Breaking with the past

NO club takes more pleasure than Liverpool in pointing out Chelsea’s inglorious past. The ditty mocking the club’s “history”, or lack of it, is frequently belted out on the Kop and will doubtless be aired from the away section at Stamford Bridge tonight.

It is a jibe which cuts Chelsea deeply and there was a pointedness in the decision yesterday to stage their pre-match media briefing in the stadium museum, as if to prove they did exist in the days before Roman Abramovich.

Yet Chelsea have always claimed that theirs is a history in the making and that thesis will gain more credibility if they reach a first ever Champions League final tonight. The fact that it is Liverpool who stand to suffer in that heady event would just broaden Stamford Bridge smiles.