Bayer Leverkusen against Liverpool

At times, Leverkusen have played some decent football around the Liverpool area, but their final ball has always been lacking.

"You'll never walk alone," sing the Liverpool fans.

Leverkusen aren't showing any great willingness to get forward and pinch a consolation goal.

Apparently, Basturk is now playing for Hertha Berlin. They signed him at the start of the season. Impress your friends with that knowledge.

Whatever happened to Yuri Basturk? He was a good little player for Leverkusen, a year or two ago. Give me a minute, I'll find out for you.

Voronin shoots from 20 yards, straight at Dudek, who is forced to put down the book he was reading to collect the ball.

SUB: Nunez on, Finnan off. Solid performance from the Irish full-back. He gets the chance to have a quick shower before the big boys come piling in to the changing room and start flicking at his bottom with their towels.

Voronin curls over the bar. Baros bursts through the middle of the Leverkusen defence for the umpteenth time, but his first touch is a little heavy and Butt collects.

To be fair, the Leverkusen fans have been a credit to their side. They might be 6-1 down on aggregate, but they are making a tremendous noise.

SUB: Carragher off, to generous applause from the travelling Liverpool fans. He is replaced by young John Welsh, a promising and versatile midfielder.

SUB: Castro comes on for Ramelow. The veteran skipper has been one of Bayer Leverkusen's brighter lights tonight, but is replaced byyoung Spanish midfielder Castro.

Gerrard picks out Baros with another superb ball, but his pass to Smicer on the edge of the area is cut out.

GOAL! Baros collects a through ball and fires past Butt from the edge of the area. It's his 13th goal of the season, and a deserved reward for a strong-running performance.

News from Highbury: Thierry Henry has put Arsenal a goal-up. They need a second to go through, but that is a major step in the right direction for the Gunners.

An inevitable calm decends over the Bayer Arena; players begin going through the motions, fans begin thinking about what they might have for supper.

Baros and Gerrard link-up: first Gerrard smashes a shot against Butt's legs;, before he then collects the rebound and back-heels back towards the Czech striker, but Baros mis-cues horribly.

SUB: Smicer on, Hamann off. Midfielder for midfielder. Smicer is just returning from a long-term knee injury; this will be a nice easy run-out for him.

I remember the days when Leverkusen were good. They were a dangerous European side. Nowadays they look distinctly second-rate.

Garrard and Garcia combined down the right as Liverpool launch a very promising counter-attack, but their ramaging run forward is halted by an off-side flag.

Bierofka finds a little space on the right edge of the Liverpool area, but his hard-hit cross is volleyed wide by Voronin. He contorts his face in dispair.

De Souza has been so anonymous before screwing that chance over the bar that I had to check the team sheet to convince myself he was actually on the field.

De Souza misses a glorious chance to restore a little pride for the home side, but the Brazilian hits his volley over the bar.

It would be easy for both sides to allow this game to fizzle out gently, like a malfunctioning firework. But to their credit, both Liverpool and Leverkusen are throwing men forward.

SUB: Fritz comes on for Donovan, who endured a torrid first half and has looked no better at the start of the second.

Riise and Gerrard combine brilliantly down the left. The England man cuts the ball back towards Garcia, but his left-foot shot from the edge of the area is wide of the post.

Baros finds Riise through the middle, but the Norwegian can't quite slip the ball through to Garcia, un-marked to his right.

Leverkusen look to have started the half determined at least not to be humiliated in this tie. A deep cross is well cleared by Hyypia.

I wonder what Benitez's half-time talk might have consisted of, and whether he has thought about bringing a couple of key players off to rest them for up-coming Premiership games.

Liverpool kick-off the second half, knowing they can afford to play like school girls and still go through to the last eight. What a pleasant feeling that must be.

HALF-TIME: Liverpool have taken a giant stride in to the last eight with a quite dominant first-half performance in Leverkusen. They can relax and enjoy the second half in some comfort.

Leverkusen looks as though they are missing the physical presence of Berbatov in the Liverpool area; the striker made way for Voronin, though it was uncertain as to whether it was a tactical decision or an injury.

Gerrard makes his first mistake of the evening as he mis-hits a left-foot cross.

Bierofka, a former Bayern Munich player, is booked for tripping Warnock as the young Liverpool defender burst down the left touchline.

Baros is caught in the face by an arm from Babic. The Czech striker has his nose wiped by the Liverpool physio, who sends him back on to the field with a pat on the bottom. The luxuries that modern footballers enjoy...

Gerrard swings in a free kick from the left touch-line, and Hyypia tumbles as Callsen-Bracker attempts to put him under pressure. Another decent penalty claim turned down by the official.

Bierofka is looking Leverkusen's most dangerous player, and the one that they are increasingly turning to. Finnan, however, is defending well against the right winger.

