Liverpool vs Chelsea: Battle with Jose Mourinho offers Brendan Rodgers a chance at retribution The now notorious slip was part misfortune, but also a consequence of the frenzied environment Mourinho created, where as early as the 45th minute the Liverpool players were chasing a winner in a game they only needed to draw. Much as it hurts everyone at Anfield to say it, Mourinho did indeed show his genius in the way he took over the choreography of the occasion, spoiling the game by giving his physiotherapist plenty of game time and laying traps all over the pitch which Liverpool fell into. Enticing mistakes from the opponent has always been part of the Mourinho strategy. Opposing managers will have been studying a video of that game before each Liverpool meeting since, and allied to the loss of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, it has led Rodgers to try numerous formation changes over the course of those 18 games. The search for the balance that made Liverpool so eye-catching last season continues, and the challenge for Rodgers this time is whether he is so advanced in his coaching to outsmart Mourinho. Rodgers rejects the idea that Chelsea game left a legacy, correctly identifying numerous other factors since, but it was that afternoon - not the subsequent 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace - that determined the destination of the league title. It was the most harrowing Anfield experience for Liverpool supporters since Michael Thomas" winner for Arsenal in 1989. "It halted (momentum), absolutely," said Rodgers. We went on and drew the next game but it is more than that. We had players coming back after a World Cup, pre-season which was broken and of course the issues we have spoken about before - introducing players and losing players. The repercussions of that game were of course disappointing but that isn't the sole consequence of where we are at now. In the Chelsea game we did everything we possibly could. There were elements that were out of our control, you can't control a poor guy slipping over, and the performance for a large part of the game was dominant but we just couldn't score. The bigger disappointment for me was the Crystal Palace game. That wasn't the game that lost us the title but, when you go three-nil up, you have to win that game and how we didn't win that game was most disappointing. The Chelsea game was a learning experience for us all as it was probably the first big opponent that played that way. Now there are a lot going down that route with a low (defensive) block. For me it wasn't losing the Chelsea game, it was what we could learn from it. We are a team that has played with different tactics, different systems in the games. It is something I've learned from that game but over the course of many years coaching. Much too has been made of Rodgers and Mourinho's friendship, their working history placing the Liverpool manager in the role as former apprentice - an element of his CV that undoubtedly impressed Liverpool's owners when they recruited him in 2012. The respect Rodgers has for the Chelsea coach has not seemed to be much reciprocated, from his jibe last year when he claimed Liverpool were "on holiday" from Europe, thus able to compete for the title, to this week's intrusion into the debate about the team selection in Madrid. Mourinho's recent interview with Gary Neville in Telegraph Sport also underlined how a trip to Merseyside fires up the Chelsea manager as much as any fixture. On the surface, at least, there doesn't seem to be as much love between the pair as their once was. "I'm not sure, we haven't spoken on it, we exchanged a few messages after the game (in April) but that's been it really," said Rodgers. Naturally, most focus will be on Gerrard, who will be avoiding the match previews knowing which incident will be most replayed. Rodgers says a lesser character would have crumbled after such a disappointment - what the captain described as the worst moment of his career. "He has got the inner-strength that the very, very best players have," said Rodgers. You have to have that to perform at the level he has for 15 years at one of the top clubs in the world where the scrutiny is on you week in, week out. He has performed at a level that gets him over disappointments, that allows him to keep going and it is his character that defines him above even his talent. He has been remarkable for this club throughout his career here and will continue to be. Steven is a big character and I know from seeing him work every day that he's got over it. It's something you might think a bit more about when you finish or retire but he and I haven't had time to dwell on what happened. Whether Rodgers and his team have dwelled or not, the memories will be revived at lunchtime on Saturday. Liverpool say they have moved on from that last Chelsea defeat, but it's time they proved it with their performance level.