Liverpool stumbled into Friday's Champions League group stages
draw in Monaco after claiming a draw in Kiev.
The five-times European Cup winners should have been good enough to
cruise past an admittedly competitive Haifa outfit, but they
finished this third qualifying round second leg hanging on grimly
to a result that opens the way to around £12million of cash from
Europe's premier event.
Liverpool, despite being the victims of a fine goalkeeping display
by Nir Davidovitch - particularly in the first half when he denied
Luis Garcia a hat-trick - looked anything like a premier European
club.
Even when they eventually went ahead in the second half through a
Peter Crouch header, they were soon hauled level through Roberto
Colautti and found themselves defending for the rest of the
game.
Liverpool always knew their job here would be tough against a
highly-committed Israeli side following their performance at
Anfield, but it got more difficult by the day.
Hauled off to the Ukrainian capital on instructions from UEFA for
this second leg was a big enough problem, and that was before they
lost Jamie Carragher and John Arne Riise with ankle injuries after
Saturday's draw at Sheffield United.
But with £12million of cash on the line for reaching the next
stage, they could have done without losing skipper Steven Gerrard
with a stomach upset ahead of tonight's game.
It meant youngster Daniel Agger replaced Carragher with Stephen
Warnock in for Riise. Xabi Alonso returned to midfield while
Liverpool opted for two wingers in Jermaine Pennant and Mark
Gonzalez.
Ahead only 2-1 from the first leg, and fortunate to even have that
lead so well did Haifa play at Anfield a fortnight ago, Liverpool
were more than aware they needed a quick goal to settle their
nerves.
But they created and wasted a glut of early chances. Pennant pulled
the ball back for Peter Crouch to strike a low shot wide, before
Alonso skimmed a post from 20 yards.
The keeper Davidovitch continually halted Luis Garcia, first with a
superb close range save, and then with two point-blank saves from
headers by the Spaniard.
But the danger was always there, and Haifa had the ball in the net
from an Alain Masudi header, only for the effort to be ruled out
because Xavir Anderson was offside when he nodded the ball back to
his colleague.
Liverpool's injury problems worsened when they lost Warnock with an
ankle injury, to be replaced by Fabio Aurelio on 28 minutes.
Alonso was booked for a foul on Yaniv Katan before Dekel Keinan and
Anderson were cautioned for tackles.
Alonso curled a 20-yard free-kick just wide on 50 minutes with
Liverpool striving for the critical goal they needed. But they were
constantly being caught in possession, while the delivery from the
flanks was poor.
But finally Pennant produced something telling from the right, and
Liverpool did get their goal on 54 minutes. The summer signing went
past Hain Magrashvili to reach the bye-line and lift in a cross
that Crouch buried on the near post.
Gonzalez cracked an angled drive into the side netting and Garcia
missed yet again, this time from Alonso's pass as Liverpool
attempted to build on their lead.
But then Haifa brought everyone down to earth with a equaliser on
65 minutes. Zatan and Anderson carved their way through Liverpool's
defence with some crisp passing before Anderson's shot was palmed
out by Reina for Colautti to tap into an empty net. The nerves were
really jangling again now.
More injury troubles for Liverpool came when Mohamed Sissoko was
carried off after injuring himself trying to halt the elusive
Gustavo Boccoli, and that brought Gerrard into the fray on 67
minutes.
Liverpool were now being put under serious pressure, mainly down
the flanks as Haifa searched for the equaliser. Hyypia was booked
and Agger had to kick away from a gaping goal as the pressure
heightened.
Gerrard could have settled it but shot wide on 81 minutes before 60
seconds later Reina produced a stunning save high to his left from
Colautti.
Then Bellamy was sent on for Pennant on 86 minutes, but Liverpool
were still defending desperately. In injury time Steve Finnan was
booked for time wasting, with Eyal Meshumar them booked for diving
in the box.
