If you know your history, that which really matters, you'll know that this had happened before. When Liverpool lost heavily (5-1) to Ajax in the sixties, Shankly's quips convinced the fans that the tie could be turned around in the second leg.

Rafael Benitez is as different to Shankly as you are likely to get, but his track record gave fans confidence that Liverpool could still go through despite losing 3-1 at home.

And, for forty five minutes, it looked as if they could really do it. Then came those two Chelsea goals within six minutes and the tie had swung out of Liverpool's grasp.

As, disappointing as this defeat is - and you have to keep things into perspective given what happened twenty years ago today - there's nothing to be disheartened about. Scoring four times against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was a show of strength even if the end result didn't go Liverpool's way.

Above all, there is the pride in a set of players that kept believing until the end. There were plenty of mistakes, but not one player can be accused of not giving his utmost.

Now there's nothing to do but try to win all the remaining league games and wait to see what happens. Not an easy task but with this team you can feel that it is possible.

Good Game
A fabulously crafted free kick put Liverpool ahead as Fabio Aurelio partially atoned to a disappointing first leg. It isn't something that has been pointed elsewhere but the feeling is that this is a player who absolutely loves the club.

It might not have been his greatest game but Javier Mascherano showed what Liverpool had missed at Anfield as he gave the midfield added strength.

Thanks to him, Xabi Alonso could advance more his position as he bossed the midfield, constany trying to find gaps in Chelsea's defence. My man of the match.

A well taken goal was the highlight of a game that didn't always go too well for Dirk Kuyt but who, as always, kept trying and got more right than wrong.

So too did Yossi Benayoun who blew hot and cold in the opening minutes before settling down. Apart from Gerrard, no player has done so well in this second half of the season as Benayoun who has developed into a top class midfielder who can trouble any defence. Chelsea, like many others, couldn't really get a grip on him.

He's got his critics (many of them) and was awful at Anfield last week yet, playing in a role that is more akin to what he used to fill at Gremio, Lucas Leiva was actually quite good. He'll be lucky if he gets credited for the goal but he truly deserved it.

Bad Game
Pepe Reina made a mess on the first goals which, much like Riise's own goal last season, gave Chelsea an unmerited edge.

Just as happened at Anfield, Martin Skrtel couldn't get a grip of Didier Drogba who absolutely tormented him throughout. Had it been my choice, I'd have gone for Daniel Agger, a feeling that was strenghtened as the match progressed.

As with Skrtel, this won't go down as one of Jamie Carragher's finest games as he too let Drogba get to him.

Alvaro Arbeloa didn't do anything massively wrong yet seemed too tense and gave away too many free kicks in dangerous areas.

It might seem harsh to say that this was a bad game by Fernando Torres but he has set himself such high standards that it is impossible not to conclude that he should have done better.

Substituitions
Albert Riera came on and set up the fourth goals so there isnlt much that you could say about him other than that he had a positive impact. So too did David N'Gog in the ten minutes that he was on the pitch, winning a fair share of loose balls. Ryan Babel wasn't really on long enough to be able to judge him.