 THE morning after the most extraordinary night before and still the talk was of the half-time spell conjured by Rafael Benitez that has entered Liverpool folklore. Steven Gerrard had awoken in a manner befitting a triumphant Liverpool captain, with the European Cup in his bed and the winner's medals still around his neck. The fifth in Liverpool's glorious history may have been the greatest fairytale of all, the vast red army crucial yet again, but without the tactical triumph played by their manager it simply would never have happened. Some Liverpool supporters left the stadium in tears after Hernan Crespo had chipped AC Milan into an apparently unassailable three-goal lead at the end of a demoralising first half, a decision they will regret for the rest of their lives. The rest stood their ground and issued a defiant roar. Meanwhile Benitez, alone with his thoughts as he walked back to the dressing room, came up with the plan that would defy all the odds, give Liverpool their fifth European crown and himself and his players a place in Anfield history forever. "I couldn't believe it at half-time," admitted Gerrard. "I just remember the manager getting his pen out and writing down the changes he wanted on the board. He also said to try and get an early goal as that could make them nervous. But to be honest I just couldn't concentrate. There were all sorts of things going through my head, it was weird. I was just sat there with my head in my hands. I thought it was over, I really thought it was over." He was angry," revealed his trusted lieutenant Pako Ayesteran. "We were three-nil down and had made three mistakes, but to solve the problem that we had shows his capability. "I have never seen him nervous because when you are nervous you cannot think clearly but to change the system was the key. Rafa is someone who thinks very quickly but it is difficult to think quickly and to think right. That shows his talent. "We couldn't change things in the first half because of the problems with Harry's injury but he came up with a great solution at half-time. Didi started winning the second balls and that became a big help." The Liverpool manager wasn't the only influence during those crucial 15 minutes. Milan, inadvertently, played their part. As Djimi Traore revealed: "When we were going into the dressing room at half-time the Milan players were already celebrating. You could hear them. "They thought it was over. Gattuso thought he had the cup. We knew it was 3-0 but there was still time. But honestly? I never believed we could do it. They have so much experience in their team that to score three times seemed impossible. "Once we scored the first you could see they were disturbed. They were scared. We were sitting in the dressing room at half-time thinking it was finished but the manager told us to keep believing and if we got a goal in the first ten minutes we would have a chance. That is how it happened." | 
