Roller-coaster man!

May 21 2007 by James Pearce, Liverpool Echo

XABI ALONSO knows Liverpool’s last two cup finals should have carried public health warnings.

At home and abroad Kopites have been put through the whole spectrum of emotions and made to suffer gut-wrenching tension before their heroes have emerged triumphant on penalties.

In Istanbul two years ago there was the agony of watching AC Milan run riot during the opening 45 minutes as Paolo Maldini’s first minute goal and Hernan Crespo's double gave the Italians a seemingly unassailable lead.

Then there was the ecstasy of witnessing the most miraculous fightback in the history of European football as Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Alonso all scored in a crazy six-minute spell in the second half.

Extra time brought Jerzy Dudek’s remarkable double save to deny Andriy Shevchenko and then the Polish keeper’s heroics in the shoot-out ensured the European Cup was coming home to Merseyside for a fifth time.

Fast forward 12 months and the Reds were at it again – gifting two goals to West Ham in the FA Cup final in Cardiff.

Djibril Cisse and Gerrard restored parity but they fell behind again before Captain Marvel struck home a stunning last-minute equaliser.

This time it was Pepe Reina who grew in stature while others wilted under the pressure of spot-kicks.

Alonso has been at the heart of both heart-stopping, adrenaline-pumping cup finals. And the Spaniard insists he would quite happily go through another roller-coaster of a night in Athens on Wednesday if it ends with his hands on the trophy again.

“Of course it’s quite stressful when finals are like this, but that’s Liverpool for you,” he said.

“I remember watching the UEFA Cup final against Alaves in 2001 when Liverpool won 5-4. It was exciting and we always seem to do it the hard way.

“I can’t see a clear favourite for this final because both teams are quite level. You never know what will happen in a final – two years ago nobody was expecting many goals and it finished 3-3.