Liverpool and Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw which suggested the Barclays Premier League season could be a war of attrition right to the end.
The two clubs have played each other 16 times in three seasons and familiarity clearly breeds contempt with nine bookings and Hampshire referee Rob Styles coming in for flak from both sets of players as he fought to maintain order.
Fernando Torres' excellent first goal for Liverpool was all but forgotten as the yellow cards were waved, five for Chelsea and four for Liverpool. Captains Steven Gerrard and John Terry were among the bookings.
Chelsea battled away after going behind and was rewarded with a controversial penalty that Frank Lampard drove past Jose Reina.
Steve Finnan was adjudged to have brought down Florent Malouda, but the incident looked more like the Frenchman jumping between Finnan and Jamie Carragher before crashing to the ground.
The incident set the tone for the rest of a fractious match in which Styles almost lost control of proceedings.
Broken toe or not, Gerrard was there to skipper Liverpool against a Chelsea side who had their own captain Terry back from injury.
Liverpool went straight on the attack as John Arne Riise attempted to exploit any unfamiliarity to right-back from jack of all trades Essien, who has also previously played at centre-back.
Riise appeared in yards of space to take a Steve Finnan cross-field ball only for Petr Cech to come flying off his line to avert the danger.
Essien was booked for sending Alvaro Arbeloa flying on the touchline, before Chelsea's vulnerability on their right flank saw them a goal behind on 16 minutes.
Gerrard played the ball with the outside of his right foot, finding Torres heading into the area.
The Spain international took on Tal Ben-Haim, leaving the ex-Bolton man in just a couple of yards before squeezing a clever side-foot shot just inside Cech's far post.
Chelsea responded with a Drogba free-kick that was deflected wide and Kalou saw a six-yard box chance disappear as he failed to shoot quickly.
The match got more heated and Dirk Kuyt was booked for a trip on Lampard.
The atmosphere deteriorated further after Chelsea complaints to referee Rob Styles over challenges on Malouda and Terry, the latter involved in an exchange of words with the perpetrator, Torres before Jermaine Pennant and Gerrard also found themselves in the book.
Chelsea brought on Claudio Pizarro for Kalou at the break, to provide better support for Drogba. And the Peruvian made an instant impact.
First he nodded on a Lampard corner for Terry to head just over, and then he stretched at the far post to head wide himself.
Much of Liverpool's play in the opening half was geared to containment, but the Reds more adventurous attacking the Kop end and Gerrard and Xabi Alonso both saw chances go wide while a Riise free-kick was charged down.
But on 61 minutes, Chelsea leveled the match from the penalty spot. It was a controversial decision by referee Styles to penalise Steve Finnan for a challenge on Malouda.
It looked as if Malouda had jumped between Finnan and Carragher before tumbling and Carragher was booked for arguing before Lampard drove the spot-kick home.
From then on, the game deteriorated into a nasty, spiteful battle as referee Styles waved the cards with abandon.
Cech, though, did well to keep out a close-range Riise effort as Liverpool pressed again while Kuyt's flicked header just cleared the bar.
English Premier League
Liverpool 1 (Torres 16)
Chelsea 1 (Lampard 62p)