week

Benitez might do that, but i'm thinking he might be a bit cautious as it's Chelsea. Traore is a liability, I'd prefer if he was on the bench as well.

[Rovers Fellow!]

Have to say fancy liverpool for some reason, those 2 defeats will have hurt chelsea psychologically. Liverpool are 3/1 in paddy powers to win in the 90 mins. Great price

[Ronan85]

Thats good odds on the reds. Fancy them 2. 3rd game in week for Chelsea. Might be 2 much for them.

[thecorner]

After gerrard's equalizer mourinho went taunting liverpool fans

the man turns into more of a pr!ck everyday

[thecorner]

steven gerrard is off the mark already for chelsea.. great header in the cup final


having an impact for chelsea already

[thecorner]

jose mourinho not allowed on the pitch after the game either
*EDIT* HE IS ALLOWED ON NOW ACCOMPANIED BY A SOLICITOR

*EDIT2* MOURINHO HAS SAID HE WILL NOT GO OUT ON PITCH NOW

[thecorner]

and of course mourinho appears on the pitch
loves to be the centre of attention...complete tosser

shouldnt get his medal though

anybody remember kevin moran in 85 wasnt left up to get his medal after getting sent off vs everton

[Gary]

Great game. Thought Liverpools defence looked very solid for the most part. Dudek had a great game.

Cant believe Gerrard missed that chance from 3 yards, and then proceeded to score the og.

Thought Baros had a terrible game, as did Garcia who just gave the ball away everytime. The entire Liverpool back 4 were outstanding, but Chelseas class showed, and deservedly won in the end.

As for Mourinho. He is a strange character altogether.

It was good to see Chelsea actually concede a few goals as well. It shows they are human after all.

[thecorner]

agreed. for once

can remember you not so long ago loving the man

[4tothefloor]

A bit disappointed to lose, but to be honest you could see it coming. Liverpool just didn't play today, went too defensive and paid for it. Had they played and taken Chelsea on, they'd have won it. Even though Chelsea had all the play, Liverpool had the best chances. Biscan and Gerrard missed absolute sitters, while Baros messed up when straight through on goal. Gerrard should also have had a definate penalty in the first half when makelele bundled him over, but the Ref didn't have the bottle to give it. Had they taken any of these chances they'd have put the game to bed.

The OG was a disaster, Hyypia was terrible for the second goal (was excellent otherwise though), while good old Jerzey fumbled again for the third. It all adds up to simply not being good enough in key areas. They could easily have won today but conceded three terrible, soft goals. Story of the season really.

BTW, I thought Gerrard was rubbish today, even Biscan did more when he came on. His passing, everything was very poor. I cannot see £30m of a player there, very poor again today. We missed Alonso though....

[razor]

Scored too early really but at 18/1 I can have no real complaints.
Defended very well Carragher was brilliant, how he didn't get MOTM i'll never know. Finnan had Duffer in his pocket for the most part and Traore was solid too. Dudek had an excellent game, really kept Liverpool in the game. I felt that if Chelsea scored then they would go on to win it as Liverpool were still too defensively minded to go and win it after the equaliser. If Garcia had come off instead of Morientes and there was still a chance to go 4-4-2 then maybe.
Having said that if it wasn't for a complete fluke I reckon Pool would have held out as they had weathered the Chelsea storm by then.

[drinkfeckarse]

I think Mourinho has been a breath of fresh air for the club game in England, The English game, like the game here, needs personalities at the top level.

Agreed, have grown to like Jóse after despising him since the Uefa Cup final 2 years ago however, I feel he went a little too far yesterday in chastising the 'Pool fans. You expect a player to do that not the manager!

Then trying to say it was aimed at the press Ok Jóse

[razor]

I was a bit miffed when I saw what he did but then he redeemed himself in the post match interview
"I have read I have to prove a lot in English football. Sir Alex Ferguson is the only European champion in this country, nobody else, so I have to prove what?"
I nearly split my sides laughing.

[4tothefloor]

Mourinho's a pr1ck, Chelsea are well on their way to being the most hated club not only in England, but in Europe too. It'll be some achievement to be more hated than Man Ure! He's not one bit dignified, I don't like the man at all. I can see now why he didn't take the Liverpool job over Chelsea - There's absolutely no way he could rebuild a club like Liverpool. There's no way he could take the pressure, and the inconsistency in performances that comes with rebuilding a team. He's a big child who throws a strop unless things go his way. Two FA charges already, an he's in hot water with UEFA as well, tells it's own story.

[thecorner]

mourinho is a total tit. yesterday should have been about the football.. but the will he,wont he appear on the pitch saga meant cameras were straght on him when he appeared

loves the attention....

what did dunphy so again.....

if the man could eat himself,he would