Alonso praises Gerrard's nerve

The Reds were looking at Champions League elimination before Steven Gerrard scored an 86th minute penalty. Xabi Alonso, no stranger to taking nerve wracking European Cup penalties himself, has praised the captain for keeping his cool and scoring from the spot.

"It was a very important moment because Arsenal had just scored and there was not much time left," said the midfielder.

"It needs a lot of character to take that kind of responsibility but Steven took it on and scored the goal.

"We were trusting him because we know he has scored so many important goals for us."