I have just finished watching the game and I must say it will go down in the history of great Champions League games but it is not a game I will want to see ever again! I am gutted! Honestly speaking, before the game, I did not think we were capable of pulling this one off but at half time today, there was a buzz in my living room where I was watching the game from that, we could actually do it but alas it was not meant to be!
When Aurelio gave us the lead with that cheeky freekick, that was just what the doctor had ordered. We had to score first and score early. Perfect start. Then Alonso won the penalty which some may say was controversial but that was as clear cut as they come. Alonso stepped up himself to bury the spot kick. 2-0 up and it was not even half time. We had Chelsea reeling, they were playing poorly and were there for the taking and we were having them. It is not often you see a manager make a tactical substitute before halftime but Guus made one and took Kalou off for Anelka. He had to make that change or else we were going to continue tormenting them.
The first turning point of the game for me was halftime. Chelsea needed that break so Guus could scream at them and get them to wake up and it looked like he did just that as Chelsea came out in the second half as a different team. Then the second turning point of the game and for me the moment we lost the tie: Anelka down the right whips in a low cross which Drogba gets a touch on and it beats Reina on his near post. For me that was a Reina own goal and such a school boy error by our goalie. He should never have allowed that goal to go in. That goal to make it 2-1 just got Chelsea going and there was no stopping them from there! If Reina had saved that, who knows, we may have continued to frustrate Chelsea and knicked the winner ourselves at the other end. But from 2-1 it just went downhill! Alex then dispatched a rocket of a freekick, this time you can not blame Reina. At 2-2 it was game over. Then Lampard made it 3-2 with 15 minutes to go. There was no way we could get back into this one!
But hold on, there was still drama. Two goals in 2 minutes from Lucas and Kuyt made it 4-3 to us. All we needed was one more goal to win the tie with 8 minutes left. Now I had belief it could be done only for Lampard to make it 4-4 with a minute to go. 4-4 the final scoreline, what a crazy game but one I doubt many Liverpool fans and players will want to remember.
If you had said before the game that we were going to score 4 goals at the Bridge then I would have said we are certainly going through to the semifinal. But who would have thought we would concede four goals at the same time?
Football is a funny old game but what is done is done. Good luck to Chelsea when they take on Barcelona, they are going to need it! As for us, we will keep on walking on with hope in our heart in our quest to win the Premiership.
YNWA
96
