Good News, TRC Readers

I've finally gotten the tickets to the Liverpool vs Singapore match on 27th July. After a long wait and plenty of patience, it paid off and although it cost $88, most would agree that it's pretty decent even in face of the current economy climate.


Though I wasn't lucky enough to get myself a seat in the East Stand, which is going to be transformed into a Kop of Asia, Singapore style! Still, I can't be much happier to have acquired the tickets and will be watching alongside some Arsenal and ManYoo fans.

That really says about the craziness and passion of the fans here. I guess it's a one-off match where allegiance will be put aside for some top class football.

If you're in Singapore, reading this and have yet to get it, PLEASE DON'T WAIT ANY LONGER!

Anyway as I've mentioned, this is good news for all of you because...

I'll be there and will bring you pictures, videos and most importantly, my personal account of this event. So stay tune!

Match Preview: Liverpool vs Tottenham

Liverpool welcome Spurs to Anfield for the final game of what has been a good season in some ways and a disappointing one in others. Rafa’s men may have ended the season without any silverware but they’ve mounted their best title challenge for well over a decade and for large parts of the season they were the best team. That doesn’t really matter now but it shows great signs of improvement and if Rafa makes one or two signings the red half of Merseyside could be celebrating something special this time next year.

For now though Liverpool have to make sure they beat Spurs and take the second spot. I expect them to see off Tottenham to be honest, they’ve become a good side under the guidance of Harry Redknapp but they don’t travel to well and Liverpool will want to end the season on a high and boost the points tally.

It will be a return to Anfield for Robbie Keane and I’m sure he’ll want to get among the goals and prove Rafa wrong. I’m not sure he will to be honest and I wouldn’t go backing him to score in the game with my own football betting. I’m sure most people would agree that Benitez made the right move in letting him go and he hasn’t really impressed since his move back to Spurs.

The key player for the opposition could well be keeper Heurelho Gomes. The Spurs keeper got a lot of stick at the start of the season for some high profile and costly errors but he has been a revelation in the latter part of the campaign. Gomes has pulled off some truly unbelievable saves and kept Carlo Cudicini out of the side and it will take a bit of work to get past him.

Redknapp hasn’t been impressed with his strikeforce since he took over and Roman Pavlyuchenko looks set for a summer exit. It might be a safe football bet to back the Liverpool clean sheet in all fairness as Pepe Reina is going for the golden glove award and we saw from Jamie Carragher’s antics last week that it is an important award for the team to win.

The match is fairly unimportant in all fairness but I still expect Liverpool to finish on a win. Even though Spurs still have European qualification to play for I don’t think they’ve got enough quality in the team to get a result at Anfield and Liverpool should be able to pick up all three points and go into the summer break full of confidence.

Kop Comes To Asia - Details

Strategic Sports Investment, part of the Profitable Group, are pleased to announce the ticket prices & ticket outlets for Liverpool Football Club on their visit to South East Asia this summer.

Any fan who decides to purchase a ticket for 'The Kop' will receive an exclusive limited edition Kop Scarf. This will help in truly recreating the legend that is 'The Kop'. The prices are as follows:

'The Kop' (East Entrance) : S$ 88 South Entrance : S$ 88 North Entrance : S$ 88 Grandstand Lower : S$ 88 Grandstand 'RED' : S$188 Grandstand Balcony : Available on request

It will be free seating for “The Kop”, Grandstand Lower, South and North Stand. These can be purchased from the outlets listed below. Grandstand RED seats and Grandstand Balcony are available from the Profitable Group Singapore. For more information on the Grandstand RED & Grandstand Balcony tickets, call the ticket hotline +65 65505056, or alternatively email: thekop@profitablegroup.com To allow all of the football fans in Singapore to experience Liverpool FC in Singapore, purchasing of tickets will be limited to 4 tickets per person. Ticket sales, will be on a first come first served basis. The tickets will be available from the 22nd May 2009 from these following outlets:

