Liverpool's Spirit Shines Through In Chelsea Epic

When the dust has settled on this extraordinary Champions League tie, and when Liverpool fans overcome the despairs of seeing their side gift Chelsea goals, Reds fans must celebrate how valiantly their side fought in the second leg to push Chelsea all the way. The fact that they came so close to achieving one of the most remarkable comebacks of all time, on not one but two occasions, should be what supporters remember most, and not the mistakes that led to Chelsea’s resurgence at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool showed why they are feared so much in Europe with a display brimming with determination and passion for the red shirt. On another night they would have been the ones preparing to book flights to Spain for a mouth-watering semi-final with Barcelona.

If Jose Reina hadn’t spilled Didier Drogba’s flick into his own net shortly after half-time, swinging the momentum into Chelsea’s favour in the process, then it might have been Liverpool fans jumping up and down at the final whistle.

Instead it is Chelsea who continue marching along the road to Rome, and they must be credited for the way they responded to Liverpool’s first-half dominance, in which Fabio Aurelio’s ingenious free-kick and Xabi Alonso’s calm penalty had given Liverpool an extraordinary 2-0 lead on the night.  Chelsea were stunned at the break.

Liverpool’s astonishing resilience continued into the second-half, even after Chelsea had taken a 3-2 lead through Reina’s catastrophic own goal, Alex’s free-kick thunderbolt and Lampard’s calm side-foot.  When Lucas’ deflected shot from the edge of the box flew in with ten minutes remaining, and then Riera’s whipped cross was headed in by Kuyt from point-blank range moments later, Liverpool fans sensed a repeat of Istanbul.

The climax was unbelievable. After so many dull stalemates between these sides, a true epic unfolded.

There was still more drama. Liverpool’s hopes were crushed for one final time when Lampard scored again with minutes remaining. Their efforts will not be forgotten for a long time though.

The spirit that they showed throughout the ninety minutes was indescribable, and they could have even grabbed another goal in the last minute when N’Gog’s prodded shot was headed off the line by Essien.

All Liverpool’s hard work was ultimately undone by silly mistakes around their own penalty area though. In the first leg, Ivanovic was twice allowed to power home free-headers from inside the six-yard box.

Then in the second-leg Reina’s untimely fumble proved to be the turning point. A sloppy pass was intercepted for Chelsea’s last goal as well.

After awarding a penalty to Liverpool in the first-half, the referee was rather generous to Chelsea for the remainder of the game. He was not helped by Drogba’s all-night acting show, the Ivorian always making the most of minimal contact and faking injuries on numerous occasions. Drogba’s diving was so good that Tom Daly should probably give him a call and talk to him about being his partner at the 2012 Olympics.

Mistakes and Drogba’s diving are not what should be remembered from an epic night of top-class football though. Instead it should be the never-say-die attitude that defined Liverpool’s unbelievable performance at Stamford Bridge.

A special club will show its true colours once more tomorrow afternoon when it mourns the 96 who lost their lives twenty years ago. Liverpool’s four goals will be devoted to them.