Champions League-English teams fail to impress

Out of all the first round matches on Tuesday, no points for guessing i saw the Real Madrid V Roma match live. I would not have written about the Liverpool V Inter match which looked such a mouth watering encounter on paper, till i read a comment from one of my friends and also certain things that were going on in the press.

With such an indifferent season that Liverpool have been having in the EPL, and the fact that football pundits around the world had declared that a loss in this match would mean the axe falling on Rafa Benitez, meant it was the English team under pressure. There are a few things here, Of course Liverpool with the money that they have spent in the transfer market need to be producing some results. At the beginning of the season everyone predicted that Liverpool is the team who is really going to challenge for the title and Arsenal will barely make it in the top 4. A little over half way through the season, Arsenal lead the EPL and Liverpool is not even in the Champions League qualification spots. With a proposed new stadium and re-financing they have to win the Champions League which is the only competition that they can win now.

Press across Britain were confident that a loss to Inter yesterday would mean the exit of Rafa. Rafa Benitez would have felt the weight of the entire world on his shoulders as Inter was coming to Anfield as leaders of Serie A having not lost a game. Fernando Torres was on the pitch and that was what i was looking out for. Well he instantly had an effect on a match which was otherwise a dull affair. Materazzi received his first yellow card for an accidental clip on Torres. If that was a poor decision the next one was a slight tug on the Spaniard's shirt and that too not even close to goal. The second yellow came out and Inter were reduced to 10 men at the 30 minute mark.

Now hand ball decisions especially inside the penalty box are tough ones. Because it is how you look at it. If the ball hits the hand then its not a foul, but if the hand hits the ball it is a foul. What about an out stretched arm in the line of the ball? Now in the second minute it was Maicon and in the 60th minute it was substitute Vieira both handling the ball but the referee Frank de Bleeckere or his assistant never saw it. You can dish out a yellow card for each shirt tug but fail to see a blatant hand ball. Vieira himself almost had a look on his face "ya it happened, its a penalty".

Playing against an opponent at home who were reduced to 10 men from the 30 minute mark, you would expect some fire works from Liverpool. It never came and i was surprised at how well Inter had reorganized their back line. No wonder Real Madrid have been following Christian Chivu for a while now as he moved from LB to center of defense and had a good game. Except for a shot from Torres from a run after a rebound from Kuyt, his shot was tipped away by Inter keeper, there was not much. Then it was Hyppia heading at goal in a corner set piece.

On the 85 minute mark Kuyt inside the box hit a volley hard into the ground inside the box, the keeper Cesar looked to have it covered, but as it hit the ground it just bounced high into the goal.

on 89 minutes it was Captain fantastic who took long range shot from the right corner of the box which went in with the help of a deflection from the post. Liverpool win 2-0 and have the upper hand going into the second leg at the San Siro in 3 weeks. Wednesday morning newspapers across Britain said Rafa Benitez is safe and a big deal about the win over Italian league leaders. I am not at all surprised at the fact that goals decide the perception of games and Liverpool scored with two not so impressive shots, which converted luckily for them. Everyone is so quick to overlook the fact that they played for 85 minutes or so against a 10 man Inter team with particularly no flair or creativity.

In Champions League matches played in two legs, results are all that matters especially when it is a one off knock out phase, but after yesterday's performance if someone was to say Rafa Benitez is safe at his job, they dont know their football.

Chelsea seemingly getting an easy fixture against Olympiacos rested both Lampard and Terry but they had just one shot on goal through the entire match and was complaining that they played defensive in Greece. This is exactly how they play, as Avram Grant said, this is the worst performance since he took charge at Chelsea. One thing is to score and win the other is to play well and lose, Chelsea took a third option.