Adidas stores and outlets throughout Singapore: Courts outlets throughout Singapore: • Pacific Plaza • Raffles Shopping Centre • Cineleisure • Suntec City Mall • The Cathay • Vivo City • Velocity • Peninsula Shopping Centre • Queensway Shopping Centre • Tampines 1 • The Heeren • The Paragon • CityLink Mall • Junction 8 • Jurong Point Shopping Centre • Parkway Parade • Wheelock Place • Bugis Junction • Ang Mo Kio • Bukit Timah • Causeway Point • Funan • Jurong Point • Lot One Shoppers' Mall (Choa Chu Kang) • Megastore (Tampines) • Tampines Mall • Toa Payoh • Vivo City Harry's bars throughout Singapore: Thomas Pink outlet: • Boat Quay • Chijmes • Velocity Novena • Angullia Park • Dempsey Hill • Far East Square • HarbourFront • Holland Village • Millenia Walk • Orchard • Raffles Quay • Suntec City Mall • Esplanade • Pier Robertson • The Village Centre • Changi Airport T1 • Changi Airport T2 • Rail Mall • Changi Business Park • Shenton Way • Fusionopolis • The Sail Marina Bay • Singapore’s Straits Bar by Harry’s at Changi T3 • Capital Tower

For a full list and ticketing locations, please visit www.profitablegroup.com

For further information on ticket sales, please contact: Ticket hotline +65 65505056 or email: thekop@profitablegroup.com

Reds Take It Out On Baggies As Title Bid Comes to an End

Liverpool 2 (Gerrard 28, Kuyt 63)
West Brom 0

There was no thrill but plenty of emotional spill as Liverpool’s victory over West Bromwich Albion sends the Baggies down to the Championship. The Reds’ spirit were dampened prior to the match as they saw the Premiership crown being lifted at Old Trafford once again, equaling their 18 league title record.

Yet they were able to conjure up a spirited and determined performance to see off West Brom away from home. It was a make-or-break game for the bottom-placed team as anything but a victory over the league runners-up means relegation.

It was as if inevitable that West Brom would go down as they stayed cemented on the foot of the Premiership table. Yet the previous 2 games suggested otherwise and the Baggies fans were hopeful of yet another great escape just like the one in 2004.

No doubt they were determined to make it count and even the presence of a full strength Liverpool side did not derail them of their original game plan.

The away side, on the other hand, was like a wounded animal. Seeing their title bid gone up the smokes without even a kick of the ball, they had nothing to play for. Perhaps only pride and a hope to finish the season on a high note.

Of course, Jamie Carragher would beg to defer as he his altercation with fellow Reds, Alvaro Arbeloa came under the spotlight. Seeing the Spanish defender’s lackadaisical defending for much of the game, the born and bred Liverpudlian gave Arbeloa a earful and it nearly turned into a Bowyer and Dyer-esque fight scene.

It was uncalled for and Carragher should have dealt with it behind closed doors. But on the other hand, one could see Carragher’s spirit and attitude of a man who gives his all for the club.

Perhaps, it was brewed through pure frustration of yet another barren year for Liverpool. Seeing the Premiership crown whizzed by, a ‘so near so yet far’ feeling was by far worse than the ‘out of title bid by November’.

But despite with so little to play for, Liverpool put up a professional performance to see off West Brom. A 2-0 victory all but sealed West Brom’s fate but they only had themselves to blame.

Steven Gerrard’s opener was totally against the run of play. Despite having a decent start to the game, West Brom decided to play Father Christmas as a lapse of concentration gifted Liverpool the vital goal.

Its mistakes like this that gives you the idea as to why they are in the mire. Yet the defenders were not the only one that should’ve been blamed.

Despite being presented with decent chances, all credits to their hardworking midfielders, the strikers were unable to put the ball in the onion bag. It doesn’t help having Jamie Carragher on the opposing team, either.



Dirk Kuyt then doubled the lead as he secures his best scoring record since arriving in England 3 years ago. The striker turned winger was given time as space as he fired home from 25 yards out.

