have come to the forefront, only to fall away

Brendan Rodgers said he had never slept better heading into the heavyweight clash against Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday. Rodgers has spent the best part of three months ducking and diving from the questions about pressure and his sides title bid. Yet, when his team entered the raucous theatre of Anfield to another stunning rendition of Youll Never Walk Alone standing across from his side was the all too familiar opponent of Chelsea. It was Chelsea that had given Liverpool their toughest test in 2005 on the way to them winning a remarkable European Cup. It was Chelsea who was the last team to defeat Liverpool in the Premier League, back in December, and now it was Chelsea standing in front of the gates that guarded the path towards the Premier League trophy. Now, that is pressure. It could not have been scripted more perfectly. A former, true heavyweight in the game, whose level amongst the elite has slipped over the past two decades, now with a clear path towards a shock championship, if only they can get past the powerhouse in blue. It was at Chelsea, of course, where Rodgers worked on his craft under Jose Mourinho and now it had come full circle, a chance for the pupil to defeat the teacher on the grandest of stages. Up until now, even against Manchester City earlier this month, Liverpool had played with a reckless abandon, punching holes in defences and predictions, while gathering more and more believers that they could do what was thought to be impossible just five months ago. Their journey had guided them closer and closer to the pinnacle. With three games left, Liverpool needed just seven points from their last nine to win it all, and with Crystal Palace and Newcastle to come, there was no more hiding from the facts, no matter what Rodgers said. Dont lose to Chelsea and the title should be yours. Despite what Jose would want you to believe, this was no minnow facing up to the Reds as Chelsea picked a team that they had paid over 100 million pounds to assemble. Inside the tight, organised system drawn-up by Mourinho, the visitors were exactly as expected. Liverpools breathless starts had catapulted them to within touching distance of glory but on this bright, sunny afternoon they werent allowed to sprint out of the box. Chelsea sat deep and allowed them to have a lot of the ball but with it the home team suddenly looked a side that carried extra weight. The weight of expectation can get very heavy on a footballers shoulder. With every pass, the Liverpool players had an extra thought. The brilliantly organized visitors closed the space and with it the punches, so ruthlessly delivered in past games by Liverpool, were missing. Raheem Sterling was Liverpools brightest player in the first half. How refreshing it is to see a young Englishman appreciate space as much as he does. Still, Liverpool probed but if Chelsea were on the ropes they were hanging out by them comfortable at taking the punishment. Branislav Ivanovic, back at Anfield after Luis Suarez took Mike Tyson style bite out of him last April, was magnificent leading Chelseas back four. Young Tomas Kalas could not have asked for a better partner to learn from on his Premier League debut. Gary Cahill and John Terry have been excellent this season but the Serbian defender reads the game superbly and, contrary to the English defenders, never loses his cool. Cesar Azpilicueta, back to his more comfortably right back slot, was excellent and both he and Ashley Cole looked like full backs who had been sent out to do a specific job, narrowing the back four and inviting Liverpool to stretch the field and take the ball where they didnt want to. It had been over seven months since Liverpool had played 45 Premier League minutes at home without scoring and as the half-time whistle grew nearer, at 0-0, tension started to creep in at Anfield. Then the creeping exploded. When Steven Gerrard received the ball in front of the Kop he made one small mistake, miscontrolling it, then a bigger one, slipping to retrieve it, and then the rope-a-dope was on as Demba Ba sprinted in alone to deliver a knockdown punch. One nil Chelsea. It was a scene from Liverpools not so distant past, one that wouldnt have been out of place last season when many a team would come in and force a maturing Liverpool into a mistake. It was those mistakes that helped Liverpool learn and progress but even they had been stunned with such a rapid climb that had brought them so tantalizingly close where suddenly those mistakes were far more costly than when the likes of Downing, Carroll and Adam were on the payroll. Such progression meant they now had to face up to something they hadnt really seen. Adversity. And it was delivered in the cruelest of manners with Gerrard, the catalyst for so much of their success this season, falling to his knees in the middle of his favourite place on earth. There was a second half still to play but Liverpool never looked the same. They had never been behind for longer than 35 minutes since their last game against Chelsea but once again that total was overtaken against the familiar foe. Suarez had a shot well saved and Joe Allens volley almost went in but Chelsea were resilient throughout, delivering a true knock-out punch just before the final bell when Willian tapped home. An under-the-weather Mourinho sprinted down the touchline again while Rodgers crossed his arms and looked on. Chelsea had done the double on Liverpool when many teams couldnt even beat them once. Liverpools fans headed to the exits heads full of emotions about the title race, knowing the title was still in reach but now out of their hands. They will feel they can get to 86pts with two remaining wins but Man City, all too familiar with winning leagues on goal difference, can now get to that mark as well and should if they can finally get over a huge hurdle for that club and win at Goodison Park next week. Chelsea, still two points behind Liverpool, are likely out of the race but, once again, showed a team what you have to become to be winners. Without Petr Cech, John Terry, Ramires, Eden Hazard, Samuel Etoo and others, they had shown the style and character it takes to succeed in the biggest of games. Liverpool are rightfully anxious to win the league because it has been over two decades since they last did so, but, equally, they should be anxious knowing that a giant powerhouse, supposedly in transition, are getting stronger by the week. This was a weaker Chelsea yet still they set the standard you must match to be champions. They will, likely, spend many more future sunny Sundays in late April wrapping up title bids rather than ripping up those of their opponents. Sleep well, Brendan. You may never have a better chance than right now. Cheap Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys . Less than 24 hours after the Wolves lost at home to the Mavericks, 100-98, NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn announced Tuesday that Kevin Love was fouled on his right arm by Shawn Marion in the closing seconds and should have been awarded two free throws. Cheap Chiefs Jerseys China . In the opening game of his fourth-round match at the U.S. Open, the owner of 17 major titles got passed at the net twice, sailed a backhand long, then missed two forehands to get broken. http://www.cheapchiefsjerseyselite.com/ . