Liverpool answer Gerrard's call

By Ivan Carvalho at Stadio Delle Alpi

Before this momentous second leg with Juventus FC, Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard had insisted the Reds would need to play the game of their lives to reach the last four of the Champions League. Rising to the challenge of their inspirational leader, who missed the match through injury, Liverpool took to the Stadio Delle Alpi pitch and silenced a Juventus side that had experienced few difficulties on their path to the quarter-finals.

Confident Juve
With five straight 1-0 victories to their name to open their Champions League campaign, Juventus must have fancied their chances of overturning the 2-1 defeat they suffered at Anfield. Despite missing French marksman David Trezeguet, who had picked up yet another injury in training, the Italian side looked to be the more complete and experienced team, having easily qualified for the knockout stages.

Tacticians vie
Juventus coach Fabio Capello, ever the prudent tactician, had announced his side would pursue a methodical approach and not risk everything in the opening half to find the goal that would seal their qualification. Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez gave away little, placing Milan Baroš up front as the lone striker as the Spaniard, a noted admirer of Capello's coaching abilities, looked to get the better of his opposite number.

Liverpool defend
Unfortunately for both sets of supporters, the first half produced few attacks of note, with Liverpool midfield player John Arne Riise already starting to creep back after the first 15 minutes to provide the Reds with a five-man backline. That, and the inability of Pavel Nedved to connect with striking pair Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alessandro Del Piero, meant most of Juve's attacks originated from Frenchman Lilian Thuram, who had reverted to right-back in the absence of Jonathan Zebina.

Few chances
With Ibrahimovic drifting back into midfield at times, much to the dismay of Capello, the Bianconeri strikers struggled to find space against the defensive array positioned in front of goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek. Neither side had a shot on goal in the first 45 minutes, with Juventus only causing panic with a wayward Ibrahimovic close-range strike and a Nedved volley gone awry after a corner was taken short to set up the Czech midfield player.

Zalayeta on
The anticipated substitution by Capello to begin the second half saw Marcelo Zalayeta replace Ruben Olivera, but it did little to help Juve's cause as Liverpool stymied their new attacking trio. Instead, the Italian side's best chances came from the lively Mauro Camoranesi and Thuram pushing forward.

Team ethic
Showing how he can improve on an already solid base from his days at Valencia CF, Benítez had the starting eleven working as an effective unit taking time off the clock. Indeed, Liverpool were the embodiment of the 'There is no i in team' philosophy. Although it was not pretty to watch at times, Liverpool were able to stifle Juventus and prevent them from getting enough space to build attacks.

García impresses
Luis García, scorer of the winning goal in the first leg, stood out for his creative passes and ability to find space against Juve's intimidating defence. The young Spaniard has blossomed under Benítez at Anfield and his contribution on the night helped Liverpool post an incredible upset.

Chelsea next
It also allowed Benítez to continue his attempt, albeit with two different squads, to emulate José Mourinho's back-to-back victories in the UEFA Cup and Champions League. Benítez's Liverpool face Mourinho's Chelsea FC next - to win that semi-final a fit-again Gerrard may need to produce the game of his life too.