From the corner, Gerrard slips as he was about to rifle a volley in towards goal. Liverpool then have two players unmarked at the back post, but the cross is cut out before it reaches them.

Garcia is denied a hat-trick by a good save from Butt. The Spaniard was found well by Baros, and his left-foot shot is turned over the bar by the big German 'keeper.

And, of course, we cannot now have extra time in this tie. The only way Leverkusen can now go through is with five goals in the last 55 minutes. Unlikely, considering they've been utter rubbish in the opening 35.

So, it looks increasingly like Liverpool, struggling in the Premiership this season, will be through to the last eight of the Champions League. Funny, eh?

Garcia wins a free-kick after turning Krzynowek. Baros then bursts in to the box, and his cut-back almost finds Garcia once more.

SUB: Voronin comes on to bolster the home side's attacking options. He comes close to scoring an immediate reply, but heads wide from 10 yards out.

GOAL! From the resulting corner, Biscan wins a firm header and Garcia nips in front of Butt to flick the ball in to the net from a yard out.

Liverpool win a corner after a lovely spell of possession. Gerrard encourages Riise to come forward down the left, and his deep cross is put behind by Placente.

Already, Leverkusen look to make a substitution, recognising that they have been out-played in the opening half-hour. Great start from Liverpool.

So, Liverpool have the crucial away goal that means Leverkusen need to score three in the final hour to force extra-time.

GOAL! After the corner is half-cleared, Gerrard whips in a dangerous ball in to the box. Garcia is the first to react, getting in front of his marker to deflect the ball past Butt.

Baros makes another penetrating run down the channel. He loses the ball, but it falls to Gerrard, who spanks a low shot towards Butt's goal. The German number three palms just wide of his post.

Berbatov is winning plenty in the air against Carragher, but Leverkusen haven't managed to yet get anyone on the end of the knock-down.

Bierofka cuts in from his position down the right flank and fires a low left-foot shot towards goal. Dudek collects the bouncing ball with admireable confidence.

Liverpool then break through Baros; he pulls a ball back towards Gerrard, but a Leverkusen defender clears up-field.

Bierofka finds a little space down the right channel, pulls a ball back to Donovan, but the American completely mis-cues his shot.

Baros is given off-side once more, but his willingness to play off the shoulder of the last defender should give Liverpool hope; if they can keep picking their passes, he'll eventually get through on goal.

Baros goes down in the penalty area once again, after robbing Placente of the ball in a dangerous area. Again, no penalty; this time it's the correct decision; Baros went down very easily.

Placente stays cool under pressure from Riise after Gerrard had played a good ball with the outside of his foot.

Neat play from Garcia and Gerrard around the Leverkusen penalty area, but they can't quite pick the killer pass for Baros.

Hyypia is dis-possessed by Bierofka down by the touchline, and the Liverpool man brings down his opponent as he attempts to make up for the error. The free-kick is too deep, however.

Leverkusen win a corner, but the flick-on is mis-directed and Liverpool take the goal-kick.

Gerrard seems to be the man that Benitez has given licence to get forward; frequently he is the furthest man forward, other than Baros.

Riise is adjudged off-side as Gerrard throws a trademark diaganal pass in his direction. Liverpool certainly aren't sitting back and allowing the home side to attack them.

Baros is still complaining to the referee about the decision not to award his side a penalty. It was a bad decision, it has to be said; the young German defender clearly took away Baros' legs before the ball ran out of play.

Ramelow pops up on the right wing and throws over a deep, high cross, but Liverpool clear well.

Baros, who has been a very willing runner in the early stages, picks up a through ball from Garcia and bursts in to the area. He is brought down by a sliding challenge from Callsen-Bracker, but the referee turns down the appeals. Replays show it was a clear penalty.

Dudek fails to clear with any conviction, but the Liverpool defenders keep their composure to clear. Biscan then almost finds Baros, but Butt is out of his goal to clean up the danger.

Babic is held back by Biscan as he runs in to the corner, but the referee declines the appeals for a free-kick.

Riise finds Baros with a nice through ball down the left channel, but the ball sticks in his feet a little and he can't quite find Gerrard, who had made a postitive attacking run.

It's a cold and damp evening in Germany, but the pitch looks in good condition. There are around 1,500 Liverpool fans inside the ground, I'm told.

Babic slides a good ball in to the feet of Berbatov, but Hyypia manages to poke the ball away from the striker. It's Bayer's first decent spell of possession.

Luis Garcia finds Baros, in twenty yards of space in dangerous territory. The Czech striker doesn't realise the amount of time he has, however, and snatches at his shot.

Rafa Benitez looks particularly pensive on the touchline. He'll want a solid start from his side, just to quiet the home fans.

