Champions League Review: Liverpool put themselves in the driving seat with a 2-0 win over Inter Milan at Anfield while Chelsea and Olympiacos fought out a goalless draw in Athens in the first legs of their Champions League last-16 ties.
Late goals from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard secured the Reds home win over 10-man Inter Milan. Liverpool pride was rediscovered as they now have a great chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Hounded and hammered from all quarters after three months of disappointing form, Rafa Benitez's men grabbed two goals in the final five minutes. The Reds inflicted only the second defeat of the season on the Serie A leaders, who last lost a game against Fenerbahce in Turkey back in September.
They travel to the San Siro for the second leg on Tuesday March 11th.
Chelsea carved out a 0-0 draw in Athens to give themselves a real chance of reaching the last eight. But the rest of Europe will hardly be quaking in their boots after the Blues failed to create one real clear-cut chance.
However, the Londoners will be favourites to progress into the quarter-finals when the two sides meet again in the return leg at Stamford Bridge in a fortnight.
Chelsea coach Avram Grant took a massive Euro gamble in leaving both captain John Terry and midfielder Frank Lampard on the substitutes' bench against the Greek champions.
Elsewhere Roma and Schalke both gave themselves a minor advantage with home victories in the first legs against Real Madrid and Porto respectively.
Roma had to battle for their 2-1 triumph at the Stadio Olimpico - Mancini the hero with the winning goal in the 58th minute after David Pizarro's first-half strike had cancelled out Raul's opener.
The result marked Roma's first win against Real in the Italian capital at the fourth attempt. Real were unlucky not to equalise when substitute Royston Drenthe was denied by the crossbar with 10 minute remaining.
Porto, meanwhile, endured an unhappy return to the ground where they won the 2004 Champions League - losing 1-0 to Schalke.
Kevin Kuranyi responded perfectly to his coach's pre-match demands for his players to be more clinical in front of goal, the Germany international netting inside four minutes for the only goal of the game at the Veltins-Arena.