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The story of a Liverpool man who watched a Champions League final with Silvio Berlusconi forms the basis for a new play

An improbable story to surely rival the one about Bob Dylan turning up on the doorstep of someone called Dave in Crouch End, mistaking it for the home of musician Dave Stewart, and, one that, what’s more, turns out to be provably true, forms the basis for a new play that opened at the Kings Head theatre in north London last night.

A cobbler from Liverpool (and it does sound like the beginning of a joke) called Mark Radley found his way past security into the AC Milan directors’ box to watch his team, as he thought, continue to lose miserably to the Italians. In consolation, he began tucking into the free salmon and champagne, before sitting down to watch the end of the 2005 Champions League final. The tanned, middle-aged man in the next seat was – though Radley didn’t realise it – none other than the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. As the fortunes of the two teams on the pitch swung around, the mood between the two men understandably changed as well.

Radley was interviewed earlier this year on the Today programme, but I think I first heard the story recounted on one of those Radio 4 real-life experience shows – perhaps the successor to John Peel’s Home Truths, since the DJ had died the year before the match. Did anyone else hear it?

In Beating Berlusconi, the playwright John Graham Davies has taken the story as a jumping-off point for a wider exploration of popular politics of the 80s, 90s and the new millennium. Actor Paul Duckworth plays all the roles. It runs at the Islington fringe venue until 4 July and will doubtless capitalise on all the football fever kicking off tomorrow with the World Cup.

TheatreLiverpoolMilanSilvio BerlusconiVanessa Thorpeguardian.co.uk

Manchester United fans’ fears that Liverpool will be flattened on Sunday are well-founded: Rafael Benítez’s men look spent

The current Liverpool side is the least of Chelsea’s worries as they prepare for a match at Anfield in which victory will put them on the verge of the Premier League title or even make them champions, depending on an outcome elsewhere. If results were all that mattered Manchester United would be more apprehensive about their trip to the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland are unbeaten since mid-December.

All the same, certain matters of plain

• Confidence of Liverpool squad was affected
• ‘Maxi has been terrific, he is a fantastic player’

The Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, has admitted the recent absence of Fernando Torres damaged belief within the squad but says the team have overcome that obstacle in recent weeks, inspired by the prospect of a Europa League final.

“I won’t lie. Sometimes when you lose your top striker, it can damage belief and affect your confidence,” said Gerrard. “But this was much better,” he said, following Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Burnley in the Premier League. “It was important we scored a few goals against Burnley and won convincingly.” Gerrard scored twice in a match for the first time this season as Liverpool condemned Burnley to relegation. He then looked forward to the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Atlético Madrid at Anfield. The Spanish take a one-goal advantage into the match.

“We are now going to pile everything into Thursday’s game, which can’t come quickly enough,” said Gerrard. “The players are up for it and we have to leave every bit of sweat and blood out on that pitch on Thursday. Let’s hope we don’t have to score a lot of goals and we can win it with two. But if they score we have to score three; we’ll have to adapt during the game and do whatever it takes to win.

“There have been many occasions when we’ve had our backs to the wall and people have doubted us but we go into every game believing we can win and do anything possible to win on the night. But we have done it before and we hope to do it again.”

Gerrard has struck up a good understanding with the January signing Maxi Rodríguez in recent weeks but the Argentinian will be ineligible for Thursday’s match, having played for Atlético earlier in the season. The Liverpool captain believes it is another big loss for them.

“Maxi has been terrific for the last five or six weeks,” said Gerrard. “It would have been great to have him on Thursday because he’s an intelligent player who can unlock defences. He is on the same wavelength and, as a footballer, it is a pleasure to play with good players and that is what Maxi is, a fantastic player.”

Gerrard also had one eye on wrenching fourth place in the Premier League from the other three contenders for the final Champions League place, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Manchester City.

“We’ve got a couple of games left and the idea is to take maximum points to sneak into fourth via the back door,” said the England midfielder. “We know it is going to be difficult but, who knows, the clubs above us might slip up.

“We won’t give up but it would be stupid of me to say this or that is going to happen. It’s important to be realistic. We are underdogs to sneak this fourth position but our fans know that we have also got Everton breathing down our necks and we certainly don’t want them finishing above us.”

Liverpool’s manager is more optimistic about the club’s chances of finishing in fourth place, and called on his captain to lead by example in the final matches of the season.

“We need the captain to be a leader and he was a leader,” said Rafael Benítez. “We scored four goals against Burnley so that shows we can score goals in any game. It is always important to score goals and to see different players, including Gerrard, also scoring is also very good news for us. If we finish with 68 points and we have this chance [of fourth place] it will be because we have better goal difference.”

David Ngog missed the Burnley game with a back problem and Dirk Kuyt hobbled off with a calf injury, and should neither be fit for Thursday it would leave the Merseysiders without a recognised first-team striker to face the Spanish side, with Ryan Babel likely to be asked to fill the void.

Benítez remains optimistic that, despite their injury worries, Liverpool can turn things around at Anfield. “Atlético will be tough but we have the belief,” he said.

Steven GerrardLiverpoolFernando TorresAtlético MadridPremier LeagueEuropa Leagueguardian.co.uk