- Date:2009-10-20
- Kick-off:19:45
- Venue:Anfield
- Attendance:41562
- Referee:Mallenco, AU
Live Commentary
90mins
Full-time: LIVERPOOL 1 - 2 LYON: Liverpool slump to their fourth consecutive defeat and are facing an early exit from the Champions League directly in the face
90mins
LIVERPOOL 1 - 2 LYON: DELGADO strokes the winner home in stoppage time as Lyon break with ease. A cross-box pass evades Reina before eventually finding the substitute
90mins
Reveillere is needlessly booked for a tussle with Insua
89mins
A ball knocked down by a defender is picked up by Lloris. Shouts for a back-pass are waived away
86mins
Cesar Fabian Delgado replaces Lisandro
86mins
Liverpool have a corner which is knocked down by Kuyt for Skrtel. The defender swings his leg and the ball goes high over the bar
85mins
Benayoun is replaced by Andriy Voronin, to the dismay of some Liverpool fans who jeer the decision
84mins
Insua crosses well for Kuyt but the Dutchman's header is mistimed
83mins
Kuyt pulls to the right side and tries to cross in for Benayoun. Lloris collects with ease
81mins
Play has once again settled but a goal for either side would be massive in their hopes of making the knockout stage
79mins
Liverpool must look to lift as they did at the end of the first half, as their Champions League hopes are currently hanging in the balance
78mins
The Reds go back on the attack with crosses from either flank. Both produce nothing of note
77mins
Some neat play in midfield from the Reds gets N'Gog into the game. He holds the ball up well but the attack fizzles out
76mins
Gonalons tries to curl the ball forward for Govou but Skrtel cuts the ball out. If there is going to be a winner, it only looks as though it is going to come from one team and that's the visitors
74mins
Kelly's night is over as he limps off. Martin Skrtel replaces him
72mins
LIVERPOOL 1 - 1 LYON: GONALONS levels with a diving header. After Reina makes two great saves from the corner, the ball finds his way to the substitute defender who nods home with ease
71mins
Pjanic finds Reveillere with a pinpoint pass on the break. The latter's ball is cleared for a corner
70mins
Once again Lyon are on top
69mins
Govou collects a high ball in behind Carragher, but is flagged offside
68mins
Aurelio pings another Alonso-like pass to Benayoun who controls. He is brought down, but no foul is given
68mins
A corner is cleared by Liverpool
67mins
Lyon free-kick. The delivery from the left wing is a beauty and it is Kelly who heads it into the side-netting. It's a close shave but also a great piece of defending
66mins
Some good football from Lyon finds Cissokho who, for once, produces a poor ball which is headed away by Kelly
65mins
Roles are reversed from the first half. Liverpool are now dictating, but Lyon look dangerous on the break
62mins
Lucas finds Kuyt who tries passing it left without looking. As Sod's Law would suggest, nobody is there
61mins
Bafetimbi Gomis, who was tipped to start, comes on for Ederson
60mins
Aurelio, who has been as prominent as Xabi Alonso once was in the Liverpool midfield, gets it wrong this time. His corner is over-hit
60mins
Aurelio crossed from midfield and Kuyt leaps to get on the end of it. Lloris saves well at the near-post and the Reds have another corner
59mins
Lyon break and win a corner. Makoun gets his head on it, but it is high and over the bar
58mins
Benayoun finds Kelly who cuts back onto his left foot. His cross is controlled by N'Gog but he scuffs a left foot shot wide
57mins
Lucas heads away the corner and a second delivery catches Jean Makoun offside
56mins
Insua concedes a corner with Govou ready to pounce
55mins
The delivery by Aurelio is cleared and a shot from Kelly gives Liverpool possession once more. Benayoun dribbles his way out of trouble to switch play wide, a cross back to him finds his head but he is at too much of a stretch to direct it on target
