Henchoz on 2001 final: I started to believe it wasn't our night

It's what many Reds inside the Westfalenstadion were thinking that night, as Alaves continued to defy logic - having already shocked the football world by reaching that stage of a prestigious European tournament in the first place.

However, what will have taken Liverpool by surprise most was the resolve shown by the tiny club from the Basque region.

The Spaniards refused to lie down when two goals were put past them inside the first 16 minutes - and it was a recurring theme throughout the night in Germany.

Liverpool had desires of their own to complete a landmark treble-winning season, but those aspirations appeared to be disappearing right before their eyes in the unlikeliest way possible.

"To be honest, when you're winning 2-0, 3-1, then 4-3 and they always keep coming back, you go to extra-time, you start to think it might not be your night, it might be their night," Henchoz revealed to Liverpoolfc.com.

"They're the underdogs and three times in the game they've come back. So then you start wondering that you might lose this biggest final.

"The confidence you had an hour ago when you were 3-1 up is gone, it's totally gone.

"You know that you will need something special if you want to win because the momentum has changed - it was with us and then it was with Alaves because they knew that they were not far off a big shock.

"I remember before the game, Johan Cruyff said that it would be the most boring game in the world!

"Obviously we didn't concede many goals in the build-up and Alaves were a bit similar. Everybody was expecting a 0-0 or a 1-0.

"It was an incredible game with nine goals and everything you want in a football game."

The Reds could have been forgiven for bringing it down a gear when the trophy was in sight.

After the dramatic FA Cup final triumph in Cardiff four days earlier, the squad's condition and preparation for Alaves on the Wednesday night was not exactly ideal.

The sweltering heat inside the Millennium Stadium that afternoon had taken a lot out of Gerard Houllier's men physically, as did the steel and courage to produce a late 2-1 comeback victory over Arsenal.

Despite the little opportunity to study their opponents, his side had to quickly move onto the next cup final.

Henchoz recalled: "We didn't have much time because we played Saturday, we were back at Melwood on the Sunday and we were travelling for Dortmund on the Tuesday.

"Alaves wasn't a team that was well known, so we didn't know much about them.

"It was more demanding in terms of fitness and then only [having] four days to recover and play a final. We had already played like 60 games, playing the maximum games possible.

"On that night, going into extra-time wasn't really what we wanted. Like always, when you're physically drained it comes down to your head. It's all in your head after that.

"You know that you are tired and you know that the opposition are maybe in a better shape than you, it's all about being ready for the challenge to try to grasp the last power you've got in your legs and your head will determine if you can do it or not."

Thankfully, the Reds kept going and Gary McAllister's free-kick was turned in by Alaves' Delfi Geli in the 116th minute to secure the club its third UEFA Cup.

Fatigue briefly disappeared as the decisive moment sparked jubilation among the Merseyside contingent.

While the celebrations on the pitch were of joy and a bit of relief, Henchoz explained why they had to be short-lived as a result of a tough campaign and one that still hadn't concluded.

"I was drained physically, but also mentally," the former Switzerland defender continued. "There is the tension, the stress before the game and then you will become drained mentally - that's really what I felt on that night.

"The funny thing was that we were playing Charlton three days later and it was a massive game for the club because we needed to win to qualify for the Champions League.

"We played Arsenal on Saturday and couldn't celebrate because we were playing Alaves four days later.

"We played Alaves on the Wednesday night, we won and we couldn't celebrate because we had to go into Charlton on the Saturday and it was a massive game again.

"It was a great week, but a very demanding week."

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