The goal all but buried any hopes that West Brom fans harbored. Yet the home fans were still singing at the top of their lungs in appreciation of their efforts. As many fans could point out that it’s never easy singing in defeat.

Liverpool, on the other hand, can take pride in one of their finest ever domestic campaign, despite actually not winning it. The win took them to 83 points, one of their best ever and it would’ve won them the title a few years back.

Unfortunately, the bar was raised higher in recent years and despite only just 2 defeats throughout the whole campaign, they just fell short. It must be utter disappointment for the players who truly, gave their all.

With this pain and disappointment, they’ll probably strive harder next season. It’s the closest they have came in over 20 years and with a couple of shrewd signing this summer, the hunt of the title could be over in the next few years.

It couldn’t be any closer, can it?

Goodbye To The Big Finn

It’s the news that most Liverpool fans were shocked to hear but the departure of Liverpool’s number 4, Sami Hyypia, will definitely be an amicable one as the Finnish defender moves to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

For the past decade, Hyypia has been a colossal figure for the Anfield outfit and won various trophies and cups with Liverpool, including the famous treble in 2001. It would be toppings on ice if Liverpool were to win their first Premiership trophy this season.

Despite being in the twilight of his career, Hyypia still played an important role in Rafael Benitez’s side. His bagful of experience, impeccable position sense on the pitch and most importantly, cool as in iceman, he never complained playing second-fiddle to Daniel Agger or Martin Skrtel.

When called upon, he seldom disappoints. Liverpool’s most note-worthy win this year came from Old Trafford and the Big Finn played his part in it, stopping the rampant Man Utd.

That obviously, was just a small portion of what Hyypia has achieved in his 10 year stint at Anfield.

He arrived with a seemingly meager price-tag at 2.5mil GBP and that has to be one of the, if not the shrewdest purchase under Gerard Houllier’s regime. He immediately formed an impregnable partnership with Swiss, Stephane Henchoz.

Both Hyypia and Henchoz were the basis of Gerard Houllier’s side. The Frenchman’s love for counter-attacking football would not be possible without a defence which could soak up intense pressures. Hyypia, at the heart of defence, was unfazed.But the event which caught my eye the most would be Hyypia’s humility and meekness captured by the way he handled the skipper’s armband to current captain, Steven Gerrard in 2004.

The towering defender was a good choice for captaincy as retirement of Redknapp and departure of Robbie Fowler left the club with a power vacuum. Local heroes such as Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher were all still too young.

He readily availed himself and stepped up to take up the captaincy and perhaps knowing that he was just going to be a seat-warmer for the next Liverpool captain, Gerrard.

Unfortunately, a slight dip of form and the power transfer happened at the same time and therefore, many would presume that he was stripped off due to his poor form.

But despite of the blow, Sami Hyypia continued to be a dependable and loyal servant to the club. With modern day footballers love mouthing about their employers and selling exclusive gossips to the papers, Hyypia was never once found on papers for the wrong reasons.

He continued working hard and in spite of the managerial changes in 2005, he stuck on and put faith in Rafa Benitez and his ideologies. It didn’t take long for him to know that he has put his trust in the right man as Liverpool went on to win their 5th European Cup.

Thereafter, as age caught up with him, he would slowly retreat to the backbenches of Liverpool. With the purchase of younger defenders such as Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel, Hyypia would find himself more and more as a backup rather than an indispensable part of Benitez’s plans.

But again, never once did Sami Hyypia voiced his unhappiness or about the lack of opportunity. He was still, dependable when called upon and still gave his best every single minute he’s on the pitch.

So as Hyypia signs his name on the dotted line, I believe most Liverpool fans would be happy for him. Even in his twilight of his career, he still hunger for some first team action, something which Benitez could not promise him.

All the best, Sami. You have been a loyal servant to the club and I guess everyone’s grateful for your useful contributions at Anfield for the past decade. Nobody will forget your towering presence, coolness in face of pressure, reading of the game and the exceptional character which is grade “A” compared to the new generation of players.

