Video: PL Highlights: Blackburn/Liverpool
Watching Steven Gerrard walk up to the spot to take the penalty late in the game against
Blackburn Rovers, I was confident he would score for Liverpool. When faced with adversity, Gerrard
often rises to the occasion. Earlier in the season, Gerrard cooly slotted home a penalty against
fiercest rivals Manchester United even though the vast majority at Old Trafford was begging him to
miss.
Jonathan Liew of the Telegraph summed this one up before I even had a chance to revisit
the scene.
"Grinding out wins in adversity may be the hallmark of champions, but still, this was about
as unsatisfying a 2-0 victory as it is possible to imagine. For a team low on morale and down on
their luck, it is a start, but Ancelotti will be aware it is no more than that.
"The most difficult challenge of my life". That was how Dougie Freedman
described the task facing him after Crystal Palace's latest heavy away defeat at Swansea which kept
his beloved Eagles deep in the relegation mire. The 36-year-old is a legend in these parts of South
London but there is no denying the uphill battle ahead for the Scotsman in what is sure to be a
challenging introduction into football management.
Chelsea finally got back to something approaching their best as they smashed four past a Bolton
side that can certainly feel aggrieved to have lost by such a wide margin, a situation that only
happens when the opposing team was near its best and took chances in front of goal clinically.
However, although Chelsea, and in particular Didier Drogba, will be delighted that they seem to
have got back to top form, the players will know in their hearts that this late resurgence of form
has probably come just a little too late to see the Blues mount a serious challenge for this
season's Premier League title and the football betting reflects this.
