Patrick Barclay: Mourinho will have a plan for Anfield … and it will include earplugs

When people ask about the atmospheres most memorably savoured in more than half a century of football-watching, the mind soon turns to the spring of 2005 and Anfield on the night when Liverpool pipped Chelsea to a place in the Champions League final.

Jose Mourinho moaned — notably about Luis Garcia’s poke not having been over the line when William Gallas hooked it away (though in truth the Chelsea manager would have been equally unhappy with the referee’s alternative, which was to send off Petr Cech for upending the Milan Baros so close to goal). But the noise that mattered came from the crowd. The whole stadium (visiting section excepted) stood and belted out You’ll Never Walk Alone and there was the classic banner about Roman Abramovich: “You can buy big planes, fancy yachts, but you can never buy our history.’’

Not theirs, perhaps. But what would Liverpool give for Chelsea’s recent history, all crammed into the decade that followed Steven Gerrard’s march to glory in Istanbul? Three Premier League titles, a Champions League triumph to match Liverpool’s, a Europa League and four FA Cups to Liverpool’s one.