Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool seek swift resumption of title charge at Chelsea as Mark Lawrenson reflects on ‘greatest’ Stamford Bridge performance in 1986
- Reds travel to London following first defeat of the season at Napoli
- Chelsea also suffered midweek defeat against Valencia
There are different ways to win. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team know only one method. They storm forward, swamp opponents and attempt to blow them away.
This has not always been the Liverpool way. One of the greatest performances in one of the club’s finest campaigns happened at the Bridge back in 1986. When Kenny Dalglish’s team sealed the first leg of the league and FA Cup double, flair was the last thing on the Anfield agenda.
The one thing that the 1986 side have in common with today’s team was the ability to put together a long run of winning games. Klopp’s men have won 14 times in a row in the league. Dalglish’s team, who were 11 points behind Everton at the beginning of March, dropped just two points before the end of the season. But they needed a win at Chelsea, against a club that had been in the title race until the last month of the season.
The game will always be remembered for Dalglish’s first-half strike that sealed a 1-0 victory. The match also illustrates the massive changes in the environment and tactics of the sport in the past 33 years.