Please do come back to work for the backroom staff after your retirement and nurture youngsters, inculcate in them the beliefs and the love of football you have. In faith, I say we’ll be seeing him back in the near future.

Liverpool Surge past Abysmal Magpies

Liverpool 3 (Benayoun 22, Kuyt 28, Lucas 87)
Newcastle 0

After a troubled season of managerial changes, uncertainties and squad full of uncommitted players, Tyneside’s worse fear was soon realised yesterday at Anfield and that their Premiership status might be stripped away. Relegation for Alan Shearer’s men beckon.

Even the former Magpie hero could do nothing with the absolutely abhorring performance marred with countless of defensive mistakes, tactical naivety and terrible discispline.

Faced with heaps of expectation and pressure for survival, Shearer might now see it as a bridge too far for Newcastle as Liverpool comfortable swatted aside any hopes of them defeating the rampant home side.

Liverpool totally deserved the 3 goals and as Rafa Benitez noted after the game, it should’ve been more. Newcastle can count themselves fortunate that Anfield’s goal frames were on top of their form, stopping 3 clear goals from Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso, twice.

Aside from that, Joey Barton did what he does best and a two-footed studs up challenge on Alonso means that he’ll play no part in Newcastle’s relegation challenge, a particularly selfish act.

At such desperate moment where Newcastle needs all hands on deck, he threw in the towel. And from yesterday’s display, he doesn’t seem to be the only one.


Obafemi Martins, too, showed a total lack of commitment and couldn’t give two hoots about his team or their relegation fight. The most convicting and purposeful contribution he made all afternoon was when his name was finally on the 4th official’s board.

Defensively, Newcastle were not aggressive enough and gave Liverpool far too much space in midfield. Steven Gerrard could’ve gotten himself the match ball if only he had his shooting boots on and some match fitness with him.

The Liverpool midfield were handed the initiative as they were able to control the tempo at ease and firing pot shots at Steve Harper’s goal without much resistance. This was particularly depressing sight for Alan Shearer.

The most unforgiving part about Newcastle is their set piece defending and the Reds totally punished them for that.

Two out of three goals conceded at Anfield were down to appalling man-marking and lack of concentration. The number of players left ball-watching for Lucas’ headed goal was unbelievable.

It was the first Premiership goal for the Brazilian midfielder and he must’ve thought it could not have come any easier for him.

But ultimately, the game was tilted in Liverpool’s way as a controversial decision gave the home side the much-needed first goal.

Yossi Benayoun kneed in a Dirk Kuyt cross and replays showed that the Israeli midfielder was a yard offside before tapping the ball into the empty net.

But Liverpool’s superiority and dominance were apparent throughout and the scoreline was definitely no fluke. They hardly had to shift out of first gear and looked like they enjoyed the afternoon walk in the park.

For the supporters from Tyneside, it’s definitely heartbreaking to see the team disintegrate into such mess over such short period of time. Although they have yet to be relegated, based on their performance yesterday, they don’t deserve to stay up. No chance.

Day by day, it looks more like a modern day football tragedy as they slip out of the top flight and a slight chance of them disappearing into oblivion.

With a squad full of totally uncommitted have-beens and have-nots, it might just be a blessing in disguise, the thing which Newcastle needs to most now. A clear-out of deadwood players.

Whoever the next Newcastle manager may be (as Shearer said that he will not manage them past this season), he will be integral in Newcastle’s future and Mike Ashley can no longer make the same mistakes that he had made all these while. A right man must be picked for this transition period.

Or risk doing a Leeds United or Southampton, as the sun sets on these former top-flight mainstays. A fall from glory is quicker than most thought. Don’t be too surprised.

For Liverpool, they continue their good form but is it a little too late? With Man Utd only needing another 4 points to reclaim the title, even winning the rest of the games might not bring the elusive title back to Anfield.

It also, could be a bridge too far.

