Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 Liverpool (agg: 4-3)

	Michael Ballack opens the scoring for Bayer Leverkusen (ShaunBotterill/Allsport)

Both teams were in winning positions twice, but the pendulum in this pulsating quarter-final second leg finally fell in Bayer Leverkusen's favour.

The approach for Liverpool had been to defend stoically the slender 1-0 advantage they gained at Anfield and hope to increase it on the counter-attack but it was always going to be a high-risk strategy.

They were aware that if they could score an early goal in this tight little ground it would leave the Germans needing three to go through and the encouragement to go for one was there from the start for Houllier's side.

The reverse situation was that a German goal would throw the advantage Leverkusen's way and this was the nightmare scenario that occured for the would-be double winners.

Bayer had kept only three clean sheets in their 16 home games in the Champions League so the return from suspension of their international centre-half Jens Nowotny was of some importance.

If Michael Owen needed any incentive to produce the sparkling form of which he is so capable, then it had come from the provocative remarks made by general manager Reiner Calmund on the eve of the game.

He suggested the England man was no longer the feared striker he was when he rolled over Germany in the World Cup.

His comment appeared justified when Owen, within five minutes of Bayer opeinuing the scoring, showed unusual lack of precision, missing out on a one-on-one with Jorg Butt.

There was another German jibe from Franz Beckenbauer, mock-ingly suggesting it was difficult to pick out which was the home side in the Anfield match.

There was no such doubt in this encounter.

Bayer had an aggregate of 17-0 from their previous five home matches. Coach Klaus Toppmoller had urged his team to be patient but they went for a quick finish and almost paid immediately for their adventure.

Owen and John Arne Riise combined down the left and Norwegian's ball inside found Emile Hekey unmarked but the England striker's shot was deflected for a corner by Diego Placente.

As expected, however, it was Bayer who took the game to Liverpool, and the English side had to beware of conceding free-kicks on the edge of the area.

Riise gave one away carelessly and Ze Roberto demonstrated the danger by curling his kick just over the crossbar.

The dangerous game Liverpool were playing re-bounded on them in the 15th minute when concerted pressure from Bayer brought its dividend with the kind of goal that can decide these marginal matches.

Heskey, as he is prone to do against high quality defending, lost the ball on the halfway line and it was swiftly transferred inside to German international Ballack.

He side-stepped a challenge from Gerrard and from 25 yards measured his left-foot strike which soared into the top right hand corner of Jerzy Dudek's net. Liverpool were failing to control the midfield but they hung on and in the appraoch to half-time the game swung back their way.

Dudek made a remarkable onehanded save to keep out what looked a certain goal from Thomas Brdaric which might have put Liverpool out of the tie. The play swung to the other end and Owen forced Nowotny to concede a corner on the Liverpool left.

Danny Murphy took it and, as the ball came into the heart of the area, so the bleached-blond head of Xavier appeared from nowhere to glide a glancing header inside the upright.

The this see-saw game was back in the balance again after 63 minutes when Ballack got his second for Bayer with Liverpool's central defence suddenly vulnerable.

Sunbstitute Oliver Neuville delivered the centre from the right and Xavier failed to get off his feet to deal with it and Ballack climbed powerfully to head it down and inside the left hand post.

Within five minutes, Bayer were in a winning position again as they rattled the Liverpool defence with their quick inter-play. They worked the ball from left to right across the front of the Liverpool defence with Neuville getting in the shot.

Though Henchoz blocked his shot on the line, Dimitar Berbatobv, the second of Toppmoller's inspired substitutes, was there to turn it home.

Then flying Finn Jari Litmanen took Murphy's ball on the left and cut inside past one, defender, then another and slid the ball unerringly inside Butt's left hand post