Liverpool aim for FA Cup swansong against Chelsea

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

LONDON: Liverpool will bid to put a positive gloss on a lacklustre season here on Saturday as they attempt to seal a rare domestic double against bitter rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

Kenny Dalglish’s return to Anfield last year and the subsequent lavish outlay in the transfer market had fuelled optimism among Liverpool fans that the club were poised to re-emerge as a force in English football. But a frustratingly inconsistent Premier League campaign has raised more questions than answers about Dalglish’s reign, with Liverpool’s dreams of a swift return to the Champions League being extinguished weeks ago.

Fulham became the latest side to ransack Anfield on Tuesday with a 1-0 win, a result that leaves Liverpool on course to register their worst record at home since the 1948-49 season. Yet if Liverpool can overcome a weary Chelsea at Wembley, Dalglish will be able to point to a season that has yielded two pieces of silverware following his side’s League Cup win over Cardiff City in February.

While the Premier League remains the priority, the Liverpool manager insists that a domestic cup double is proof that solid progress is being made. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was adamant that while the club needs to “address the problem” of their league form, a win over Chelsea would allow the Merseysiders to look back on the season with pride.

Saturday’s final is the 33rd meeting of the two teams since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 and began to bankroll the most successful era in the London club’s history. Chelsea, however, could be forgiven for viewing Saturday’s final as an unwanted nuisance, as interim manager Roberto Di Matteo attempts to juggle his resources on three different fronts.

The Blues’ hopes of a top-four finish were dealt a severe blow on Wednesday after a 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United that left Di Matteo’s men

four points off the Champions League places with only two games left.

That defeat means Chelsea’s passage to the final of the Champions League in Munich on May 19 has assumed even greater importance, with a victory

over Bayern Munich now looking

their best bet of a place in next season’s competition.

While Di Matteo may be tempted to give a rest to key players with one eye on Munich, the Italian insists Chelsea will be motivated by the propect of a successful day out at Wembley. But Di Matteo, scorer of the second-fastest goal in FA Cup final history after scoring from long-range in Chelsea’s 1997 win over Middlesbrough after only 42 seconds, acknowledged his side’s schedule had taken a toll.

“My players have given everything,” Di Matteo said. “We’ve been asking them to push and push and push and they’ve done well. We’ll regroup and pick them up. We’ve got a big game, a great final, on Saturday and we’ll go again. We’ll look forward to the FA Cup final. It’s a great event and the motivation is going to be there.”