Liverpool humble Old Lady

Liverpool defeated Juventus 2-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final.

One of the most moving nights ever witnessed at Anfield was also host to a memorable Liverpool victory as they defeated Italian giants Juventus 2-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter final clash.

The Reds were not fancied by many, but they defied their league form to produce a terrific display against one of the most feared teams in world football.

Stunning strikes from the recalled Sami Hyypia and Luis Garcia set up victory for Rafa Benitez - who seems to relish the tactical side of European conflict.

A goalkeeping error from Scott Carson just after the hour then allowed Fabio Cannavaro to pull one back and give Juve a crucial lifeline.

The match was a truly momentous occasion as the two sides met for the first time in 20 years, since the Heysel Stadium disaster which saw 39 people lose their lives.

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As such, homage was paid to those who died with both sides exchanging banners and The Kop paid a huge tribute to their visitors as they spelt out the word friendship in Italian.

After all the fitting tributes had finished the action was soon underway as the two sides switched on to their crucial quarter final clash and it was Liverpool who raced into their stride.

Just ten seconds in and Emerson slipped deep in Juve territory and allowed Milan Baros to take the ball on but he fired wide when he could easily have scored.

The Reds continued to dominate as Juve struggled to get out of their own half and Steve Finnan's marauding run almost saw the opening goal but he saw his shot hit the side-netting.

The good news for the home fans was that the opener was just seconds away as Steven Gerrard lifted a corner into the six-yard box where Garcia flicked the ball to the back post where Hyypia was completely unmarked and he finished with great aplomb from seven yards.

Juventus gradually began to see more of the ball, but there was no room for them to operate as Liverpool squeezed them at every opportunity.

The Reds were breaking with great panache and a great counter-attack saw the second goal arrive. Finnan and Anthony Le Tallec - starting his first game in over a year - combined to work the ball in-field for Garcia who unleashed a terrific 25-yard volley which left Gianluigi Buffon stranded as the ball found the back of the net.

Liverpool knew a clean sheet was now a priority but they could easily have conceded straight from the kick-off as Juve broke down the right and Pavel Nedved threaded a ball into the feet of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his snap-shot came back off Carson's post before the young keeper even made a move.

Finnan's attacking thoughts continued as he played a great 30-yard ball into the area for Baros, who looked to have broken clear before firing a shot at Buffon - but Cannavaro got a last-ditch touch to the ball to deflect it over.

Alessandro Del Piero was almost a spectator in the opening half-hour but you can never ignore him and he showed how dangerous he could be as he broke in from the left, exchanged passes with Nedved and fired an effort at goal, but Carson was on hand to parry wide.

Baros and Gerrard then had further clear-cut chances to put the match, and possibly even the tie, to bed, but they just failed to test Buffon.

Gianluca Zambrotta stung Carson's fingers with a nice drive just before the interval as Juve tried but failed to find a way through and they thought they had got one back just minutes later as Del Piero flicked home a Nedved cross - but the Belgian linesman flagged for offside when the Italian appeared to be level with the last man.

Fabio Capello wasted no time in changing things as the versatile veteran Gianluca Pessotto replaced Manuele Blasi and it seemed to have the desired effect as they forced a dangerous free kick, but Del Piero fizzed the ball wide.

Del Piero wasted a couple more passes before being hauled off on the hour for David Trezeguet.

The Frenchman's arrival seemed to immediately add a little spark to Juve's play and within a couple of minutes they had pulled one back.

Carson - whose handling had been wonderful up to the goal - will know he was at fault as Zambrotta's cross was met powerfully by Cannavaro, but his downward header should not have beaten the rookie keeper.

Mauro Camoranesi could have levelled matters almost straight away, but his 25-yard pile-driver just flew the wrong side of the post.

Vladimir Smicer and Antonio Nunez were introduced for the very hard-working Baros and Le Tallec, but it detracted from The Reds' previous attacking threat which meant more pressure to bear on Benitez's back-line and made for a nervous last few minutes.

However, Juve failed to keep up their early pressure and Liverpool sealed the victory, but it could and should have been so much better and the away goal could prove very costly in Turin when the two sides face-off again next week.

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Liverpool	Team Statistics	Juventus
2	Goals	1
2	1st Half Goals	0
5	Shots on Target	6
7	Shots off Target	6
4	Blocked Shots	2
7	Corners	6
22	Fouls	23
5	Offsides	2
0	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
65.7	Passing Success	69.8
63	Tackles	40
50.8	Tackles Success	65
44.9	Possession	55.1
49.9	Territorial Advantage	50.1