KEY POINTS:
Amid the scenes of jubilation as Liverpool reached their seventh European Cup final, there was also a jibe, with the club's chief executive, Rick Parry, belittling Chelsea's achievements under Jose Mourinho.
"I don't care what he says, I don't listen," Parry said when asked what he thought about Mourinho's claims before the semifinal tie that Liverpool were, in effect, no longer a club with the stature to rival his own.
Then came Parry's killer retort. "I guess when you've invested £500 million [$1350 million] it's a fantastic season to win the League Cup. He's welcome to his opinions, we care about Liverpool."
For Mourinho it was a case of the biter bit. The equation is one that will not be lost on him or Roman Abramovich, even if Parry ignored the fact that two League titles had also been won under the Portuguese, with an FA Cup final still to play this month. The £500 million figure is also pertinent as it was the sum put on the investment - when a new stadium is factored in - of the Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks at Anfield.
The two have nevertheless had to wait just three months to achieve what Abramovich has wanted for the past three years - to reach a European Cup final.
- INDEPENDENT
