Xabi Alonso was delighted to be the man to bring Chelsea's unbeaten home record to a close. The Liverpool midfielder struck the only goal of the game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, inflicting a first defeat on the Blues in 86 games on home soil.
The solitary strike was the Spaniard's first of the season and helped lift Rafa Benitez's side to the top of the Premier League table.
His 20-yard drive after just 10 minutes took a wicked deflection off Chelsea full-back Jose Bosingwa, but no-one is going to prevent Alonso from basking in his moment of glory.
"It was my goal," he told Liverpool's official website defiantly.
"The shot was on its way towards goal when it was deflected but that happens, that's part of football and you have to cope with these things when they go for you and when they go against you.
"I could have had a second goal as well when the ball hit the post (from a second half free-kick) but the main thing is to get the three points.
"It was very important for us because in the last few seasons in the league we have been coming here and we haven't had the best results.
"So we are really pleased to get the result and to take the three points."
Despite arriving at Stamford Bridge in the knowledge that Liverpool had failed to beat Chelsea in West London since 2004, Alonso insists Benitez's squad were always confident they were capable of springing an upset.
"We always believed that we could win here but we knew we would have to work really hard and we knew it would be very tough," he added.
"It's a great victory for us but it is only three points.
"The three points against Chelsea are as important as the three points against Wigan and the three that are available against Portsmouth on Wednesday - they are all of the same value."
Alonso in Juve hint
Posted on 14 Oct 2008 by Adi
Liverpool star Xabi Alonso has indicated he would still consider a move to Juventus even though the Italian giants turned down the chance to sign him in the summer.
Alonso was strongly linked with a switch to Turin as Liverpool were open to offers for the Spaniard as they chased Aston Villa's Gareth Barry.
The 26-year-old ended up staying at Anfield after Juve refused to meet Liverpool's asking price and Liverpool failed to agree a deal for Barry.
Juve coach Claudio Ranieri aimed a swipe at Alonso earlier this month explaining he did not sign the former Real Sociedad man because he was too slow.
Alonso says he bears no grudge against Juventus for signing Christian Poulsen instead of him and admits he would still be interested in a move to the Bianconeri if they came calling again for his services.
"To be honest, for my part, the attraction (to Juventus) has remained intact," Alonso told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"One thing I can say is that I personally appreciated the honesty of the club executives.
"They told me their tactics on the pitch were different and that is why they chose Poulsen and not me.
"These are things that happen in football and it's fine. I could have gone but I didn't because, in the end, they chose someone else.
"Juventus are Juventus, the most prestigious club in Italy, but you cannot be disappointed when you play for Liverpool."
ALONSO: WE MUST LEARN FROM MISTAKES
Posted on 04 Oct 2008 by Adi
Xabi Alonso believes Liverpool can mount a serious challenge for the title – but only if they learn from last season's mistakes.
The Spain international has called for calm following the Reds' impressive start to the 08-09 campaign and insists they must not allow a repeat of the dip in form that cost them last year.
"We have to be cautious at this stage of the season," said Alonso.
"We started well enough in the Premier League last year but could not sustain it.
"If you want to be challenging for the title you cannot afford to have a bad month, like we did last time.
"You have to be so consistent, so strong and our first objective is to go into the Christmas programme still in contention. If you are eight or nine points adrift at that stage, you are out of it and we don't want a repeat that."
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