By John Thompson, Liverpool Echo
LIVERPOOL Football Club dominated the BBC North West's annual awards ceremony last night - with Rafael Benitez and Steven Gerrard leading the way following the famous European Cup victory in Istanbul.
Gerrard was named the region's Footballer of the Year, Benitez declared Manager of the Year, while Liverpool also took the Beeb's Team of the Year Award.
Gerrard, who pipped team-mate Jamie Carragher and Wayne Rooney to the best player honour, admitted he was terrified at the prospect of having to step up and take the fifth penalty in Istanbul.
He said: "When I saw Andrei Shevchenko walking up to take their final penalty I thought he was going to score. But Dudek make a fantastic save."
Asked by presenter Gordon Burns where he had intended to place his own spot-kick Gerrard said: "Straight down the middle!"
Benitez, who also won the BBC Radio Merseyside listeners award added: "It was an amazing day for us."
Meanwhile, St Helens star Jamie Lyon was awarded the Rugby Player Award for 2005 for a series of outstanding displays in Super League.
Crosby athlete Rachael Thompson, 20, who is currently seeking sponsorship help to realise her Olympic and Commonwealth Games middle distance dreams, was pipped to the Newcomer of the Year award by Manchester City's 19-year-old Nigerian defender Nedum Onuoha.
The North West Sports Personality of the Year Award went to Lancashire and England cricketer Andrew Flintoff, while Lancs and West Indies cricketing legend Clive Lloyd was inducted into the BBC's Hall of Fame.
How odd that the best team on Merseyside didnt win anything
team,
