A second successive home defeat for Chelsea following their
5-3 loss to Arsenal left them 12 points behind leaders Manchester City after 12
matches of the season.
Chelsea fell behind when Maxi Rodriguez scored after 34
minutes but equalized when substitute Daniel Sturridge scored at the far post
10 minutes into the second half.
The game at Stamford Bridge appeared to be heading for a
draw until former Chelsea full back Johnson found himself in space on the right
and burst into the penalty area before unleashing a low shot into the corner of
the net.
Liverpool climbed to sixth in the table, level on points
with fourth-placed Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
The game started with Fernando Torres, who signed for
Chelsea from Liverpool for 50 million pounds ($79 million) in January, and Liverpool's
Andy Carroll on the bench.
After an opening half hour of end-to-end action played at a
breakneck pace, Liverpool broke the deadlock.
Charlie Adam dispossessed John Obi Mikel on the edge of the
Chelsea penalty area to set up an exchange of passes between Craig Bellamy and
Luis Suarez and Maxi swept the ball over a diving Petr Cech into the far corner.
Bellamy, making only his second league start since returning
to Liverpool, was at the heart of most of Liverpool's first-half raids and
Suarez put the erratic David Luiz under almost continual pressure every time
Liverpool broke forward.
Suarez and Chelsea skipper John Terry, both the subject of
investigations into allegations of racism, had contrasting halves, with Suarez
causing Chelsea problems and Terry looking far from his old assured self.
Chelsea, though, looked livelier after the break when
Sturridge, who made his England debut against Sweden on Tuesday, immediately
added some pace to their attack and he equalized from close range following a
surging run and cross from Florent Malouda.
Moments later Chelsea went close to a second but Liverpool
goalkeeper Pepe Reina kept his side level with a brilliant point-blank save
from Branislav Ivanovic who flicked on a Didier Drogba free kick.
Malouda twice went close for Chelsea as Liverpool defended
in depth but the visiting team suddenly took inspiration from the marauding
Johnson who surged into the penalty area and stroked the ball past the
despairing Terry into the corner of the net.
