Fingers crossed our Champions League form is showing signs of getting back on track. Like the 8-0 demolition of Besiktas, this was perhaps a bit flattering, but once again I felt that over the two legs we got about what we should've.
We looked in control for the first half-hour and, after Torres scored from a poorly-marked corner, it looked like it could be relatively comfortable. Porto got back into the game after a good header wrong-footed Reina - though perhaps we could've had free-kicks for fouls on Mascherano or Arbeloa in the build-up - and that seemed to knock our confidence. Indeed, Porto came back into the game and, after scoring with their first real chance, missed a great opportunity for another before the break.
Things were more even in the second half, but we still struggled to reassert our authority. The introduction of Kewell, who's looked good on his latest return, and then Crouch helped but it was Torres who put us ahead again, now notching up ten goals in sixteen games apparently. Soon after that Gerrard's penalty made it 3-1 with ten minutes to go and the game was pretty safe - which made the decision to throw Kuyt on alongside Torres and Crouch somewhat baffling. Still, the attacking approach paid dividends as Crouch got a late header to put a real gloss on the scoreline.
Too bad the twelve goals scored in the last two games don't really count for anything - we're level on points with Marseille but ties go to head-to-head (which I've always thought a bit weird in the league format - maybe there's an IIA paper in there somewhere...) so only a win in France will do.
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