Steven Gerrard: Spirit of Istanbul can see us through

Apr 24 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

DEFIANT Steven Gerrard has called on the spirit of 2005 to help salvage Liverpool’s Champions League dream.

Rafael Benitez’s side travel to Chelsea for the second leg of their semi-final knowing they must score to have any chance of progressing to a third European Cup final in four years.

An agonising injury-time own goal by John Arne Riise gifted the Londoners a 1-1 draw and a precious away goal in the first leg at Anfield on Tuesday.

On their way to lifting the trophy in Istanbul three years ago, Liverpool continually defied the odds all the way from qualifying from the group stage to coming from three goals down to defeat AC Milan in the final.

And Gerrard believes the Anfield outfit will again have to dig deep into their reserves of resolve at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday to clinch a final berth in Moscow on May 21.

“We seemed to be in this sort of situation virtually every step of the way in 2005,” said the Liverpool skipper. “Time after time, we came back to win it.

“We pulled it off when the odds seemed stacked against us in so many rounds, not to mention the final, so there is no reason why we can’t do it again. We can take encouragement from that, and from the way we played overall.”

Liverpool can also take encouragement by the fact they have scored in all six previous away games in this season’s Champions League and, remarkably, 31 of their last 39 European away ties.

However, three of those eight blanks have came at Stamford Bridge, a ground at which Liverpool have not scored in eight attempts in all competitions during Benitez’s reign.

But Gerrard added: “We are a very good side in Europe away from home, and that is the key point, not what people are saying about how we never seem to score at Stamford Bridge.

“We have got the players and the belief to go down there and beat Chelsea. The advantage is in their hands, because of that late goal, but we have just got to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and make sure we are ready to put in a magnificent performance next week.

“That is what it will need to turn it round, but we have done it before often enough. People might think Chelsea are almost there, but we have pulled it out of the fire so many times in the Champions League.

“We’ve got to get a result at the weekend then give it everything we can at Stamford Bridge. We know this tie is not over.

“We haven’t played there with Fernando Torres, have we?

“Let people say Chelsea are favourites.

“We’ve got to block that out and do what we’ve got to do. We are confident we can beat Chelsea on their patch.

“Petr Cech has had to pull off two or three great saves. To be honest, we would have been disappointed if this game had ended 1-0.

“These ties are decided on small details and Chelsea have had a bit of luck here at the end, but maybe we’ll get that luck at Stamford Bridge.”

Meanwhile, Liverpool’s reserve team will meet Aston Villa in the play-off final between the North and South division winners of the Barclays Premier Reserve League.

The one-off game will take place at Anfield on Wednesday, May 7 (kick-off 7.45pm).

In the event of a draw after normal time, a penalty shoot-out will take place.