Milan 2, Liverpool 1. A tough loss. The Scousers acquitted themselves well, controlling play in the first half and generally neutralizing Milan's stars. The second goal came at the end of the second half, when the Reds' energy was flagging. And that's not meant to take anything away from Milan. This was a match played as Liverpool wanted it to be played, and Milan still won.

In my book, Nesta was the player of the game. He prevented several budding Liverpool attacks from turning into real threats. Others will choose Inzaghi, on account of his brace, and that's not entirely unreasonable. Here's a guy who has never been close to the most talented forward in the game, and yet he's made a career of right place right time scoring. Goals count however you obtain them.

I close with the obvious:

"When you walk through a storm,
Hold your head up high,
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm,
There's a golden sky,
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone...
You'll never walk alone.
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone...
You'll never walk alone. "

See you next season, Reds!

FF

P.S. Blogging will continue in the offseason. There's USMNT soccer and MMA to talk about.