Chelsea sunk by Reds

LONDON – Liverpool scored twice in the opening 18 minutes to beat Chelsea 2-0 on Saturday and further dent the champions’ aspirations to a third successive title.

Liverpool, third on 46, moved within five points of Chelsea and four clear of Arsenal. Fifth-placed Bolton Wanderers were crushed 5-1 at Middlesbrough, Australia’s Mark Viduka scoring twice, and Portsmouth, in sixth, were upset 1-0 at home by second-bottom Charlton Athletic.Norway’s Morten Gamst Pedersen netted twice for Blackburn Rovers in a 3-0 win at Manchester City that lifted them into the top half of the table.Aston Villa ended a run of 11 league games without victory by scoring twice in the last four minutes to beat Watford 2-0.Newcastle United, humiliated 5-1 at home by second division Birmingham City in the FA Cup in midweek, came from two goals down at home to draw 2-2 with West Ham United, Peruvian Nolberto Solano equalising with a 53rd-minute penalty.Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at Fulham while Reading beat Sheffield United 3-1.Liverpool, beaten 4-1 by Chelsea in the corresponding fixture last season, took four minutes to go ahead.Peter Crouch glanced Jamie Carragher’s long ball into the path of Dirk Kuyt and the Dutch striker rounded Paulo Ferreira before steering the ball past keeper Petr Cech, playing for the first time since sustaining a serious head injury in October.Liverpool went two up in the 18th minute with a superb strike from Jermaine Pennant, his first goal for Rafa Benitez’s side since arriving in July.Steven Gerrard’s cross from the left was headed out by makeshift centre back Michael Essien straight to the unmarked Pennant on the right.The winger chested the ball down, let it bounce once and struck a dipping right-foot volley over Cech and in off the underside of the crossbar.”We’re in there and we just have to keep hoping other (teams) keep slipping up,” captain Gerrard told Sky Sports after Liverpool made it eight wins from nine league games.John Arne Riise brought a fine early save from Cech, who wore protective headgear for his first match since fracturing his skull at Reading.Just past the hour, Riise let rip with one of his trademark long-range thunderbolts that struck the bar and went up in the air before the Czech Republic keeper dived to save Crouch’s poor header.Two goals down midway through the first half, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho brought on Shaun Wright-Phillips for winger Arjen Robben after the Dutchman appeared to twist his ankle.That substitution and Andriy Shevchenko coming on for the ineffectual John Obi Mikel in the 73rd minute did nothing to change the game for Chelsea.The London side have been rocked lately by rumours of Mourinho’s departure and a string of injuries to key players including captain John Terry.”When a team is very fragile on the pitch and mentally…this makes them not so self-confident,” said Mourinho.”If we end the (weekend) fixtures with six points difference to Manchester United I’ll be very, very happy.”A messy free kick in the 68th minute summed up Chelsea’s day when Didier Drogba tapped the ball between Michael Ballack’s legs while the German had his head turned looking where he might pass it.Nampa-ReutersFifth-placed Bolton Wanderers were crushed 5-1 at Middlesbrough, Australia’s Mark Viduka scoring twice, and Portsmouth, in sixth, were upset 1-0 at home by second-bottom Charlton Athletic.Norway’s Morten Gamst Pedersen netted twice for Blackburn Rovers in a 3-0 win at Manchester City that lifted them into the top half of the table.Aston Villa ended a run of 11 league games without victory by scoring twice in the last four minutes to beat Watford 2-0.Newcastle United, humiliated 5-1 at home by second division Birmingham City in the FA Cup in midweek, came from two goals down at home to draw 2-2 with West Ham United, Peruvian Nolberto Solano equalising with a 53rd-minute penalty.Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at Fulham while Reading beat Sheffield United 3-1.Liverpool, beaten 4-1 by Chelsea in the corresponding fixture last season, took four minutes to go ahead.Peter Crouch glanced Jamie Carragher’s long ball into the path of Dirk Kuyt and the Dutch striker rounded Paulo Ferreira before steering the ball past keeper Petr Cech, playing for the first time since sustaining a serious head injury in October.Liverpool went two up in the 18th minute with a superb strike from Jermaine Pennant, his first goal for Rafa Benitez’s side since arriving in July.Steven Gerrard’s cross from the left was headed out by makeshift centre back Michael Essien straight to the unmarked Pennant on the right.The winger chested the ball down, let it bounce once and struck a dipping right-foot volley over Cech and in off the underside of the crossbar.”We’re in there and we just have to keep hoping other (teams) keep slipping up,” captain Gerrard told Sky Sports after Liverpool made it eight wins from nine league games.John Arne Riise brought a fine early save from Cech, who wore protective headgear for his first match since fracturing his skull at Reading.Just past the hour, Riise let rip with one of his trademark long-range thunderbolts that struck the bar and went up in the air before the Czech Republic keeper dived to save Crouch’s poor header.Two goals down midway through the first half, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho brought on Shaun Wright-Phillips for winger Arjen Robben after the Dutchman appeared to twist his ankle.That substitution and Andriy Shevchenko coming on for the ineffectual John Obi Mikel in the 73rd minute did nothing to change the game for Chelsea.The London side have been rocked lately by rumours of Mourinho’s departure and a string of injuries to key players including captain John Terry.”When a team is very fragile on the pitch and mentally…this makes them not so self-confident,” said Mourinho.”If we end the (weekend) fixtures with six points difference to Manchester United I’ll be very, very happy.”A messy free kick in the 68th minute summed up Chelsea’s day when Didier Drogba tapped the ball between Michael Ballack’s legs while the German had his head turned looking where he might pass it.Nampa-Reuters