Gerrard: Blues better beware

LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard has warned Chelsea to expect a night they will never forget when they visit an emotionally-charged Anfield next week.

The stage is set for a Champions League semi-final second leg of epic proportions after Wednesday’s goalless draw.

Premiership champions-elect Chelsea will have to contend with the famous Anfield atmosphere on European nights when they arrive on Merseyside on Tuesday looking to book a place in the May 25 final in Istanbul.

And local lad Gerrard believes the Anfield crowd can swing the tie Liverpool’s way.

“It is set up nicely for Anfield and I am sure the roof is going to come off with the noise our fans will make. Chelsea will not know what has hit them,” he said.

“They will be taken aback a bit by the noise, we know our fans are special and on a European night even more so. Everyone will be looking forward to it, hopefully it will be our day.”

Liverpool produced a sterling defensive and tactical display - almost identical to their performance in Turin against Juventus in the quarter-finals - to give themselves a more than decent chance of reaching their first European Cup final for 20 years.

Gerrard said: “There were heroes everywhere. The 11 on the pitch, the subs, everyone. We are all in this together, we win and lose together but now we have got ourselves a magnificent opportunity.

“The important thing is not to think we are home and dry, they are a great side and more than capable of scoring and winning at our place.

“We had chances and we are all a little disappointed that we didn’t manage to nick one but 0-0 would have been fine if we had been offered that beforehand.”

And it is those chances, and two saves from Chelsea’s Petr Cech, which dog the memory of Gerrard, who knows had it not been for the world-class goalkeeper, Liverpool could have taken a priceless away goal back to Merseyside.

Twice in the first half Cech denied Liverpool, first from John Arne Riise and then a superb diving effort to deny Milan Baros’ header.

“We defended really well and everyone thought it was in until Cech pulled off a world-class save,” added Gerrard.

“And we all know that John only uses his right foot for standing on - it was a shame his chance fell to him on his right because we all know he is mainly left-footed.

“But he did so well to create the chance, he is a fantastic player and hopefully the chance will fall to him on his left foot on Tuesday.”

But Gerrard knows Liverpool will have to do without his midfield partner Xabi Alonso for the second leg after an 87th-minute booking means he is banned from the next match.

Gerrard said: “He is a magnificent passer but Dietmar Hamann is nearly fit and knocking on the door. It is set up for a great second leg.”

Alonso feels very hard done by his booking and his disappointment has been compounded by UEFA’s insistence that there is no right of appeal, while Alonso claims TV evidence shows he made no contact with Eidur Gudjohnsen.

Alonso said: “You can see on the replay I didn’t touch the player. When I saw the yellow card I couldn’t believe it because I knew what it meant. I feel so sad to be missing the second leg.

“I hoped after seeing the tackle again, maybe the referee could change his mind, but we’ve been told it’s not possible to appeal.

“It’s a big disappointment for me to miss the game because it will be a special night. Now I hope we can get through to the final so I have another chance to play in the competition.”

In the meantime, Chelsea’s Joe Cole has admitted Xabi Alonso’s absence from the return leg of the tie has given Chelsea a huge lift.

“You always want to see the best players out on the pitch. It is a big lift for us because he’s a top class player. He can pass the ball very well. It is never nice to see anyone miss big games and I am sure he is unhappy with it - especially after being out injured for so long. You never like to see it in football but it is a necessary evil I suppose.”

Cole also believes their experience in going to Old Trafford in the semi-final of the Carling Cup has given them a slight edge over their opponents.

Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by United at Stamford Bridge but Jose Mourinho’s side then went to Manchester and won 2-1 to clinch a place in the final, where they beat Liverpool 3-2 after extra-time.

They have also twice beaten Liverpool in the league with the winner coming from Cole both times.

“We know what we can do. We played well against Manchester United in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final without scoring goals,” he added.

“It was a bit similar to this game. It was a real tough game up there in the league and that has given us confidence. The game is finely balanced but we have got enough in us to win it.”

Cole also was full of praise for Petr Cech. “Petr has been brilliant all season and helped us out when we needed him. He’s a top drawer keeper and he made a fantastic save but that’s what he’s there for.

“They defended well but we knew what to expect from them. We passed the ball well in the first half without putting it in the back of the net when we needed to.

“It could turn out to be a good result for us. It will be a cracking game and the atmosphere will be different class,” he said.