Liverpool's 'grandeur restored'

Liverpool FC 1-0 Chelsea FC (agg: 1-0)
It was a proud night for Liverpool FC after Luis García's first-half goal gave them victory over Chelsea and a place in their sixth European Cup final. The Reds had to defend resolutely after García's early strike gave them the edge, but Chelsea's Premiership winning bubble was well and truly burst on an emotionally charged night at Anfield. (Liverpool Daily Post, England)

In a single night, Liverpool's grandeur has been restored. Thanks to Luis García's disputed fourth-minute goal, they tower over English football once more as the club that will seek a remarkable fifth European Cup by taking on PSV Eindhoven or, almost certainly, AC Milan in the final on 25 May. Benítez rebuffed Chelsea's complaints about last night's game as forcefully as Dietmar Hamann and the back four had repelled their unimaginative attacks. Robben and Mateja Kezman came on but for once this was no suave tactical switch by Mourinho, just the doomed gamble of a desperate manager who saw Liverpool's fame coming back to searing life. (Guardian, England)

This was the magical night when Liverpool Football Club found themselves again, when they lived up to the weighty legacy of their glorious past and played with unyielding belief to reach the final of the Champions League. Driven on by the magnificent Didi Hamann, Liverpool ran the Chelsea juggernaut off the road to Istanbul. And the noise was just incredible. The pillars and rafters of this famous stadium were shaking as the songs, screams and chants cascaded down from all sides. Even Roman Abramovich, the man with all the riches, looked on awestruck. Money cannot buy tradition like this. (Daily Telegraph, England)

José Mourinho was back at his desk today planning for next season and feeling no less special than he did before Rafael Benítez denied him the chance to become the first coach to win the European Cup with different clubs in consecutive seasons. If the 'special one' had made mistakes he wasn't owning up to them. Nor was he blaming his players for the 1-0 defeat at Anfield that chips the gloss off what still remains a remarkable debut season for the Portuguese coach. (Evening Standard, England)

The English legion that will travel to Istanbul in three weeks will not be blue, but red in colour. At Anfield, Liverpool found the road to the Champions League final thanks to a controversial goal. Even after many replays it was not clear if the ball had fully crossed the line. José Mourinho was confident of reaching the final, but his prophetic words did not come true yesterday. Rafael Benítez's side brought Chelsea's phenomenally successful year to an abrupt end. (Algemeen Dagblad, Netherlands)

The Anfield people are back in the final 20 years after Heysel. The people, not only the team, because the magic of this stadium made the team coached by the genius Rafa Benítez unbeatable. Mourinho is the great loser of this tie but he remains a great figure. It was thanks to him that this game turned into a melodramatic battle between good and bad, rich and poor. If Milan qualify for the final, they will not underestimate the great history and tradition Liverpool seem to take with them wherever they go to the soundtrack You'll Never Walk Alone. (Corriere dello Sport, Italy)