Once again, a goalkeeping error helped to decide Liverpool's fate in a quarter-final. Happily, though, it was third-time lucky for Grobbelaar and company, who used Bento's early gift to Whelan as the foundation for a splendidly assertive performance in Lisbon last night. They are ready to be European champions again. The tie was effectively settled after little over half an hour, by which time Johnston had extended Liverpool's lead to two goals, three on aggregate. The agile Grobbelaar kept it intact, as Benfica rallied, until Nene scored 16 minutes from time; the first goal Liverpool had conceded in Europe this season. But Liverpool always had plenty in hand, as Rush proved in heading his 35th goal of the season and Whelan emphasised with the fourth goal two minutes from the end. By then the occasion had been sadly disfigured by terracing violence, some apparently involving travelling supporters, although Benfica's fans do have a reputation for fighting among themselves. The Stadium of Light, filled to capacity with 70,000 spectators paying more than half a million pounds was an awesome sight, but Liverpool have been around too long to find such environments intimidating. They calmly settled to their task of protecting the advantage gained at Anfield and, after an opening phase punctuated by free-kicks, mainly for offside, doubled it in the ninth minute. The vast crowd fell silent, horror-struck and truly it was an abysmal goal for Benfica to concede. Lee forced a corner, which he played short to Neal, who swiftly returned it. Lee crossed and as the ball curled into the goalmouth Whelan stole forward in the old Ray Kennedy style.

He was completely unmarked, headed firmly downwards in the textbook manner but straight at Bento's feet, and could hardly believe his good fortune when the stooping goalkeeper let the ball slip through his fingers into the net. The 34-year-old Bento was soon in trouble again, rushing out of his area in a vain effort to cut off Johnston, whose pass was heading towards Rush in a scoring position when Carlos Manuel intervened. Minutes earlier, Johnston had come to Liverpool's rescue at the other end, booting off the goal-line a miscued attempt at a headed clearance by Lawrenson. But Liverpool continued to look by far the more dangerous side as Rush, a highly mobile target for their long passes forward, was eagerly supported by Dalglish, Whelan, Lee and Johnston. Liverpool went further ahead in the 32nd minute after a superbly constructed move. Dalglish began it, dispossessing Carlos Manuel and cleverly transferred Rush's return pass to Johnston, who beat the static Bento from an angle. Benfica, now requiring an improbable four goals for victory, were jeered and whistled back to the dressing room. Liverpool remained generally in control, and after Rush had stumbled over a chance, there was a comic goalmouth scene as Johnston, Rush and Dalglish passed the ball around, trying to create an opening. Johnston put it home, but he had strayed offside. Nene's header prompted a more serious effort from Rush, whose admittedly free header, was delightfully placed, and Whelan's second goal was another nugget, slipped in from the narrowest of angles.

Liverpool wrote another memorable chapter in their illustrious European history in Lisbon last night. Joe Fagan's superbly drilled side gate-crashed Portugal's biggest private party of the year to sweep majestically into the European Cup semi-finals. What was planned as an evening of celebration with the men from Anfield filling the supporting role of sacrificial lambs, turned swiftly into a nightmare of epic proportions for the 85,000 partisan fans who packed the magnificent Stadium of Light. Liverpool have rarely, if ever, played with such utter professionalism during their 20 years in continental football as they steamrollered a bewildered Benfica side into submission. The Portuguese champions were not so much beaten as humiliated in a manner they will never forget by two Ronnie Whelan goals and others from Craig Johnston and Ian Rush. Despite leading by Ian Rush's solitary first leg goal, Liverpool were faced with the same dilemma they overcame so magnificently in Bilbao in the previous round. They knew all too well that one positive strike would serve the dual purpose of both silencing a vociferous, hostile crowd and leave their opponents with a daunting mountain to climb. The task was set about with great relish. After full back Pietra had headed Carlos Manuel's free-kick just over the crossbar in Benfica's one impressive early thrust, Ronnie Whelan poached a true opportunist goal after eight minutes. Sammy Lee rolled a corner on the right to Phil Neal who wrong-footed the Benfica defence with a swift return. The England midfielder's cross was beautifully flighted to Whelan who headed firmly down and through the legs of the unfortunate goalkeeper Bento. In truth, it was an appalling error by the veteran goalkeeper but one greeted by scenes of unconfined joy on the Liverpool bench. If the men from Anfield had needed an incentive to prove that they remain Britain's most accomplished travellers, that was it. Aware of the mountainous job which now faced them, Benfica visibly crumbled, losing their composure, balance and pattern as Liverpool harried them into a series of errors. Ironically the closest they came to clawing their way back into the game was after 17 minutes when Mark Lawrenson inadvertently turned a Carlos Manuel corner back towards his own goal. To the immense relief of Bruce Grobbelaar, Craig Johnston was on hand to head the ball to safety as it threatened to dip inside the far post. If the terrier-like Johnston was pleased with that particular contribution he was positively delighted 15 minutes later when he effectively put the result beyond all reasonable doubt.

Kenny Dalglish exchanged passes with Ian Rush before squaring neatly to the man who seemingly has most to lose following the arrival of new boy John Wark. He looked up for a split second before hammering the ball without ceremony into the top corner from just outside the box. To their credit the Eagles of Lisbon, though flying on one wing by this stage, did show occasional flashes of their true form in the second half. Substitute Filipovic twice went close when well-placed but the better of the chances were still falling to Liverpool's front men. How they failed to increase the margin after 57 minutes will remain a mystery for a very long time. Dalglish, Rush and Johnston looked on in disbelief as, in quick succession, they wasted clear-cut openings after a frantic goal mouth scramble. Benfica claimed the goal they just about deserved after 74 minutes when Nene nodded home an Alan Hansen back header. The style which had typified Liverpool's play all night was pushed to the fore five minutes later when Rush rose unchallenged at the far post to head home Dalglish's superbly placed cross from the left. Liverpool's night of glory was rounded off two minutes from time when Whelan claimed his second. Set free by Dalglish he cut inside his marker before firing low past Bento from the most acute of angles.

Liverpool manager Joe Fagan said: "I thought we were magnificent and I am very proud of them all. Benfica must be a good team to have reached the quarter-final of the European Cup but we were better than them. Tactics came into the game quite a lot, we had to change our system but it proved effective in the end". Benfica coach Sven Eriksen said: "I have to blame our goalkeeper for the defeat. We lost our first two goals very easily and you really cannot afford to do that against a side like Liverpool. They are a magnificent side, and I think they will go all the way". Ronnie Whelan, Liverpool's two-goal hero said: "Everything went according to plan. We knew that if we got an early goal, we would be right. We got it after eight minutes and that really killed them off”. Ian Rush, who scored his 35th goal of the season, said: "After Friday's defeat at Southampton, we were desperate to bounce back. We did just that. At half-time the boss just told us to keep going. I thought we took all our four goals well and could even have had some more".