The Reds had to win in the Ferenc Puskas Stadium to
have any chance of going through to the knockout phases. And, while
they duly obliged against their limited opponents, events 456 miles
away in Florence sealed their fate.
Steven Gerrard stared anxiously at the TV after this
match finished, praying for a late Lyon equaliser at Fiorentina
which would have kept the dream alive.
OK, Liverpool would have had to beat Fiorentina 3-0 in
their final match, but where there was life there was
hope.
However, a win for the Italians means Liverpool will be
playing in Europe's second division, the Europa League, after
Christmas.
Centre-back Jamie Carragher claimed before this game
that would be no disaster but it felt like one.
Slugging it out with football's also-rans is not what
Liverpool are about. They have been crowned European champions on
five occasions and are used to dining at the top table.
It is not very good for the finances either. Their exit
could cost the club up to £30million. But they have only themselves
to blame. Liverpool caved into Lyon at Anfield after leading and
conceded a last-gasp equaliser against the French in their away
game.
Benitez had pointed to his side coming back from the
abyss in 2005 and 2007 as evidence of why it could happen again.
Pessimists argued he had used up all his luck and even Rafa
admitted that if Liverpool did pull it off it would equal anything
he had ever achieved in Europe, including the sensational comeback
in Istanbul.
The Reds made sure they did all they could do by
scoring inside four minutes thanks to 20-year-old David Ngog. The
Frenchman is deputising for the injured Fernando Torres and, while
he is not in the Spaniard's class, the youngster is doing his level
best to make up for the £22m man's absence.
Ngog bagged his fifth goal of the season when he
prodded a shot in off the right-hand post after Fabio Aurelio's
cross was nodded down by Carragher. It seemed Liverpool would get a
hatful as they created a string of chances.
Dirk Kuyt failed to connect with a diving header which
surely would have produced a second goal had he got anything on it.
And Ngog was denied by keeper Vukasin Poleksic after digging the
ball out from under his foot and powering in a 20-yard
shot.
Over in Florence, though, Liverpool were already living
on the edge as Fiorentina twice hit the post in the space of 30
seconds.
Then, on 28 minutes, came the dagger through the heart
as the Italians took the lead against Lyon from the penalty spot.
Debrecen could have made things worse had striker Gergely Rudolf
got a free header on target but he was well wide and furious with
himself.
Gerrard responded by laying the ball off to the lively
Ngog, whose 20-yard strike was again saved by the leaping
Poleksic.
Rudolf, hoping to go down in history like his reindeer
namesake, was not having the best of nights in front of goal. In
fact, he looked like Santa on the sherry as he swung at a cross on
the edge of the area and completely miskicked.
Right at the death Pepe Reina made a brilliant save
which ensured Liverpool's win - although it made little difference
in the overall scheme of things.
Every season since arriving in 2004, Benitez has had
the Champions League to bail him out, even if Liverpool were not
challenging for the title.
Now all the focus will be on his domestic results, and
they are not a pretty sight. It's going to be a long, hard
winter.
