Was I the only neutral who fought off sleep during the game

Over the course of 210 minutes – that’s 3 and a half hours for you – two teams, one that has won two back to back Premiership titles and the other that was supposedly their biggest rivals this season, failed to entertain. It’s not a good advert for beautiful football, but does it really matter, now that Liverpool are in the Champions League final for the second time in 3 years

The biggest story of this season will be a grudging acceptance of Liverpool’s right to be in the top echelon of Europe. A lot of us (including myself) called Liverpool’s 2005 campaign a bit of a fluke, this season will be hard to call the same. They beat Barcelona and Chelsea, and to top it off there have been no goal controversies to give the opposition any ammunition.

Chelsea’s luck ran out a few games ago, and they’ve been suffering since. The mini-slump – two draws against Newcastle and Bolton and now a semi-final defeat – has effectively ended their season unless they can beat Arsenal and Manchester City can beat Manchester United on the weekend. The combined odds of that outcome happening are low.

Liverpool now have a dream final no matter who they face. In AC Milan it will be a reprise of Istanbul 2005, and this time you feel that Liverpool will be a lot stronger and could win a bit more convincingly. In Manchester United it will be revisiting one of the fiercest rivalries in the Premiership transported to Europe’s main stage, and you can bet your house that it will be bloody entertaining.

Liverpool’s goal (Agger)

Second Leg Preview

Can Chelsea survive the Anfield roar Will Mourinho cry foul at Anfield’s 12th man’s support Can Liverpool actually repeat their 2-0 January result and go to the Champions League final for the 2nd time in 3 years

Depending on which side you hear, anything is possible.

The majority of football fans are looking at Chelsea’s 1-0 lead, and their history, and think that Liverpool can’t overturn them. I’m inclined to agree. Chelsea are likely to score in every game they play, and with a one goal advantage, if Chelsea score Liverpool will have to put through 3 goals in 90 minutes.

Do you see Liverpool doing that As a neutral, I don’t. I do see both sides scoring goals, but 3 goals even at home against Chelsea may be a big ask. Chelsea haven’t won the last two Premierships and pushed United to the very end this season as a fluke – they’re a strong side and despite Carvalho’s, Ballack’s and Sheva’s absences, they should be strong enough to not concede 3 goals.

Chelsea vs Liverpool might not be pretty football for the neutral, but with so many talented players on the pitch something magical is bound to happen (no, not that kind of magic) – and in the first leg it was Drogba’s run that set Joe Cole up for a tap in.

Speaking of the first leg, a lot of people said that Chelsea looked tired – I’d say that Chelsea did as much as was necessary and then focused on containment. At Anfield, Chelsea know that they need to score once and after that they can contain and play on the counter.

Liverpool’s chances of winning lie in Gerrard’s and Crouchie’s hands – and I fully expect those two to turn up and deliver. Liverpool are fresher, focused and Rafa Benitez always managed to gee up their motivation several notches when it comes to the Champions League.

Before the first leg, Mourinho said that he would have been sacked if he had been as unsuccessful as Benitez in the Premiership. Benitez has came back this time and said that with all the money spent on the Chelsea squad, the pressure to win is far greater on Chelsea than it is on Liverpool. Of course, he’s right