55mins
Insua is foulder close to the corner flag
54mins
N'Gog, on the byline, skips past two defenders with a delightful nutmeg. But the ball is taken away from him by a third onlooker
54mins
The pace has dropped a tad from the first half
53mins
A ball from defence is won by N'Gog but his header runs into space and is cleared
50mins
Anthony Reveillere is layed off in the corner of the box and he puts his bootlaces through the ball. The ball is struck hard but high
49mins
Ederson scuffs a shot from distance beyond the byline
49mins
Kuyt and N'Gog link up on the edge of the area but run out of space. Lyon free-kick
47mins
The Lyon forward did scream for a penalty, but the case was unfounded
47mins
A second clearance by Agger wins a corner and the delivery puzzles Reina. The ball eventually falls to Lisandro at the far stick and Liverpool clear the danger
47mins
Agger heads away a dangerous looking cross with Lisandro looking interested in behind
46mins
Play resumes
45mins
Half-time: LIVERPOOL 1 - 0 LYON. Its been a first half full of incident and either side could argue that they could have scored plenty
45mins
N'Gog is unnecessarily booked for an apparent elbow in a 50/50 challenge
45mins
Another corner is beat away by Lloris. On the second ball in, the ball drops to Aurelio who swings a boot at it. The ball lashes wide
45mins
Liverpool look full of confidence now but the question must be raised whether they will rue to miss that miss from Aurelio
45mins
Into stoppage time, N'Gog goes close with a header but the ball loops over the crossbar
45mins
Kelly swings in a brilliant ball straight onto the head of Aurelio but the ball is magnificently saved by Lloris for a corner
45mins
Lucas tries to release Benayoun but the latter's control is not quite good enough
44mins
Insua gives the ball away to Lisandro. He has a shot from 20 yards but it is mishit and Reina drops onto it
43mins
Cris fails to shrug off the head injury and will be stretchered off. Maxime Gonalons comes on in his place
41mins
LIVERPOOL 1 - 0 LYON: Out of nowhere, the home side take the lead as Lucas breaks forward after being gifted possession. He unloads to Aurelio, whose shot-cum-cross eventually finds BENAYOUN who crashes the ball into the net from close-range
39mins
Kallstrom crosses to the back cross for Govou, who loses Insua. He cannot control the volley and it goes high into the stand
38mins
Pjanic lashes a sweetly-struck shot from 35 yards but it goes into the arms of Reina
36mins
With Cris off the pitch, Liverpool almost take advantage. A Kelly cross is sent back into the area from the left flank from Aurelio to Kuyt. The Dutchman fails to get a shot away but N'Gog strikes it to be saved well by Lloris
35mins
Aurelio whips a ball in but it goes straight into the clutches of the goalkeeper
34mins
Cris is booked for the foul after being helped to his feet
32mins
Benayoun finds the advancing Kuyt who is brought down by Cristiano Gomez Cris for a free-kick. The defender stays down as he catches a knee to his head as he is falling
30mins
Benayoun wins the ball and lays it off for Kuyt who decides to have an attempt at the loose ball from distance. It goes comfortably wide
28mins
Carragher, who has been handed the captain's armband, clears a ball as the game slows down slightly. Liverpool need to regroup
26mins
The Reds captain is clearly dejected and this must-win game has become that bit more difficult for the home side now
25mins
Worrying times at Anfield as Gerrard makes way for Fabio Aurelio barely a quarter into the match. Perhaps his groin problem has not quite healed
24mins
A bouncing ball has Daniel Agger sweating as he contends but the Reds are awarded a free-kick
21mins
Liverpool have plenty of possession in midfield but are struggling to make a breakthrough further forward.The sale of Xabi Alonso is often mentioned around about now...
