And then we beat Inter Milan

We were out of the FA Cup in humiliating fashion. A team from the Championship had beaten us 2-1 on our own ground courtesy of a late goal. Our title challenge had died before Christmas (again). Just a couple of weeks ago we had been as low as seventh in the table and looked like needing a miracle to even finish in the top four. We had underperformed in the Champions League too losing 2 of our first 3 group games including an utterly dire home defeat to a team from France. It was too much to take and this Cup exit was the final straw. Benitez may have won us our fifth European Cup and another FA Cup and brought us Fernando Torres but I’d had enough. I wanted the Spaniard out of Anfield.

Everything in that first paragraph could have been written about this season but actually I was describing 2007-08. After our Cup defeat to Barnsley, I was so disillusioned that I had lost belief that Rafa Benitez could get this team playing good football and winning matches again. In fact I thought there was so little quality in the squad that a total clear out was required.

And then we beat Inter Milan.

Following that 2-0 home victory against the Italian Champions, belief returned to the players. We began to play some excellent football dismantling teams at home with goals galore from Torres and Gerrard. Arsenal were beaten in an exhilarating Champions League quarter final and Chelsea were a 97th minute John Arne Riise own goal away from being put out at the semi-final stage for a third time in four years. A derby win at Anfield all but secured Champions League qualification for the following season and we approached the summer with optimism.

A year on we were treated to some of the most outstanding attacking football by a Liverpool team since the 1987 vintage as we so narrowly missed out on ending our title drought. From useless in February ’08 to thrashing Real Madrid and Man Utd in the space of 5 days in March ’09, it was a remarkable transformation.

After the 4-2 Champions League win over Arsenal, I realised what a shallow, knee-jerk reacting fool I had been to call for the manager’s head and promised I would not be so fickle again. This season my resolve has been tested but thus far I have backed the manager and, who knows, maybe this time next season things will look far rosier and I might reflect on how this campaign had looked hopeless and beyond salvation.

And then we beat Tottenham.