Inter 0 (0) - 1 (3) Liverpool

Fernando Torres showed his class as Liverpool strolled into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 1-0 victory against 10-man Inter Milan. The striker scored a superb shot from outside of the box as the English side won the tie 3-0 on aggregate.

The Italians had Nicolas Burdisso sent-off early in the second half for two soft bookings and never looked like achieving an upset. Liverpool were happy to shut out the Serie A leaders, and after Torres’ 64th minute strike they were never in doubt of becoming the fourth English team into the last eight of the competition.

Both teams starting line-ups were disrupted before the game, with Inter missing Marco Materazzi through suspension and Liverpool without Xabi Alonso, who controversially opted not to travel. Torres was deployed as a lone striker, while Inter looked to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the forward, for inspiration.

Inter played into Liverpool’s hands early on, attempting to patiently probe but only succeeding in allowing the visitors time to settle into their defensive game-plan. There was no urgency to their play, with Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva dominating Inter’s pedestrian midfield.

However, with Jamie Carragher deployed at right-back, there were gaps in Liverpool’s defence. Luckily for the English side, the few chances Inter did create fell to the hapless Julio Cruz. He drilled a ferocious low shot from 20 yards after eight minutes, forcing a fine save from Pepe Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper.

Cruz’s next chance was the product of slick interplay with Ibrahimovic, who showed touches of class, but flitted in and out of the game. The lanky forward slid a neat through ball to Cruz, but his attempt rolled harmlessly wide.

Liverpool’s only opportunities came from mistakes in Inter’s nervy backline. The best of these fell to Torres, who darted into the box after Esteban Cambiasso’s slip, but Julio Cesar saved well from a tight angle.

An audacious attempt from Cruz right before half-time could have sent Inter into the dressing room with renewed hope. The deceptively quick Maicon pulled back to the Argentinean, who delicately back heeled the ball, but only found Reina’s outstretched arms.

Inter gained some momentum after the restart, but this was short-lived as Burdisso saw red after a laughable decision from the referee. Challenging for a high ball with Lucas, the incident looked innocuous, but Tom Henning branded a second yellow card and effectively ended the tie as a contest.

Torres took advantage of the gaps that inevitably appeared as Inter pushed for a goal, scoring with a blistering strike from outside the penalty area after a dazzling swivel. His third goal in six Champions League appearances for Liverpool came from Fabio Aurelio’s floated cross, which Torres controlled expertly before blasting into the bottom left-hand corner.

Inter gave up completely after this, allowing Liverpool to leisurely stroke the ball around with little pressure. This was their sixth straight win, and they go into Friday’s Champions League draw full of confidence that they can reach a third final in four years.