Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea: Grant ends Blues Kop misery

Avram Grant found himself in a strange kind of heaven here last night.

Finally, finally, he achieved something that dragged him out of the long shadow of Jose Mourinho.

When John Arne Riise scored an own goal four minutes into injury time and stunned Anfield into silence, Grant did something Mourinho never managed. He tamed the Kop. He neutralised the power that this famous ground generates on European nights and brought Chelsea to within touching distance of the Champions League Final.

This draw gives Chelsea a significant advantage to take home to Stamford Bridge next Wednesday and a fine platform from which to launch the march on Moscow. And if Grant can muster a victory against Manchester United on Saturday morning, this man who has been demeaned and ridiculed in his seven months in charge of Chelsea will stand on the brink of leading the club to its finest season ever and eclipsing all Mourinho achieved.

Here, and only here, in all of England, the Chelsea manager knew Mourinho could not cast his shadow over him.

Because Anfield on a Champions League night was Mourinho's Achilles' heel. He could never crack it here.

Anfield was the rock on which Mourinho's ambitions foundered. It represented his failure to deliver the one prize that Roman Abramovich desired more than any other. Abramovich brought Mourinho to Stamford Bridge to deliver success in Europe and for two out of Mourinho's three seasons in England, Liverpool was where that dream died.

No amount of griping and complaining about Luis Garcia's ghost goal or Liverpool's conservative style could disguise his ultimate failure. Which was why, at last, after seven months in charge, Grant found himself with nothing to lose and an awful lot to gain.

Which is how it came to pass.

Because if Chelsea get past Liverpool in this tie in London next Wednesday, Grant will have achieved something Mourinho could not. He will have beaten Rafa Benitez in Europe and led a Chelsea side to the Champions League Final.

And if he does that, he can give as many monosyllabic press conferences as he wants and nobody will give a hoot. He could chatter like a monkey and babble like a baby and his credentials would not be questioned any more.

Chelsea didn't really deserve a draw last night but somehow they hung in there.

A bit like Grant has been doing.

They did more than keep Liverpool at bay for most of the first half, outplaying their hosts for long periods and looking more assured. They almost got a reward for their dominance when Frank Lampard drifted a sublime lofted pass over the Liverpool defence to Joe Cole after 20 minutes.

Cole only had Pepe Reina to beat but the ball seemed to get away from him in the flight and he could only stab it tamely at the Liverpool keeper.

Soon after that, Didier Drogba had a decent shout for a penalty refused when he appeared to be hauled down in the box by Jamie Carragher. But then poor Lampard, who has spent most of the last week at the bedside of his desperately ill mother, Pat, turned into trouble on the edge of the Chelsea box, the ball fell to Dirk Kuyt and Liverpool were ahead.

For a while in the second half, Grant sat low in the dug out, helpless as the power of Anfield cascaded down from the stands. Liverpool and their crowd threatened to overwhelm Chelsea with their passion and the supernatural drive that fills the Red men on nights like this.

John Terry met fire with fire but many of his colleagues looked cowed and beaten. Especially Drogba, who played like a petulant child.

It took three fine saves from Petr Cech to keep Chelsea in the tie. When it seemed like the match was won and Liverpool were heading for Moscow, the Kop sought to have the last word on the debate about the merits of Mourinho and Grant.

"Rafa's the Special One", they sang as lustily as they could.

But last night, Grant did what Mourinho never could here. He had the last word instead.