Mtach Preview: Liverpool vs Newcastle

Newcastle have given the Reds some classic ties over the years with some high scoring, fast tempo and incredibly exciting encounters. I’m not expecting the same this time round to be honest as Newcastle are no where near the side they once were. They’ve managed just one goal in their last four games and I wouldn’t go betting on them to add to that tally when they visit Anfield.

When Alan Shearer arrived at Newcastle the betting odds were slashed on the Toon staying up. Four games and just two points later and they’re hot favourites to face the drop again. Newcastle couldn’t even beat Portsmouth at home on Monday night and they were perhaps lucky to get away with a point. A trip to Anfield is definitely not what they need right now and I can only see this tie going Liverpool’s way.

Steven Gerrard should be back from injury in time for the game on Sunday and his presence should give Rafa’s men a massive lift, though to be fair they’ve been doing pretty well without him anyway. Newcastle’s midfield seems to lack any invention at all, probably why Michael Owen hasn’t been finding the net lately, and Gerrard should run the show on Sunday.

There is the risk of Owen’s return to consider, that could be the ace in the hole for Shearer and Newcastle. The former Kop favourite hasn’t been in the best form of late and is struggling to find the net but he is still a top-striker and if he gets half a chance he is more than capable of taking it.

Newcastle’s confidence has been low lately, as you would expect, and that has been plain too see for anyone who has been watching their games. If Liverpool go at them from the start and get the crowd behind them it could be a real rout and I just can’t see Newcastle offering anything to be honest. The only down side is Manchester United play Middlesbrough the day before and I can’t see them dropping points in that game either, but at least Liverpool should keep up the pressure at the top of the table.

The Reds Are Coming

Hear ye, hear ye!

Good news to all Liverpool fans here over in South-east Asia. Your long neglected support for Liverpool FC have been finally noticed! With our market largely untapped by the Merseyside giants, Ian Ayre, the commercial director of LFC have finally saw the potential here.

Liverpool will travel to both Thailand and Singapore (WOOHOO!) for their South-east Asian tour in July for the pre-season warm ups and friendlies and this news will definitely be well-recieved in this part of the world, were football fanatics would pay any price just to see their favourite team.

And I'm sure this does not only interest the local Liverpool fans but supporters of other clubs as well! I've contacted a few Man Utd and Arsenal fans and all have enthusiastically mentioned that they won't miss out on this opportunity.

I'm sure most Singapore Reds will remember back in 2001 when Liverpool defeated the Singapore national side 2-0.

But I'm confident that this time round, the tour will be even more successful than the last because the current Liverpool side are more marketable than back in 2001, with fans willing to pay however much to see Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in action.

Can't wait! More information will be up as soon as the press release is done here. Stay tune!

22nd July 2009
Thailand National Team v Liverpool Football Club
Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok
8.00pm Kick Off (local time)
Bangkok is 6 hours ahead of UK

26th July 2009
Singapore National Team v Liverpool Football Club
National Stadium, Singapore
7.00pm Kick Off (local time)
Singapore is 7 hours ahead of UK

Arshavin Quadruple Dents Reds' Title Hope

Liverpool 4 (Torres 49, 72; Benayoun 56, 90)
Arsenal 4 (Arshavin 36, 67, 70, 90)

From Russia, with love. Arshavin’s amazing 4 goal show at Anfield was enough to stop Liverpool in its track even as the Reds continue to mount a late title surge. The breath-taking 4-4 draw last night quashed some hopes of Liverpool bringing back the number 19 back to Anfield.

Even though the draw was enough to send Liverpool top of the league through superior goal differences against Man Utd, it must’ve seen like 2 points dropped rather than 1 gained.

Sir Alex and Guus Hiddink must’ve been rubbing their hands in glee as they saw Arsenal dismantle Liverpool’s defence. And then Arsenal being dismantled. In a see-saw game of football, a second consecutive 4-4 draw was definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Despite dominating the game and having lion’s share of possession, Liverpool were unable to see Arsenal off and in a game where we knew the Reds had to be at their best, defensive frailties were glaring and a few lapse of concentration here and there cost Liverpool dear.

