Liverpool are in their seventh European Cup Final, here’s what defender Jamie Carragher and manager Rafa Benitez had to say after the victory over Chelsea on penalties at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Benitez sat cross legged at the side of the pitch during penalties and showed how calm and confident he was: “We had confidence because we had players who practise in every training session – they like to do it.”
“Maybe it was better than when we beat Chelsea in 2005 and I am really, really proud of my players.”
“Chelsea are a very good side with some good players and at times it was difficult to control them. They had a lot of free-kicks but we defended really well and worked so hard all through the game.
“Our supporters were fantastic and the atmosphere was amazing and we are going to enjoy this victory.
“Pepe Reina was fantastic in the penalty shoot-out and he is an expert when it comes to that.
“This is a really important victory for the club and for the future.”
Carragher:
“It’s an unbelievable achievement to get to two finals in three years. People still say we’re not a great side, but we’ve done something very special. The main thing now is to go and win it.”
“I think we just edged it, but credit to Chelsea, they’re a good side. They come on strong after the first half and in extra-time it could have gone either way. There were a lot of tired legs out there, but fortunately enough it’s gone for us.”