Baros manages to break the offside trap, but Gearrard's pass down the left channel is slightly over-hit.

We're off. Liverpool begin the game, and put the hosts under a little early pressure, with skipper Gerrard pushing forward.

The Bay Arena only has a capacity of 22,500. It was rebuilt in 1986, on the site of the old ground, which had stood since 1932. Aren't facts fun? Feel free to use these to impress your friends. Women, I'm told, are particularly impressed by a man weilding an interesting football fact.

Get this for a fact: 72.4% of all teams that have taken a 3-1 lead in the first leg of a European club tie have progressed to the next round. Cherish that fact: I spent all day sifting through the history books to work it out.

Leverkusen, meanwhile, are without Roque Junior, Juan and Jens Nowotny through injury, while Robson Ponte and Paul Freier were suspended.

Team news: Liverpool opt for a 4-5-1 formation, with youngster Neil Warnock slotting in at left-back, and Steven Gerrard returning for the Reds in midfield.

Baros and Gerrard link-up: first Gerrard smashes a shot against Butt's legs;, before he then collects the rebound and back-heels back towards the Czech striker, but Baros mis-cues horribly.

SUB: Smicer on, Hamann off. Midfielder for midfielder. Smicer is just returning from a long-term knee injury; this will be a nice easy run-out for him.

I remember the days when Leverkusen were good. They were a dangerous European side. Nowadays they look distinctly second-rate.

Garrard and Garcia combined down the right as Liverpool launch a very promising counter-attack, but their ramaging run forward is halted by an off-side flag.

Bierofka finds a little space on the right edge of the Liverpool area, but his hard-hit cross is volleyed wide by Voronin. He contorts his face in dispair.

De Souza has been so anonymous before screwing that chance over the bar that I had to check the team sheet to convince myself he was actually on the field.

De Souza misses a glorious chance to restore a little pride for the home side, but the Brazilian hits his volley over the bar.

It would be easy for both sides to allow this game to fizzle out gently, like a malfunctioning firework. But to their credit, both Liverpool and Leverkusen are throwing men forward.

SUB: Fritz comes on for Donovan, who endured a torrid first half and has looked no better at the start of the second.

Riise and Gerrard combine brilliantly down the left. The England man cuts the ball back towards Garcia, but his left-foot shot from the edge of the area is wide of the post.

Baros finds Riise through the middle, but the Norwegian can't quite slip the ball through to Garcia, un-marked to his right.

Leverkusen look to have started the half determined at least not to be humiliated in this tie. A deep cross is well cleared by Hyypia.

I wonder what Benitez's half-time talk might have consisted of, and whether he has thought about bringing a couple of key players off to rest them for up-coming Premiership games.

Liverpool kick-off the second half, knowing they can afford to play like school girls and still go through to the last eight. What a pleasant feeling that must be.

HALF-TIME: Liverpool have taken a giant stride in to the last eight with a quite dominant first-half performance in Leverkusen. They can relax and enjoy the second half in some comfort.

Leverkusen looks as though they are missing the physical presence of Berbatov in the Liverpool area; the striker made way for Voronin, though it was uncertain as to whether it was a tactical decision or an injury.

Gerrard makes his first mistake of the evening as he mis-hits a left-foot cross.

Bierofka, a former Bayern Munich player, is booked for tripping Warnock as the young Liverpool defender burst down the left touchline.

Baros is caught in the face by an arm from Babic. The Czech striker has his nose wiped by the Liverpool physio, who sends him back on to the field with a pat on the bottom. The luxuries that modern footballers enjoy...

Gerrard swings in a free kick from the left touch-line, and Hyypia tumbles as Callsen-Bracker attempts to put him under pressure. Another decent penalty claim turned down by the official.

Bierofka is looking Leverkusen's most dangerous player, and the one that they are increasingly turning to. Finnan, however, is defending well against the right winger.

From the corner, Gerrard slips as he was about to rifle a volley in towards goal. Liverpool then have two players unmarked at the back post, but the cross is cut out before it reaches them.

Garcia is denied a hat-trick by a good save from Butt. The Spaniard was found well by Baros, and his left-foot shot is turned over the bar by the big German 'keeper.

And, of course, we cannot now have extra time in this tie. The only way Leverkusen can now go through is with five goals in the last 55 minutes. Unlikely, considering they've been utter rubbish in the opening 35.

So, it looks increasingly like Liverpool, struggling in the Premiership this season, will be through to the last eight of the Champions League. Funny, eh?

Garcia wins a free-kick after turning Krzynowek. Baros then bursts in to the box, and his cut-back almost finds Garcia once more.

SUB: Voronin comes on to bolster the home side's attacking options. He comes close to scoring an immediate reply, but heads wide from 10 yards out.