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Cheap Chiefs Jerseys . Numbers Game looks at the As getting Jon Lester from Boston, sending Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox along with a deal involving the As and the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics Get: LHP Jon Lester, LF Jonny Gomes, OF Sam Fuld and cash. Cheap Chiefs Jerseys Authentic . Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard. GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A lease agreement between a prospective owner of the Phoenix Coyotes and the City of Glendale is still in doubt with a vote less than a week away. The NHL, which has operated the Coyotes the past four seasons, has agreed to sell the franchise to Renaissance Sports & Entertainment, but the deal is contingent upon completing a lease agreement with the city for Jobing.com Arena. The league has pushed Glendale to make a decision by next week and three councilmembers stepped forward to force a vote Tuesday despite concerns that the city did not have enough time to do due diligence on the deal. "Now is the time for the City of Glendale to decide what theyre going to do," said former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods, whos representing RSE. "Theyve driven a hard bargain and I give them credit for that, but they cant screw around anymore. The NHL has given them a hard deadline and if they want to keep the Coyotes here and have the arena managed in a professional and successful way, they need to get on with it. If not, then the decision will be made for them." RSE, a group headed by George Gosbee, Anthony LeBlanc and Daryl Jones, reached an agreement to buy the team from the NHL last month. After weeks of negotiating, RSE and Glendale agreed on enough points to create a draft of the deal, which was posted on the citys website on Thursday. Along with the draft, Glendale also posted a release outlining some of its concerns about the deal, including a $15 million management fee to run the arena, a five-year out clause that could allow RSE to move the team without penalty and concerns that the city would bear all the risk if revenue projected by RSE falls short. "Contrary to what might appear in the papers, I dont see this as a done deal. Far from it," acting city manager Dick Bowers said in a letter sent to the city council on Tuesday. "Discussions continued over the week and we have come only slightly closer to comfortable than before." The city says it has budgeted $6 million to pay for part of the $15 million management fee to be paid to RSE, with the difference made up in shared revenue streams that include arena naming rights, rent, parking, ticket surcharges and other sources. RSE has projected those revenues at $6.7 million, a figure based on the worst year the Coyotes have had in attendance. Glendale officials have raised concerns that the city bears all the risk if the projected revenue falls short, though RSE would guarantee $1.2 million if the projections fall short, based on a $1.50 surcharge on each ticket. The city also is concerned about aa clause in the deal that would allow RSE terminate the contract if its cumulative losses reach $50 million or after five years, while Glendale cannot opt out if revenue projections fall short.dddddddddddd "I think youve got people who are really dedicated to hockey in general and the Phoenix Coyotes in particular," Woods said. "Their entire game plan here is to make this work here in Arizona. Theres no discussion, no contingency plan, nothing in their plans other than making this a success in Arizona." The drawn-out saga to find an owner for the Coyotes will likely come to a head next week, one way or another. If the city council approves the lease agreement, RSE will have a clear path to complete its purchase of the team and keep it in Arizona. Should the council vote against the lease deal, the NHL has indicated it pursue other options, including a possible move of the franchise to Seattle. "Were anticipating, or hoping, the Glendale City Council passes the deal with the Renaissance Group," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said after the leagues Board of Governors meeting on Thursday. "If the council doesnt approve it ... I dont think the Coyotes will be playing there anymore." This ownership tilt-a-whirl started in 2009, when former owner Jerry Moyes took the team into bankruptcy in a failed attempt to sell it to Blackberry founder Jim Balsille, who would move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. The NHL bought the team later that year and has operated it ever since. Numerous potential owners have come to the forefront, only to fall away. Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer appeared to be in line to buy the team, only to be thwarted by conservative watchdog group Goldwater Institute, which warned potential bond buyers to stay away from the Glendale offering because of a looming lawsuit. Former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison had a preliminary agreement with the NHL to buy the team last year, but his bid fell through when he was unable to secure the finances and investors he needed in time to meet a deadline with Glendale on a lease-agreement deal. Now its RSEs turn to see if it can complete the deal. "I think it would be a huge mistake for Glendale to think that we would have anything but an enormous financial disaster on our hands trying to keep that arena open after losing an anchor tenant and 41 nights," Woods said. "The reality is, in my opinion, the arena would end up being shut down. I hope that doesnt happen, but they have to look at the hard realities in the way the real world works, and I think thats the reality is here." ' ' '