LONDON, April 6: Liverpool claimed a slender advantage over Juventus in their Champions League quarterfinal with a 2-1 first-leg win on an emotional night at Anfield on Tuesday.
Olympique Lyon conceded a late goal in a 1-1 home draw with PSV Eindhoven, leaving the other tie also precariously balanced going into next week’s second legs.
AC Milan were to play neighbours Inter and Chelsea face Bayern Munich in the other quarterfinal first leg games on late Wednesday night.
Fans from both clubs staged a football match in the city before kickoff while many Juve supporters joined in a stirring rendition of Liverpool’s anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Any danger that the weight of the occasion would stifle the players was quickly erased, however, as four-time European champions Liverpool rolled back the years with a tremendous display of attacking football in the first half.
Defender Sami Hyypia volleyed them ahead after 10 minutes and 15 minutes later Luis Garcia lashed a swirling shot past helpless goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to put Liverpool 2-0 ahead against a shell-shocked Juve.
The Italians regrouped, however, and snatched a vital away goal to take back to Turin just past the hour.
Defender Fabio Cannavaro’s downward header found a way past Liverpool’s young keeper Scott Carson to give the twice European champions a lifeline.
French champions Lyon, one of the competition’s most impressive performers, dominated PSV for an hour after Florent Malouda had given them a 12th-minute lead.
They had chances to seize control of the match but were stunned 11 minutes from time when Philip Cocu’s solo run and speculative shot squeezed inside Gregory Coupet’s left-hand post to give the Dutch champions a slight edge in the tie.
PSV, who beat last year’s runners-up Monaco in the previous round, last made an impression in European football’s top club competition when they won the trophy in 1988.—Reuters
