AND THE SEASON IS OVER FOR US. OR MORE OR LESS SO.

The 4-2 defeat means we are out of the champions league, and with the blown points against rubbish teams over the last few weeks, it means there is probably nothing left to play for. It is disappointing, after the fine first half to the season which the youngsters had.

Yet, there was so much more to the scoreline. 1-1 at the Emirates last week meant that a score draw of 2-2 or more would have sent us through to the next round. And it was 2-2, with 6 minutes to go, until things conspired horribly wrong against us. The liverpool fans were stunned. It was at Anfield. And the 12th man won the game for Liverpool.

Not the Kop, not the Liverpool fans who will be counting their lucky stars, but the referee. He gave a penalty that never was. Never. The shock look on Gerrard said it all; he coudln't believe the luck his team was getting. It was the second get-out-of-jail card Liverpool had drawn from the Chance pile. It was the second 'GO TO JAIL, DO NOT PASS START' card Arsenal drew from the Chance pile. What a shocker. And Gerrard duly dispatched the penalty away. The Liverpool fans went wild. Fair enough.

Where is the consistency in football? Where?
There is so much talk of match fixing and 'bungs' undermining the integrity of the game, when really, it is such clear inherent double standards that tarnish the integrity of the game far more. Arsene Wenger said after the match about 'injustice' being dealt to his team. And i don't know. Maybe UEFA will spend more efforts into investigating whether his comments are ruining the integrity of the game, rather than the decision itself, which is just farcical.

Rafael Benitez choose only to praise his team's determination to come back after the tie seemed out of their grasp. This was the same Rafael Benitez who said 'How can the referee do such a thing? How can the referee change the complexion of the game after we were dominating the entire match before that?' when Rob Styles awarded Chelsea another penalty that never was when Liverpool played Chelsea earlier in the season. Fair enough, luck comes and go. But this is not just luck. We've had none of it recently. Against Birmingham, we conceded a penalty that never was in the last minute: replays showed Clichy had clearly got the ball. Against Middlesbrough, a perfectly legal goal was disallowed for offside incorrectly.

And it is shocking that such huge mistakes occur during the most important of matches. This match aside, the World Cup 2002 in South Korea and Japan was another shocker. Maybe we should not be so surprised. The reality is that double standards have existed all the while, what with tackles warranting yellow cards and stuff. But when it leads to goals, the most pivotal thing in a football game, then people stand up and take notice.

And what with consequences? I fully agree with what Sir Alex Ferguson said when his team were hard done by against Portsmouth, by a refereeing decision that effectively cost his team the FA Cup. Ferguson said that "That referee will referee another match again next week." Where is the check and balance system which will ensure referees are on the top of their game as well? Sure, some associations impose bans on referees - they are suspended from refereeing the next match or something. But does it work? How much do referees reflect on their mistakes? Do they feel guilty? I'm pretty sure they do. But is that good enough a factor to make them more alert during matches?

I feel referees should be rated by a panel after each match. And their performances should be published weekly. We have a player rating system. We have a league table. We have statistics which rank players' miles clocked up, passes made. Why not referees. Because then we would really come to appreciate those who have truly done their job well.

It's one thing getting knocked out of the champions league due to 2 clear-cut mistakes. I'm not feeling too down about that. Besides, I have to be honest. I doubt we would have been able to overcome Chelsea. And in any case, Liverpool will probably collide with Man United in the final, and they will experience how it feels to have a match sucked away from you because your opponents are more illustrious. What I hope to see is a thorough evaluation of what went wrong at Anfield and at the Emirates. And people who have made mistakes should be accountable for their mistakes. Referees are people who demand respect right away just because of the important position that they have in a match. They should earn this respect by apologising for their errors, and acknowledging their mistakes. This, for the betterment of a game which represents so much in a world where double standards exist everywhere.

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For all the talk about the disappointment, I am still so proud of the players. Apart from pieces of slack defending which will have to be addressed and this can be done at the end of the season, the players really gave their all in attack. They stuck to their guns, played their passing game, and the first goal was a perfect one indeed. In fact over the past 3 matches, they've just shown how capable they are of playing big teams and still being able to keep possession. And the 2nd goal, was just a joy to watch. It was a beauty, Walcott's run from penalty box to penalty box and then setting it up for a tap in for Adebayor. That alone was worth waking up to watch the match. And while we could still have a say in the title race by screwing Man United up this Sunday, to be honest I'd rather we lose and Man United win the BPL than Chelsea. To have a team like Chelsea who play the boring way they play and still be able to win the league, would be an absolute disgrace for the English game.

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It's been a disappointing common test again. I will have to work a lot harder. Nevertheless, I still enjoy the time I spend in school. With my classmates, with my CCA friends. And of course, spending time with my caregroup members. There are a lot of goals to aim for. The most important though are still those to do with my personal temperament, my commitment and self-discipline, and my willingness to step out of my comfort zone. In this testing week where I will be emotionally charged everytime I think of the injustices which have taken place, I look to no one else by Him. And of course, put in me the appropriate words during worship. This is a week of great dependence, as weeks have been and will continue to be.