GOAL! From the resulting corner, Biscan wins a firm header and Garcia nips in front of Butt to flick the ball in to the net from a yard out.

Liverpool win a corner after a lovely spell of possession. Gerrard encourages Riise to come forward down the left, and his deep cross is put behind by Placente.

Already, Leverkusen look to make a substitution, recognising that they have been out-played in the opening half-hour. Great start from Liverpool.

So, Liverpool have the crucial away goal that means Leverkusen need to score three in the final hour to force extra-time.

GOAL! After the corner is half-cleared, Gerrard whips in a dangerous ball in to the box. Garcia is the first to react, getting in front of his marker to deflect the ball past Butt.

Baros makes another penetrating run down the channel. He loses the ball, but it falls to Gerrard, who spanks a low shot towards Butt's goal. The German number three palms just wide of his post.

Berbatov is winning plenty in the air against Carragher, but Leverkusen haven't managed to yet get anyone on the end of the knock-down.

Bierofka cuts in from his position down the right flank and fires a low left-foot shot towards goal. Dudek collects the bouncing ball with admireable confidence.

Liverpool then break through Baros; he pulls a ball back towards Gerrard, but a Leverkusen defender clears up-field.

Bierofka finds a little space down the right channel, pulls a ball back to Donovan, but the American completely mis-cues his shot.

Baros is given off-side once more, but his willingness to play off the shoulder of the last defender should give Liverpool hope; if they can keep picking their passes, he'll eventually get through on goal.

Baros goes down in the penalty area once again, after robbing Placente of the ball in a dangerous area. Again, no penalty; this time it's the correct decision; Baros went down very easily.

Placente stays cool under pressure from Riise after Gerrard had played a good ball with the outside of his foot.

Neat play from Garcia and Gerrard around the Leverkusen penalty area, but they can't quite pick the killer pass for Baros.

Hyypia is dis-possessed by Bierofka down by the touchline, and the Liverpool man brings down his opponent as he attempts to make up for the error. The free-kick is too deep, however.

Leverkusen win a corner, but the flick-on is mis-directed and Liverpool take the goal-kick.

Gerrard seems to be the man that Benitez has given licence to get forward; frequently he is the furthest man forward, other than Baros.

Riise is adjudged off-side as Gerrard throws a trademark diaganal pass in his direction. Liverpool certainly aren't sitting back and allowing the home side to attack them.

Baros is still complaining to the referee about the decision not to award his side a penalty. It was a bad decision, it has to be said; the young German defender clearly took away Baros' legs before the ball ran out of play.

Ramelow pops up on the right wing and throws over a deep, high cross, but Liverpool clear well.

Baros, who has been a very willing runner in the early stages, picks up a through ball from Garcia and bursts in to the area. He is brought down by a sliding challenge from Callsen-Bracker, but the referee turns down the appeals. Replays show it was a clear penalty.

Dudek fails to clear with any conviction, but the Liverpool defenders keep their composure to clear. Biscan then almost finds Baros, but Butt is out of his goal to clean up the danger.

Babic is held back by Biscan as he runs in to the corner, but the referee declines the appeals for a free-kick.

Riise finds Baros with a nice through ball down the left channel, but the ball sticks in his feet a little and he can't quite find Gerrard, who had made a postitive attacking run.

It's a cold and damp evening in Germany, but the pitch looks in good condition. There are around 1,500 Liverpool fans inside the ground, I'm told.

Babic slides a good ball in to the feet of Berbatov, but Hyypia manages to poke the ball away from the striker. It's Bayer's first decent spell of possession.

Luis Garcia finds Baros, in twenty yards of space in dangerous territory. The Czech striker doesn't realise the amount of time he has, however, and snatches at his shot.

Rafa Benitez looks particularly pensive on the touchline. He'll want a solid start from his side, just to quiet the home fans.

Baros manages to break the offside trap, but Gearrard's pass down the left channel is slightly over-hit.

We're off. Liverpool begin the game, and put the hosts under a little early pressure, with skipper Gerrard pushing forward.

The Bay Arena only has a capacity of 22,500. It was rebuilt in 1986, on the site of the old ground, which had stood since 1932. Aren't facts fun? Feel free to use these to impress your friends. Women, I'm told, are particularly impressed by a man weilding an interesting football fact.

Get this for a fact: 72.4% of all teams that have taken a 3-1 lead in the first leg of a European club tie have progressed to the next round. Cherish that fact: I spent all day sifting through the history books to work it out.

Leverkusen, meanwhile, are without Roque Junior, Juan and Jens Nowotny through injury, while Robson Ponte and Paul Freier were suspended.

Team news: Liverpool opt for a 4-5-1 formation, with youngster Neil Warnock slotting in at left-back, and Steven Gerrard returning for the Reds in midfield.