Still without the injured skipper, Steven Gerrard, Liverpool looked more likely to score early in the first half with Fernando Torres causing loads of trouble for Kolo Toure while Yossi Benayoun tested Lukas Fabianski on a couple of occasions.

Yet it took one lapse of concentration and suddenly, Liverpool fell behind.

Javier Mascherano dallied on the ball just outside his own penalty box and was robbed by Arsenal skipper, Cesc Fabregas. In turn, the Spanish playmaker made a wonderful run before crossing it in for Andrei Arshavin, who was waiting near the penalty spot, to score.

Liverpool came back strongly after half time and you could sense the momentum was with the home side. With the Kop End in high spirit, Liverpool pressed forward and two quickfire goals stunned the away fans from London.

Torres and Benayoun, two heroes from the recent resurgence of Liverpool, hauled the team back in contention and an air of belief was evident. But it was a pity they were unable to build on that.

Arshavin once again punished Liverpool with a sweet right footed strike which left Pepe Reina diving despairingly. He dispossessed Alvaro Arbeloa, once again in a dangerous position, before curling it beyond the reaches of Reina.

The Russian playmaker then did Man Utd and Chelsea a massive favour when he scored his first ever hat trick for his new club. Fabio Aurelio’s poor clearance was all that was needed for Arshavin to pounce.

But you just knew Liverpool wouldn’t lie down.

Fernando Torres struck again when he received the ball just inside the penalty area and with Kolo Toure not marking him tight enough, he had the space to turn and fire home. Despite having a hand on the ball, Fabianski was unable to keep it out.

And the Kop were in full voice again. Belief, once again, came flooding back to the faithfuls. Yet it was not the last twist in the story. They were to find themselves in shock and disbelief once again.

From a Liverpool corner, Arsenal cleared their lines and with only two men in defence, the Gunners were able to launch a counter-attack which Liverpool had no chance stopping. At the end of the move was again, Andrei Arshavin.

And like a typical Liverpool script, they equalised right on the 90th minute mark through the brilliant Yossi Benayoun. The Israeli midfielder pounced on a poor clearance and volley home to bring minimal cheer to the crowd.

Yet majority of the fans knew that it wasn’t good enough. A draw was a serious dent in Liverpool’s title bid and with Man Utd having 2 games in hand with just about 6 games to go, their hopes might be fading away.

Despite missing out on Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie, Arsenal, through their famed intricate passing and swift interplays, were able to expose a haphazard Liverpool defence while the absence of Gael Clichy and William Gallas was evident.

Liverpool, though showed great character once again, couldn’t rely on it to win them every game. Xabi Alonso mentioned in a pre-match talk about how they needed to be in top form and making as little mistakes as possible to win it but as we’ve seen last night, they fell short and the usually reliable players were culprits.

Last night’s draw will give Man Utd a huge boost of confidence even as they entertain Portsmouth tonight at Old Trafford. A win for the Red Devils tonight will surely bring them a step closer to securing their 18th title – equaling Liverpool’s long-standing record.

Chelsea Trumps Liverpool in Epic Showdown

Chelsea 4 (Drogba 52, Alex 57, Lampard 76, 89)
Liverpool 4 (Aurelio 19, Alonso pen 28, Lucas 81, Kuyt 82)
(Chelsea wins 7-5 on aggregate)

It is this sort of game that reminds you of why you first loved football. It was also a reminder to me on why I love Liverpool FC this much. Thrills, spills, comebacks, joy and disappointments all in a match, how much can you ask for?

Much pressure was on the visitors to perform after a lacklustre 3-1 defeat last week at Anfield. The match coincided with a truly emotional period for the club as they commemorate the death of the 96 fans in Hillsbrough, 20 years ago.

Rally cries were heard and many ‘do it for the 96’ messages were on the forums. And from Liverpool’s first half performance at Stamford Bridge, they really did them proud, invoking the bouncebackability of Istanbul and on so many occasions.

Yet it was just a bridge too far for the Reds.