20mins
Insua makes his way forward and tries to send N'Gog through the channel. The flag is raised for offside
18mins
Kallstrom speculatively hits a volley from distance but it flashes wide
17mins
It looks as though N'Gog may be fairly lonely at times this evening, but for the visiting defenders
15mins
Liverpool have the ball in the back of the net but the goal is disallowed. Gerrard crosses from midfield for Kuyt, who nods the ball into the bottom corner of the net. But the flag is up as the Dutchman is pulled up for a push
14mins
Lyon try to break quickly but Govou's cross-field pass is wasteful. Nevertheless, Lyon are by far the better team at present
12mins
Honorato Campos Ederson breaks forward but Mascherano makes up ground and wins the ball back brilliantly
10mins
Cissokho links up well down the left and strikes a delicious cross right onto the head of Lisandro Lopez, whose header from six yards is straight at Reina who beats it away. It should be 1-0
9mins
Dirk Kuyt is allowed to dribble forward before delivering a wasteful cross straight to Hugo Lloris in the Lyon goal
8mins
19-year-old full-back Kelly has the chance to play himself into the game early but miscontrols a floated pass towards him
7mins
Lyon have started brightly and are visibly confident
6mins
Govou skips past a couple of defenders but Mascherano clears the danger. A second onslaught from the right is booted into the Centenary Stand by Agger
6mins
Aly Cissokho finds a bit of room on the left wing and his cross is decent but finds nobody but Pepe Reina
5mins
The second delivery is cleared at the near-post and Lyon are awarded a free-kick
4mins
A second corner is won after the ball is played short
3mins
Javier Mascherano plays the ball directly forward to Yossi Benayoun. The Israeli cuts it wide to Gerrard, whose shot wins a corner
3mins
Emiliano Insua attempts to release N'Gog but the ball goes out of play. The young Frenchman has a huge task playing as the lone striker this evening
2mins
Miralem Pjanic, who has been Lyon's key player in Europe thus far this season, tussles with Lucas for possession on the right flank. He loses out to the Brazilian
1mins
Liverpool get the game underway and face the somewhat foreign task of attacking the Kop end in the field period
0mins
Though in the early stages of this year's competition, the is an air of tension and anticipation around Anfield which is often saved for the biggest of European nights
0mins
Kim Kallstrom and Sidney Govou have been deemed fit and start for the visitors
0mins
Fernando Torres' absence continues and David N'Gog has been chosen as the man to lead the line by Benitez this evening
0mins
Glen Johnson is absent through injury, so Rafael Benitez has handed a European debut to youngster Martin Kelly
0mins
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard returns to the starting line-up for the Reds' crucial Champions League tie with Lyon
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Match Report
The crisis at Liverpool deepened after they slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat for the first time in 22 years, losing 2-1 at Anfield to Lyon.
A nightmare end at Anfield saw the French side sneak a deserved three points in Champions League Group E and left the Reds' European hopes looking almost as bleak as their chances of being crowned Premier League champions.
As if the result was not hard enough to swallow for Rafa Benitez and 40,000 supporters in disbelief, their misery was compounded as captain Steven Gerrard limped out of the match midway through the first half.
Liverpool led until the last quarter, but goals from Maxime Gonalons and in stoppage time from Cesar Delgado in front of the Kop shocked Anfield.
Lyon dictated play for long periods of the first half and should have went a goal up in the tenth minute. The impressive Aly Cissokho played a one-two before looping in a left-footed cross right onto the head of Lisandro Lopez, who could only direct the ball towards Pepe Reina.
Soon after, Gerrard limped down the tunnel and it almost seemed to strike fear into his team-mates as they were left chasing shadows for the next ten minutes.
But a late surge in the first half towards the Kop end saw the Reds go in at the break a goal to the good.
It came when Lucas Leiva surged forward after happily collecting a loose ball in his own half. He unloaded to Fabio Aurelio, Gerrard's replacement, who fired hopefully from range. The ball eventually broke to Yossi Benayoun after Martin Kelly produced an airshot and the Israeli fired into the roof of the Kop end net from six yards.
The home side should have extended their lead soon after as the visitors fell to pieces. Kelly, growing in confidence on his full debut, swung in a brilliant ball right onto the head of Aurelio whose header was brilliantly saved by the palm of Hugo Lloris, an incident that was reminiscent of Lisandro's effort earlier in the half.
A decent 15 minutes in the second period ensued from the hosts, until they allowed their cross-channel opponents to take the upper hand.
With less than 20 minutes to spare, Liverpool's inability to defend set-pieces was once again highlighted as Gonalons produced the winner.
A corner was punched clear by Reina, who then produced a fine double-save from the resulting rebounds. The second block deflected to the substitute defender, who flung himself at the ball to give his side a deserved leveller.
From then on, there only looked like one winner and it came with a touch of brilliance deep into stoppage time.
Cutting Emiliano Insua to shreds down the right wing, a low cross from Sidney Govou evaded Reina and eventually found its way to Delgado, who happily tapped home to virtually seal his side's passage to the knockout stage.
Liverpool Team
Lyon Team
Liverpool | Lyon |
Corners
| 6 | 5 |
Fouls
| 11 | 8 |
Goal attempts
| 13 | 13 |
Shots off target
| 8 | 6 |
Offsides
| 2 | 3 |



90mins
We're into the last of three added minutes