"This victory will not reside long in the annals beyond its statistical value, with Liverpool again making a gruelling night's work of a game they should have won with greater comfort than Dirk Kuyt's scrappy first-half goal. To the pragmatic Benítez, however, the mission is not a romantic journey home to Spain but getting the job done.
This season has perhaps been the strangest season I have known as a red, a year when the team has met and perhaps exceeded the start of season expectations, yet the fans still feel cheated and lament the missed opportunities.
Is Xabi Alonso a diver? This seemed to be the intimation by Richard Keys on Sky Sports yesterday after the Frank Lampard had been sent off, admittedly unfairly, for his challenge on the Spaniard.