Premier League: Chelsea 1 Liverpool 2

Former Chelsea full-back Glen Johnson scored a late winner to give Liverpool a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Anfield side went into half-time with a deserved lead, after Maxi Rodriguez opened the scoring, before substitute Daniel Sturridge got Andre Villas-Boas’ team level.

Johnson then struck in the 87th minute to hand Chelsea their second home defeat in row for the first time in more than nine years.

The victory puts the Reds level with the hosts, who lost further ground on the two Manchester clubs at the top of the Premier League.

Both sides had early chances to score but midway through the first half the home end of Stamford Bridge rose to cheer what they believed to be a goal when Didier Drogba struck a free kick that went narrowly wide of Pepe Reina’s goal and hit the advertising boards.

The Reds continued to pressure their London hosts and they were rewarded when Craig Bellamy found Rodriguez in space and he tucked the ball over Petr Cech to open the scoring.

David Luiz gave away a free kick just outside the box that allowed Luis Suarez to try his luck with the set piece, but the Uruguayan frontman could not find the target as his strike went over the bar.

Luiz nearly cost his side again a minute later as Suarez broke the offside trap and raced past the Blues centre half, before attempting to cross the ball into the box but it deflected off the Brazilian and away for a corner.

A goal down at the break, Chelsea got their equaliser 10 minutes into the second half as Terry made a forward run with the ball, before finding Malouda who raced forward before hitting a mis-hit shot from the edge of the area that was eventually tapped in by Sturridge.

Villas-Boas’ side should have taken the lead a couple of minutes later as Drogba curled in a free kick from just outside the area that was knocked on by the on-rushing Branislav Ivanovic, with Reina having to make a spectacular save in order to keep the sides level.

The home side continued to create chances, with Ramires finding Juan Mata, who then chipped the ball towards Malouda inside the area but the French winger’s overhead kick went wide.

Just three minutes from full-time, Liverpool scored the winner as Dirk Kuyt found Johnson free on the right wing and he cut inside and put the ball by the outstretched arms of Cech and into the back of the net.