Shevchenko gave Liverpool a warning in the 35th minute when he forced a parried save out of Jose Reina by cutting across the top of the penalty box and firing a low shot across the Reds goalkeeper.

Lampard set up the equaliser, chipping a ball over the top from the half-way line and with defender Steve Finnan nowhere near Shevchenko, the Ukrainian chested the ball down on the edge of the box before calmly slotting it past Reina to level for the Shield holders.

The match's tempo slowed down in the second half as both sides made a flurry of substitutions.

Man-of-the-match Momo Sissoko asserted calm authority in the Liverpool midfield, though the Reds struggled to penetrate the champions's defence.

Bellamy, a passionate Liverpool fan since childhood, set up the winner with a cross from the left.

Beanpole forward Crouch, who had had a quiet match, rose at the far post to power a downward header past Cudicini.

The Italian stopper was forced into an excellent save with four minutes left when he tipped a misdirected effort from Liverpool substitute and newcomer Fabio Aurelio around the post.

Liverpool have not won the English championship since 1990, but sent a message to Chelsea and the rest of the Premiership hopefuls that they intend to be a force to be reckoned with this season.