Liverpool 1 - 2
Fiorentina
How depressing for the Kop boss that he has finally
found it.
For Fiorentina's dramatic Anfield victory was a
sickening familiar example of all that has gone wrong with
Liverpool's Euro campaign.
Two late goals at home to Lyon, another when they
visited France...
Now they can add a third to the list after the Italians
staged the latest Merseyside Champions League smash and grab.
And with it they handed the Reds a slice of history
they were so keen to avoid - losing two successive home games in
Europe for the first time in their glorious history.
Mind you, their history is just about all that IS
glorious about Liverpool right now, after another evening of
huffing and puffing, yet not finding the final gust to blow the
house down.
A goal to the good, thanks to Yossi Benayoun's header,
they had plenty of chances to put this game to bed and bow out of
Europe's premier competition on a high before their descent into
the Europa League, the competition dubbed the Channel Five
trophy.
Instead, they were again carved open at the back as two
sucker punches left them down and out.
First the back four was stretched to breaking point
when Alberto Gilardino's lay-off handed Martin Jorgensen the chance
to drill a low equaliser.
And, with the three extra minutes all but up, Gilardino
popped up to seal Liverpool's misery, side-footing home from bang
in front after Juan Vargas' low cross picked him out without a
defender in sight.
It was almost a carbon copy of Lyon's late winner here
in October, albeit from the opposite flank.
Yet it was one Christmas-time repeat the Kop would have
given anything to avoid - especially after a night which had
actually given them more to cheer, than fear, for once.
Fernando Torres pulled on a red shirt for the first
time in over a month when he reappeared from the bench for the
final 25 minutes.
Steven Gerrard took another giant stride towards full
fitness, as he charged around like a man chasing another Euro
triumph, rather than bidding farewell to the Champions League for a
year.
It had not gone unnoticed around Anfield that
Manchester United's win in Germany 24 hours earlier came without
FIFTEEN first-team squad stars.
Nor, either, had the fact that Michael Owen's four
group stage goals was only one less than Liverpool managed between
them in this year's Champions League.
So when Benayoun got a touch to Gerrard's 45th-minute
free-kick, you could sense the relief at something going right at
last.
Not that they deserved it, after Diego Cavalieri -
getting a chance ahead of Pepe Reina - made superb saves from
Lorenzo De Silvestri and Riccardo Montolivo.
But Liverpool's lead lasted until the 63rd minute, when
Jorgensen popped up with a low strike which left Cavalieri with no
chance.
If that was not bad enough, Gilardino's dramatic winner
left Liverpool stumbling, rather than storming, into the Europa
League.