here's one to the REDS

liverpool is no officially my 2nd favorite team. sorry fellow manchester united fans, but i think the bitter rivalry is between us and the cockneys and the londoners, not with the merseysiders.

you have to give hella mad props to rafael benitez, who has brought a team who isn't doing well in the league, all the way to the final of the most anticipated game in the world of football, only to get utterly outclassed and annihilated three goals to none in the first half, and to come back with three successive goals within six second-half minutes, and brought the game into penalties, in which they kept the opposition from scoring THREE times and won the competition.

jerzy dudek used to be known for his dumb blunders. today he shall be known as the hero. his save in the 118th minute was insane: a reflex dive to parry a direct header from shevchenko to the left corner of the goal, followed by an instantaneous reflex jump to parry the rebound up and over the goal. if this were columbia, shevchenko would have gotten a shot in the head.

steven gerrard haven't had a good year. the fans kept complaining about how he has not been useful to the team, as the reds failed to make it into the top 4 of the league. but tonight he showed composure and loyalty that probably only veterans like franz beckenbauer and gary pallister had. a captain at the age of 25, he lead his side to win the champions' league tonight, and god knows how many more goals dudek would have had to concede tonight had it not been for his excellently clean slide tackles. i lost count of the number of tackles, but he did not commit a single foul throughout the game. liverpool would be one big idiot if they decide to sell gerrard somewhere this summer.

jamie carragher commited two fouls and a yellow card, but that is nothing compared to the numerous times he took the ball away from a through milan player. he took a good hit on the nuts, but he kept going. painkillers might have been what kept him going, but even the energizer bunny would have to bow to him.

liverpool displayed an awfully coordinated defense tonight, but all their players fought with their lives individually to win this game, and that's what counts.

class and talents are nothing compared to hardwork and willpower.

toast, for rafa and the entire crew. you guys deserve this one.