Internazionale 0 Liverpool 1 <i>(Liv win 3-0 on agg)</i>: Torres executes plan with sublime precision

Torres scores at the San Siro last night (AP)

There is no striker in Europe quite so deadly as Fernando Torres and, on the evidence of last night, possibly no manager as cunning as Rafael Benitez. Pragmatic, unyielding, tenacious – this was how Liverpool laid waste to Internazionale and when the champions of Italy were suitably stunned it was left to Torres to complete the execution with a goal summoned from the heavens.

It hit Inter so hard that their coach, Roberto Mancini, announced in the immediate aftermath that he would be leaving at the end of the season. There was chaos among the Italians as the fourth English team in the Champions League sailed serenely into Friday's draw for the quarter-finals but, more pertinently, this was another of Benitez's famous European nights. Another master plan carried out to the very letter.

When you considered what remained of the Italian champions at the final whistle, they were in a sorry state indeed. Juventus, Barcelona, even Chelsea – they have all been chewed up on nights like these. The dismissal of Nicolas Burdisso in the 50th minute, the second red card of the tie for Inter, was telling but even then Benitez's side were throttling the life out of their hosts.

The usual suspects were key to the victory: Javier Mascherano, Martin Skrtel, on his Champions League debut, and Sami Hyypia. Steven Gerrard was a decisive presence and then there was Torres, the rose in Liverpool's nest of thorns. When he dispatched his 26th goal of the season the stadium began to empty and by the end thousands of Nerazurri were streaming into the Milan night, wondering why these days a Scudetto does not grant parity with the third best team in England.

There will no doubt be some hasty pronouncements of the death of Italian football but they do have one representative, Roma, in the last eight. As with their rivals Milan a week earlier, there was a polite smattering of applause from Inter for the victors, in sharp contrast to the brutal whistling that accompanied Patrick Vieira's late substitution. The former Arsenal man was not the only Inter player culpable last night.

When you discount Torres' 63rd-minute strike this was not a game of beauty, not in the way that Arsenal beat Milan last week. But with three Champions League quarter-final places in the last four years, Liverpool's support will have no problem overlooking that. They have a maturity in Europe that surpasses any other English side and a certainty that means they need fear no one. But Liverpool are not here to entertain, and never was that more evident than last night.

It should be remembered that this was accomplished without Xabi Alonso, whose wife Nagore finally gave birth to a son in the early hours of yesterday. Benitez had chosen not to allow his midfielder to fly out late. It would be fair to presume the child will not be named in honour of the Liverpool manager. Benitez has a habit of showing even his most established players that they are dispensable.

Before kick-off the Inter fans briefly displayed a banner that read: "Whatever happens, Istanbul, May 2005. Thanks Liverpool." It was their way of remembering the humiliation visited on Milan in that remarkable final of 2005, although they were not to know that the same tenacity was about to be unleashed on their own team. Mancini left Luis Figo on the bench and his team lacked the creativity to break down Liverpool.

For the first 20 minutes, however, it was exceedingly tense for a Liverpool defence who found dealing with Zlatan Ibrahimovic difficult to say the least. The Swedish centre-forward's 30th-minute reverse pass found Julio Cruz in the area but he put his shot wide. More often than not, though, the half-chances fell to Cruz and the Argentine appeared to be suffering from nerves. His best effort was stopped by Pepe Reina on eight minutes.

Ibrahimovic looked like he might win the game on his own at times but he too faded from view with time and there was always the threat of Torres at the other end. On more than one occasion he took the breath away with a burst of pace or a short dribble. However much Ibrahimovic had spooked the Liverpool defence, Torres inflicted the same on Inter.

Two minutes before half-time, Inter thought they had cracked Liverpool at last. Fabio Aurelio, picked ahead of John Arne Riise at left-back, got himself in a mess and allowed Maicon to get past him and reach the byline. He cut the ball back to the near post, where Cruz was waiting. It was a neat flick with the heel but it was never likely to trouble Reina.

A hesitation from Vieira when he could have shot early in the second half proved the last moment at which Inter could have turned the tie. Moments later came Burdisso's second yellow card. It was a marginal decision and the Argentine had been booked in the first half for a foul on Dirk Kuyt that was not particularly vicious – he could probably count himself unlucky to be dismissed at such a crucial time.

Burdisso and Lucas Leiva challenged for a high bouncing ball, both with studs raised. The Inter man arrived much later and connected with the Brazilian's thigh. There did not appear to be any intent but under the letter of the law the Norwegian referee, Tom Ovrebo, must have thought he had no option but to show the red. On a moment's reflection, he might have let it pass with a final warning.

Inter were stung. They moved the influential Javier Zanetti to the relative backwater of left-back and Cristian Chivu, as he had in the first leg, was switched to centre-back. The Romanian found himself culpable for Torres' goal on 63 minutes.

Culpable, that is, if anyone can be to blame for another beautiful piece of finishing from the master goalscorer. Gerrard chip-ped the ball in from the left channel and Torres' first touch was exquisite, giving him time to turn as Chivu, unforgivably, stood off. With one swish of the boot, Torres had dispatched the ball past the goalkeeper, Julio Cesar.

There was nothing left for Inter. Their five bookings, including the two for Burdisso, told a story of frustration. They are Italy's perennial nearly men, a team always just out of reach of greatness. They used to say that about English football teams.

Internazionale (4-1-3-2): Julio Cesar; Maicon, Burdisso, Rivas Lopez, Chivu; Cambiasso; Zanetti, Stankovic (Jimenez, 85), Vieira (Pele, 76); Ibrahimovic (Suazo, 80), Cruz. Substitutes not used: Toldo (gk), Figo, Crespo, Maniche.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Carragher, Skrtel, Hyypia, Aurelio; Mascherano (Pennant, 86), Lucas; Kuyt (Riise, 81), Gerrard, Babel (Benayoun, 61); Torres. Substitutes not used: Itandje (gk), Voronin, Crouch, Arbeloa.

Referee: T Ovrebo (Norway).

Quarter-final qualifiers

Barcelona, Manchester United, Fenerbahce, Arsenal, Chelsea, Schalke, Roma, Liverpool.

* The draw for the last eight (1/2 and 8/9 April) and semi-finals is on Friday. Teams from the same country can be drawn together.