By J Wade
March 11 2005

Liverpool confirmed their status as one of the elite teams in Europe by coasting to a 3-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen and securing a place in the quarter-final of this season's Champions League. A first half double from Luis Garcia set the Reds on their way and Milan Baros completed a memorable win (6-2 on aggregate) that exorcised the ghosts of three years ago when Leverkusen eliminated Gerard Houllier's side from this competition.
 
The starting eleven at the BayArena showed three changes to the one that began the weekend defeat at Newcastle. Jerzy Dudek and Didi Hamann returned, while Stephen Warnock was drafted in to play left back.
 
With a 3-1 first leg advantage Liverpool kicked off in the knowledge that they had one foot already in the last eight but were well aware of what happened in April 2002.
 
In what was a tense and tentative opening the Reds, sporting their allow-yellow away strip, were happy to soak up the early Bayer pressure but once Garcia opened the scoring in the 26th minute they were all but home and dry.
 
Steven Gerrard was the creator, stinging the fingers of the keeper with a stinging shot and then whipping in a cross from the resultant corner that the Spaniard was on hand to convert.
 
It was a goal that sent the travelling Liverpudlians into raptures and it was to get even better six minutes later when Garcia added a second. Again Gerrard was involved. This time he fired in a corner from the right. Biscan nodded the ball on and the former Barca man tapped home from close-range.
 
As the interval approached only a fine one handed save by Butt denied Garcia what would have been a remarkable hat-trick but it didn't matter much because as a contest this tie was done and dusted.
 
With a 5-1 aggregate deficit to chase there was no way back for the Germans and although they twice went close to breaching the Reds rearguard early in the second half the game understandably petered out.
 
Gerrard went close to increasing the lead with a fierce shot that forced Butt into a low save before Baros emphatically fired home a third with a volley from inside the box following good play by Smicer and Riise.
 
Krzynowek netted a late consolation for the hosts but it failed to take the shine of job well done by Rafa's men.

Teams

Liverpool: Dudek, Warnock, Hyypia, Carragher, Finnan, Riise, Hamann, Biscan, Garcia, Gerrard (captain), Baros

Subs: Carson, Welsh, Potter, Raven, Le Tallec, Nunez, Smicer
 
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Butt, Babic, Bracker, Placente, Schneider, Krzynowek, Ramelow (captain), Donovan, Bierofka, , Berbatov

Subs: Starke, Voronin, Ozturk, Fritz, Dum, Castro Randon, Rottger