Crewe boss Steve Holland admits his players were desperate to get Liverpool striker Fernando Torres' shirt at the end of last night's Carling Cup defeat.

Holland was proud of the way his side acquitted themselves and said a trip to Anfield last week helped settled any pre-match nerves.

"I brought the players to Anfield to do the stadium tour last week so they were not overawed by the whole experience of playing here," he said.

"Admittedly there was a mass brawl to get Fernando Torres' shirt afterwards but overall I think they didn't show any signs of nerves on the night.

"We acquitted ourselves well - we stuck to our game plan and could have even have nicked an equaliser at the end with a couple of late chances."