If following football has taught us one enduring lesson in life, it is that nothing can be taken for granted, assumption is the mother of all fuck ups and counting chickens before they hatch is definitely a no-no. Try explaining that to 1,600 (officially!) shell-shocked Reds who made the trip to Germany fully expecting to breeze past the bundesliga leaders, to book a semi-final berth.
In what will surely go down as the greatest night in their history Bayer Leverkusen overcame all of the odds, producing a miraculous display to comprehensively boot the Reds out of the champions league.
Two goals from the magnificent Michael Ballack, and one each from substitute Berbatov and centre half Lucio was enough to condemn the Gerard Houllier's men to their first defeat in three years on foreign soil.
It's difficult to have any complaints about the result itself. Rarely, if ever has a Houllier led Liverpool side been torn to pieces with such devastating effect and it was really just one of those nights when it comes together for a team there isn't a great deal you can do about it.
Not that the Reds should be without blame for this tragic exit, which ended hopes of an all English showdown against United. The midfield was largely absent for most of the game, leaving the defence open to a series of intricate little moves from the Germans.
For a meagre 20,000 capacity ground the Bay Arena was a wall of noise as both sets of fans made it impossible to hear each other.
Following a decent start from Liverpool it took the home side just 12 minutes to level the tie as Michael Ballack fired in a great shot from 20 yards after Steven Gerrard had totally sold himself on the edge of the box.
It really was a magnificent strike from the jewel in the sparkling Leverkusen crown leaving Dudek - who couldn't be faulted for any of the goals - with no chance.
From that moment it seemed obvious that the relative easy ride that the fans, and over-confident players and staff had been expecting wasn't going to materialise. As nice as it has been hearing Houllier, Thompson and the players in such bullish mood, there is such a thing as cockiness and this time it seems to have bitten us in the arse.
The reaction we have come to expect from the players failed to appear as Leverkusen continued to dominate proceedings with further chances falling to Kirsten and Brdaric both forcing saves from Dudek, the latter being the finer of the two.
Liverpool's main problem's seemed to be stemming from the lack of options going forward. Emile Heskey's shameful level of commitment is something which should be noted in a game of this magnitude. It is more that a slight coincidence that every time Emile seems to be having a bad game that he starts to limp around like a little girl.
Michael was doing OK and looked sharp from the start, but without a strike partner he struggled to make an impact. His first real chance came on 20 minutes as he was set free, but made a miss of a chance that a more confident Owen would have slid home with his left foot, instead Michael hit a weak shot with his right easily saved by the keeper.
With Heskey virtually begging to come off, the reds introduced Jari Litmanen just before half time and immediately looked a different side, Owen in particular seemed to gain a new lease of life. The visitors didn't have to wait long for the substitution to pay dividends as John Arne Riise's inch perfect corner was nodded home by Abel Xavier - his second Liverpool goal - giving the reds some much needed impotus going into half time.
The travelling Reds, (those who were able to make their way into the ground on time in spite of the best efforts of the horrible ticketless scum who tried to get us all killed by storming the gates) who had been at full volume for most of the first half moved up a gear and really let hit rip, as a thousand scarves waved furiously.
It really was a great atmosphere, some of the away day classics got their best and loudest renditons in ages, especially 'The fields of Anfield Road'. The volume of the fans reflected the optimism in the away end as there was no way that any of us could see a way back for Bayer. If they scored we'd simply score again. Again our confidence got the better of us.
The Reds came out at half time with a renewed sense of purpose and the turning point in the game came just four minutes after the interval as Michael Owen came tantalisingly close to effectively ending the tie, after he hit the post when clean through.
Owen looked disconsolate as he walked away, but it really wasn't a bad miss, simply unlucky. As far as I was concerned it was in and I was away, as were most around me, unfortunately it wasn't to be.
The next 15 minutes was a real see-saw affair, with chances for both sides going begging, as Brdaric and Owen missed further chances. Bayer didn't have to wait long to restore their lead however as a magestic header from Ballack sent the Germans behind Dudek's goal absolutely crazy. it was a pleasure to be in the ground with such great supporters. It's rare that you go to a ground where the home fans actually 'sing' these days, and after the disappointments of the Nou Camp, Bernebau, and the Olympic Stadium in Rome, it was refreshing to hear.
Before the Reds had chance to take stock the tie was thrown on it's head as Berbatov slotted home as his initial shot came back to him following a suberb block on the line from Henchoz. This was one of the many similarities to Dortmund last May, the two unexpected goals in quick succession totally knocking the stuffing out of us.
But just like last may a hero from the bench emerged to seemingly save the day for Liverpool as Jari Litmanen's cool run and finish saw celebrations which emulated that of Fowlers scarily similar goal against Alaves. Certainly on my part as I totally ruined Dave's effort to capture his boy scoring with a photo as I leapt all over him (the end product is included on the eclusive photo section!).
I once again got that destiny feeling and started to relax for a little while. Big mistake Chris. Just 8 minutes later the centre-half Lucio somehow found himself with a clear strike on goal as he lashed it through Jerzy's legs from 8 yards out, leaving our dreams in tatters.
The Germans totally ripped us apart in this game and I can say without any sort of resentment that they fully deserved their victory and I really hope they go on to win the whole thing (especially when one considers their semi-final opposition).
Incidently, I don't know whether anyone noticed this or not, but it may be worth pointing out that Didi Hamann - the player who in this situation we perhaps needed more than any other - was substituted for 'tactical reasons'. At the time the score was 1-1. It would take a braver man than me to suggest that this seemingly novice like error from a proven coaching genius was single handedly responsible for our exit. It certainly played a big part though.
It was hard to contain my emotions at the end, there were no feelings of anger and bitterness, just a real sense of shattered dreams. There were no tears, just an emptiness which was compounded as the Bayer players embarked on a deserved lap of honour. As YNWA came over on the PA system it kind of put things back into perspective. After everything we've been through this season, our first season in the Champions League has been by no means a failure and has provided us with some really fond memories.
Looking back I will include this game in those fond memories, It was one of those historic games that was a pleasure to be part of. In each of the numerous memorable games we've had over the last 18 months, we have emerged victorious on each occassion. This time we weren't.
Following YNWA the show of mutual repect was extremely evident as both sets of fans chanted the others name. As much as the divisons in our support base are also evident there can be no argument that we have a class that no other British club can even hope to aspire to. I wonder if United fans will be as gracious if Bayer manage to repeat the feat? Somehow I doubt it.
The only regret I have and I'm sure most of you will agree was that looking past Bayer Leverkusen and being more concerned about getting a ticket for the final was a big mistake. I'd go as far as saying that they were the best team we have faced all season and that covers a lot of ground. Hopefully they can maintain their form and achieve a domestic and european double which until last night our own cockiness had allowed us to believe was a formality.
Good Luck Bayer!
Team: Jerzy Dudek; Abel Xavier (Patrik Berger), Stephane Henchoz, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher; Danny Murphy, Didi Hamann (Vladimir Smicer), Steven Gerrard, John Arne Riise; Emile Heskey (Jari Litmanen), Michael Owen:
