Hands up. Did anyone actually enjoy the match?

[Romario]

I was stressed out of my head for the whole game. It was a strange one as we were always playing catch up and I really felt our luck had run out with their 3 jammy goals and our injuries.

Only at 2-1 and 2-2 did I think "nice one it's our now" only for the biggest fluke of the day for them...

 

Thank feck Gerrard and co. had the drive to keep going till the end. Amazing performance indeed.

[Guest Anders Honoré]

with 10 minutes to go, I had completely given up. even 2-0 down, I was confident we could battle our way back.

 

At that point the players just seemed to have given up. No ideas, no drive, just a few hopeful punts. Felt West Ham deserved the win by then. I was gutted and disappointed that we couldn't muster a last siege on their goal.

 

Gerrard of course, doesn't just do hopeful punts.

[Andy-oh-six]

I can't remember experiencing such extremes. I was distraught and angered by a lot of our play but then completely over the top when we scored the goals - more so than usual. My emotions were all over the place. I didn't enjoy it but the highs were so impossibly high. It was weird.

[KopSpice]

I did yet I didn't; I was disappointed when we went 2-0 down then I told myself, remember Istanbul

[hagi_complex]

I was completely and utterly spent by the second half of extra time. Emotionally drained. I think I was on the verge of pulling up with cramp meself. Winning on penalties a relief more than anything else. It's sank in now though!

[Guest Sabre]

I was hoping that at 20 minutes in extra time, with players just lying on the ground, that the ref would just blow up and put the players out of their misery.

 

I was spent and so were all the players.

[Ombudsam]

In the match thread Benitez (poster) said "I hate football" and I agree with regards that game yesterday. I said exactly the same thing to my mate during the game. I was quite calm at 2-0 down but there was this utterly bizarre period in the second half where our players literally weren't moving and were just watching W.Ham in the corner. I knew they were knackered but i started to lose it then. So so nervous.

[Earl Hafler]

The only time i thought we were going to lose was the minute before Gerrard launched that drive into the bottom corner. Even at 2 down i knew we had the ability to come back but there were times when the game was almost unbearable.

I thought some of the players played very poorly at times and looked complacent, slack and appeared to think all they had to do to win the match was breathe.

After extra time every single player had given everything they had and no one can ask for more than that.

 

Before the penalty shoot out i told my mates " Reina is one hell of a penalty saver " . I also predicted every penalty correctly apart from Riise's.

 

I've watched the game again this morning and it's pure theatre.

Edited May 14, 2006 by Big Stuff

[Guest The Chunk]

I loved it. But I had a strange feeling all game that we would get beat, especially when their lucky third went in. I was already resolved for defeat before Stevie came up with the goods...again. Emotionally drained by the end though, and just wanted it over with.

[Bootle Buck]

In Istanbul I always felt we had Destiny on our side. Yesterday for 89 minutes I felt the opposite. Thoughts of Ron Greenwood and John Lyle kept flashing through my head. However one thing our lads don't lack is character. A few minutes bfore Stevie scored he took a poor free kick and the look on his face summed up the day to that point..... Disappointing and unbelievable. However Destiny was on our side. Two 3-3 Finals after being behind, two knackered extra times and two great penalty shoot outs proved once an for all that we have a battling group of players ready to die for the shirt.

Edited May 14, 2006 by Bootle Buck

[Guest Red Mist]

I had prepped the sleeping tablets and bottle of vodka. Thankfully Stevie saved me.

[LFCNeil90]

Gerrard of course, doesn't just do hopeful punts.

Carlsberg don't do hopeful punts, but if they did, they'd probably be the best hopeful punts in the world

[Cooldude]

I lost my voice after screaming so much throughout the match, especially the GEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRDDDDD thing I did both times he scored

 

And of course I went totally bonkers after Reina saved that one from the bro of a c***

[Guest The Mole]

No I didn't enjoy any of it which is a bit sad I suppose.

[Guest JV]

I enjoyed it once it finished if that makes any sense.

 

I just wtd penalties when it hit extra time as we looked fvcked out there.

[Benzo-13]

Awesome day!!!

 

Was in Sinnott's in Dublin and the place was jammed. Atmosphere was unreal. Got home at 4 this morning...

 

Watched the match again thei morning.. Unbelieveable game. Stevie is a colossus, best player in the world.

Mr. Perpetual Motion.

 

Blubbed a bit watching the Cardiff montage from Owen's 2001 final to Gerrard's goal... Moving stuff.

[Swipe]

I'm not sure you can ever really enjoy a match involving the team you support. Well, one that goes from end to end, anyway.

 

Can enjoy a masterclass from your own team when you hammer the opposition, but how could any Liverpool fan have enjoyed that game?!!

 

Afterwards we can say "what a classic" but during the game i was a wreck! Felt sick during it.

Edited May 14, 2006 by Swipe

[Guest Sabre]

I was also disappointed at the end because it didn't quite compare to the European Cup Final last year.

 

I'm spoilt, I know..

[Herbie von Smalls]

i love that kind of match - it's what watching football should be about. the first quarter of the game was fairly dull, but there was still the sense of occasion and the expectation that things would liven up.

 

i was actually glad the hammers took the lead and not overly concerned when they scored the second. it meant we'd have to up our game and really take the fight to west ham.

 

while things got less and less comfortable after konchesky got their third, there was still the sense of anticipation of getting an equaliser from somewhere. extra time was quite anti-climactic and a bit of a respite from all the nervous excitement and thankfully the penalties didn't go to sudden death.

 

if istanbul taught me one thing, it was to learn to enjoy the butterflies and adrenaline even when the odds may be against the team. and if my doubt starts to waver, it's the lyrics of 'you'll never walk alone' that restore the faith.

[CaptainXabi]

I did not enjoy that match. I would like nothing more than a simple 2-0 win next time around. I don't even want to watch football for the next few weeks because I'm such an emotional wreck aftger yesterday.

[autumn319]

i was very nervous.

it wasn't a great game.we played some better football this season,like in goodisson park,for example.

our players were very nervous.

our tactical game was weird.but it paid off.

[Nebraska Red]

it was hard to enjoy a game that kicked off at 9am and 3 qtrs of my family were milling around getting food, dressed and ready for the day.

 

even harder when your team goes 2-0 down to complete c**k ups by your team, a good goal is diallowed and you feel that the whole world is against you as your wife berates you for foul language and loud screaming.

 

i am enjoying it more since then having watched it again last night and the goals this morning.

 

as I got out of bed today, my wife told me not to worry as we had still won the FA Cup.

 

I am happy now.

[meepins]

I was strangely complacent, confident that we were always going to win all the way through.Even in the last minutes when nothing was happening. The last time I felt like that was against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champs league quarter final, thought it was amusing all the missed chances in that one and ultimately lost in the last minute or so.

It's only now with some perspective I can see how poor the play was in the first half.

Edited May 14, 2006 by lfc-dub