Liverpool Football Club News

• Nickname:Reds
• Founded:1892
• Manager:Kenny Dalglish

• Ground:Anfield
• Capacity:45,362

Reds slump to shock loss

03 Oct 2007 - 22:05:16

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Liverpool have it all to do to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League after slipping to a surprise 1-0 defeat at the hands of a previously out-of-form Marseille side.

The Reds, who hadn't been beaten since last season's Champions League final defeat by AC Milan, looked lack-lustre from the start against a side that were playing their first match under a new coach.

Such had been Marseille's woeful domestic form - just one win from their opening nine French league matches - that they opted to place experienced coach Erik Gerets in charge just ten days ago.

But it was Liverpool that produced the disjointed display with Rafael Benitez opting to make five changes from the side that defeated Wigan in the Premier League on Saturday.

Peter Crouch, Momo Sissoko, Yossi Benayoun, Steve Finnan and Sebastian Leto came into the starting line-up, but the home side struggled from the opening stages at Anfield.

Mamadou Niang came closest to breaking the deadlock in a disappointing first half.

In the 12th minute the speedy striker drew a save out of Jose Reina when he sprinted onto a throughball and let fly with a low angled shot which the keeper deflected behind for a corner.

But Marseille were perhaps unlucky in the 34th minute when Niang's volley was palmed away by Reina but, as Karim Ziani stroked home the rebound, the flag went up for an initial offside.

Liverpool sent on John Arne Riise for Leto just after half-time but again it was the visitors who looked the most likely to force an opener.

Niang twice tried his luck with long-distance shots before Steven Gerrard finally brought Anfield to its feet with a curling 20-yard shot that dropped just the wrong side of the upright.

But with the crowd sensing a much-needed goal, it was Marseille that made the breakthrough with 13 minutes remaining.

Sissoko was robbed cheaply in his own half, and when the ball came to Matthieu Valbuena, he squeezed a superb dipping shot from the edge of the box over the head of Reina and into the top corner.

Benitez had already sent on Andriy Voronin and Dirk Kuyt, but it was only in stoppage time that Liverpool looked likely to find the back of the net.

Sami Hyypia went close with a header from a corner before Benayoun saw a back-post header deflected behind when a goal seemed on the cards.

But in the final 60 seconds the ineffective Fernando Torres came closest when he rattled the inside of the post after firing Kuyt's cut-back goalwards following a moment of panic in the Marseille defence.

The defeat, allied to last month's 1-1 draw with FC Porto, has left Liverpool third in Group A comfortably behind Marseille and the Portuguese side.