Needing to 3 goals at Stamford Bridge is a tall order. Ask any football fans and you’ll know that’s highly impossible. Yet even after 4 goals, it was just not enough to take Liverpool through to the semi-finals.

But Rafa Benitez and his men should take heart. While papers and media see the results, the fans know the effort in which they put in and they should still leave the pitch with head held high.

With so many previous results being decided by just a goal or two, nobody in their right mind would’ve thought that a 8 goal thriller is at hand.

Indeed, the game started off in familiarity with both sides playing cautiously and settling down as fast as they could. And it was the away side which took the upperhand and seized the moment.

Without the suspended John Terry and having to survive a scare last Saturday (leading Bolton at home 4-0, they threw away all comfort and put on diapers by conceding 3 in 8 minutes), Chelsea were shaky and Petr Cech was never the goalkeeper he used to be before his head injury.

It was to no surprise that a real life football drama is about to unfold as Fabio Aurelio’s freekick went straight into the bottom corner of the net when everyone thought the Brazilian is going to float a freekick into the congested penalty area.

Fantastic technique and it caught Petr Cech totally off-guard. First blood to the Reds and a comeback was imminent.

Before they could settle their nerves, Chelsea found themselves further in the mire after Spanish referee Luiz Catalejo awarded Liverpool a penalty. 1st leg’s hero, Branislav Ivanovic, turned zero after bringing down Xabi Alonso in the penalty during a freekick.

A slightly harsh decision on most fan’s eyes but it’s one which is the hardest to follow by the law book.

And up steps the player who completed the comeback of all comebacks. Xabi Alonso dispatched it with no doubt. One more goal and it will complete the turnaround.

But Chelsea regrouped and the Reds were unable to find the momentum to finally turn the tide over. Guus Hiddink made a decisive switch even before half time by bringing off the ineffective Salomon Kalou and replacing him with former Liverpool loanee, Nicolas Anelka.

And the Frenchman was to have a positive impact in the game which was a literal rollercoaster ride.

Hiddink admitted later that there were strong words used and emotions gone out of control in his half time team talk. No surprises that Chelsea came out strong and dispels all belief that the Liverpool fans had.

It started off with a bizarre goal as Anelka’s cross was deflected by an onrushing Didier Drogba. His touch was barely seen and minimal at best but it was enough to fool Pepe Reina, who totally missed it and seemingly pushed it into his own net.

That was a lack of concentration there and like Cech, a game to forget.

Alex, the Brazilian defender, then showed his fellow countryman that what he could do, he can do best. A smashing strike from him which gave Reina no chance at all.

Chelsea then capitalized on a wayward Alonso pass and Lampard did what he does best, which is scoring against Liverpool.

3-2 and Liverpool fans must’ve thought it’s all over.

But as a team classed with character and anointed with the spirit of fight backs, Liverpool didn’t lie down and roll over but instead, rallied again and gave themselves hope.

Lucas, who was anonymous and a spectator throughout, took a potshot at goal and it was fortuitously deflected off Michael Essien and into the net. It gave the Reds fan something to cheer about again. Chelsea fans held on to their seats.

Stamford Bridge was rattled further when substitute Albert Riera whipped in an inch perfect cross for Dirk Kuyt to head home .

Again, Liverpool found themselves in the same exact situation as they had in the first half. A goal was all that they need.

But the goal was to end up in the wrong end as Frank Lampard buried all hopes of a Korean drama-esque football soap opera with a fantastic strike in off the post. By then, Liverpool already threw everything they could at Chelsea and were left terribly exposed at the back.

It was just a bridge too far for Liverpool as they crash out of the Champions League but with much pride.

It’s a game full of ups and downs and truly live up to the reputation of the beautiful game. Topsy-turvy and as unpredictable as ‘the ball is round’, it’ll go down the annals of Champions League history, along with Man Utd vs Real Madrid, as one of the greatest games.

True, it was marred by mistakes and nightmarish goalkeeper from both sides, it was all about the fight and the belief that both side held till the end. As surely Rocky Balboa said himself, it’s not over till it’s over.