There’s no getting away from it: this was a bad game where both teams’ passing was sloppy at best. Yet Rafael Benitez has done what he does best in getting his team to snuff out the threat of a top European side and Liverpool go through to the quarter finals.

Inter are likely to point at the double sending-offs they suffered, but the truth is they showed nothing over the two legs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a fantastic talent, as he showed sporadically during the first half, but when things aren’t going his way he can be something of a twat.

Most of Inter’s chances fell to him, thankfully. Not that anyone of the others was much better. Julio Cruz is a better player than he showed on the night, Patrick Vieira is a shadow of the great player he was at Arsenal and Dejan Stankovic looks good in the Serie A but can’t hold his own on a higher stage.
Inter’s saving grace were their fans who did their best to push on the side in the first half and then, once Liverpool had gone ahead, started acknowledging their opponents. They don’t have the best of reputations but they certainly showed class on this occasion.

Good Game
Pepe Reina’s didn’t have too much to do but when Inter did mange to find a way through, he was more than ready. In particular his two saves on Cruz’s efforts were crucial as they would have given Inter real hope. Man of the match.

There hasn’t been much news on Sami Hyppia’s new contract but his experience continues to be vital for Liverpool and being used in this game says a lot of how highly Benitez thinks of him. Equally telling is Martin Skrtel’s presence in the centre of defence, pushing Carragher to the right. Apart from one heart stopping moment in the 50th minute when he passed the ball to an Inter defender, he was rock solid throughout.

Jamie Carragher isn’t the best right back at the club but on nights like this, where protecting the result is fundamental, his presence and solidity is invaluable. Having criticized him earlier on this season, Fabio Aurelio has been progressively improving. It was thanks to his determination that possession was won when Torres scored but, apart from that, he was excellent throughout. If he can maintain this form and stay free from injury, then he will finally justify Benitez’s faith in him.

Both Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard played to their very high standards with the first ensuring that the Inter midfielders never had any time to think whilst Gerrard was always quick to drag his team forward. As for Fernando Torres, overall he didn’t have the best of games but, when he got his chance, he took it brilliantly.

Bad Game
Perhaps the occasion got to him but Ryan Babbel was too wasteful and he rarely got the better of the Inter defenders. The same applies to Dirk Kuyt who just didn’t get into the game. Asked to replace Xabi Alonso, Lucas tried hard but it will take time and patience for him to reach the Spaniard’s level.

Substitutes
Some argue that Yossi Benayoun has been a bit of a disappointment but I feel that the opposite applies in that he is the ideal squad player. Against Inter he came on and he made an immediate impact by keeping better hold of the ball than Babbel. John Arne Riise and Jermaine Pennant both came on when the game was already dead so their impact was minimal.