How Essien Helped Overcome Liverpool

...Was asked to keep Gerrard quiet but silenced him completely.
Liverpool's hopes of Champions League progress to the final in Rome appeared to be all but extinguished last night after Chelsea exploited the weaknesses of Rafael Benitez's zonal marking to inflict the club's joint biggest home defeat in European football.

Guus Hiddink's tactical acuity allowed Branislav Ivanovic, who had never before found the net for the club, to score from two free headers either side of the interval, and the Dutchman's plan to have the outstanding Michael Essien "disarm" Steven Gerrard, as he put it, also worked. The Liverpool captain, who has still scored only once in 28 encounters with Chelsea, was nullified as an attacking threat in a 3-1 quarter-final first leg win

Essien, the brilliantly athletic midfielder, followed Gerrard around all night, hustling and dispossessing English football's most in-form player. When Hiddink described the job he had asked Essien to do upon Gerrard he spoke about the necessity of Chelsea "disarming" Liverpool's "main weapon" and so for one night at least the gunpowder was removed from a team that have rampaged through English football of late.

Essien was deployed as Gerrard’s man marker at Anfield and have you ever seen Liverpool’s talisman less influential? It’s one thing saying you’re going to mark a player of Gerrard’s calibre, it’s quite another taking him out of the game entirely.

Chelsea’s win will be remembered first for Branislav Ivanovic having the temerity to score not once, but twice in a Champions League quarter final and second for the midfield interplay that earned tangible reward with the team’s third goal at Anfield.

But while Lampard, Ballack, Malouda et al were supplying the ammunition, the stand-out performer was less conspicuous.
On this occasion, at the behest of Guus Hiddink, Essien had switched his dial to defence rather than attack. His role, clearly defined, was to stop Gerrard playing. His worth to his team’s victory was immeasurable.