FRIDAY night sees the Reds returning to Stamford Bridge to face Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, who are yet to lose a game this season but looked decidedly rocky against Swansea at the weekend.

Since The Londoners paid their way into regular contention at the top of the Premier League, the trip to The Bridge has become one of the trickier fixtures on the calendar, and that remains the case with the pragmatic Italian in charge, despite last season’s 3-1 win in London.

Before October 2008, Liverpool had only beaten Chelsea once away from home in the Premier League era.

Since then, the Reds have won five out of 11 meetings, losing just three. With preparations in place for a trip to the Big Smoke and the countdown to the game ticking away ever faster, we decided to wind back the clock to pick out nine times Liverpool have left London Bridge falling down and returned to Merseyside with the pride and the points.

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 2: 26.1.1986

GOALS from Ian Rush and Mark Lawrenson, either side of half time, were enough to cancel out ex-Red David Speedie’s goal and send Liverpool through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The game began at a high tempo but the flow of the game was disrupted constantly by the physio to tend to injuries as a result of an overzealous pursuit to win the ball.

In those days teams were only allowed one sub and Chelsea were forced to play out much of the game with 10 men due to injuries to Kerry Dixon and Colin Lee. The Londoners still put up a good fight despite their man disadvantage, but Liverpool ran out eventual winners.

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1: 3.5.1986

A GOAl etched on the minds of a generation of Liverpool supporters, Kenny Dalglish’s 23rd-minute strike was enough to see off the challenge of Chelsea, and claim a 16th league title — the King’s first as player-manager of the Reds.

Liverpool soaked up early pressure from Chelsea prior to the goal from the gaffer and the second half was played out in a similar fashion, with Chelsea having a weak penalty appeal turned down for an alleged foul on David Speedie.

The Reds weathered the storm and finished the game strongly, despite missing several chances to put it to bed, to secure a successful end to Dalglish’s first season at the helm.

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 5: 16.12.1989

CHELSEA felt the full force of the rampant Reds, as they were brushed aside by the eventual league winners with help from two Ian Rush strikes.

Goals from Peter Beardsley and Rush put Liverpool two up inside five minutes, though Chelsea struck back in the 10th minute to prevent it getting ugly early on, before Ray Houghton made it 3-1 going into half time.

Second half strikes from Steve McMahon and Rush’s second of the game put Kenny Dalglish’s side out of sight as Chelsea were simply powerless to resist. Kerry Dixon’s goals was little more than a late consolation.

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1: 7.1.2004

A SOLITARY goal from Bruno ‘The New Zidane’ Cheyrou was enough to conquer Claudio Ranieri’s Chelsea team, despite a late sending off from resident tit El Hadji Diouf.

Liverpool’s spine of Sami Hyypia, Didi Hamann and Emile Heskey were hugely impressive, the latter linking up with Cheyrou magnificently for the goal.

The Frenchman’s strike came at a crucial moment in the game, on a night when Gerard Houllier’s side had to dig deep to secure all three points, which they did so impressively.

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1: 26.10.2008

XABI Alonso’s deflected effort was enough to separate the two sides, and bring to an end Chelsea’s 86-match unbeaten run at home in the Premier League.

It only took 10 minutes for the Spaniard to make the breakthrough — his effort from the edge of the area striking the chest of Jose Bosingwa to wrong foot Petr Cech.

But it wasn’t even a case of holding on from there for Liverpool, as Chelsea struggled to establish any momentum to threaten the away side, which was well equipped to claim all three points and rise to the Premier League’s summit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta1U_VJvuOw

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1: 6.2.2011

FERNANDO Torres’s first game in a Chelsea shirt resulted in a loss at the hands of the team he had left just a week before.

The Spaniard’s performance was an early sign of things to come for him at Stamford Bridge, as he was poor for 66 minutes before being substituted and forced to watch his old team score the winner from the bench just moments later.

The only goal came from Raul Meireles. Steven Gerrard had crossed from the right-hand side causing both Dirk Kuyt and Branislav Ivanovic to hesitate and it ran through to the Portuguese midfielder to hammer home past a helpless Petr Cech.

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 2: 20.11.2011

FORMER Blue Glen Johnson struck late on to secure a sweet Stamford Bridge victory.

Maxi Rodriguez had put Liverpool ahead, after some great build-up play from Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy left the Argentinian with a one-on-one, though it was cancelled out in the second half by a certain Daniel Sturridge.

Chelsea brought on ex-Reds Raul Meireles and Fernando Torres to try to find a breakthrough, but the subs didn’t have the impact that Andre Villas-Boas would have hoped for, as Johnson picked up the ball on the right wing and beat Ashley Cole before slotting home with his left foot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGZyfzdXFd8

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 2: 29.11.2011

JUST nine days after their league win, the Reds were back at Stamford Bridge, once again seeing off Andre Villas-Boas’s Chelsea side and securing a place in the League Cup semi finals for Kenny Dalglish and co.

There was a pre-match minute silence for the late Gary Speed, and long-time friend Craig Bellamy cut an emotional figure prior to kick off. Chelsea might argue that they could have had a penalty after Sebastian Coates appeared to bring down David Luiz, and shortly after Liverpool were awarded one after defender Alex handled in the area.

Andy Carroll’s penalty was saved, but it mattered little as Maxi Rodriguez finished off Bellamy’s low cross, before the Welshman’s free-kick was headed home by unlikely hero Martin Kelly, making it three in a row for the Reds at The Bridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1PpZrwAIiI

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 3: 31.10.2015

AND so to the Reds’ most recent trip to Chelsea, and an emphatic victory for Jürgen Klopp’s side.

Ramires put Chelsea in front, nodding home a cross from Cesar Azpilicueta inside five minutes. But Liverpool found the perfect time to reply, and it was courtesy of their man for the big occasion, Philippe Coutinho, who curled in an effort on his left foot from just outside the area, on the stroke of half time.

The Brazilian also popped up with the Reds’ second goal, feigning to get past Gary Cahill before his shot deflected off John Terry and into the top corner. Liverpool were good value for their lead against a Chelsea team lacking confidence under the management of an under-pressure Jose Mourinho and Christian Benteke put the final nail in the Chelsea coffin with a neat finish in the 82nd minute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv3m1qKiGtc

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