Benitez facing crisis as Reds lurch to fourth loss in a row
LIVERPOOL (1) vs LYON (2)
LIVERPOOL boss Rafael Benitez admits his side’s three remaining Champions League Group E fixtures have taken on must-win status after last night’s dramatic injury-time defeat at home to Lyon.
The Reds went ahead when Yossi Benayoun finished just before half time, but Maxime Gonalons equalised with 18 minutes left and Cesar Delgado stunned Anfield with a 91st minute winner for the French team.
Fans booed Liverpool’s fourth defeat in a row – their worst run of results since April 1987 – while the sense of misery was deepened by fresh fears over Steven Gerrard. The captain limped off after 24 minutes and faces a battle to be fit for Sunday’s crunch Premier League meeting with Manchester United.
Their European challenge, so often their forte, hangs by a thread, with maximum points likely to be required to progress to the knockout stages. Benitez conceded as much but, having guided Liverpool through in similar circumstances in 2007-08, the Spaniard is refusing to panic.
“We are really disappointed because it was a difficult game that we could have won,” he said. “We have to be ready for the next game and try to win, and afterwards the same with the other two games in the group. We have done it before and we have to have confidence we can do it again.”
Benitez denied Gerrard’s selection had been a gamble and his players were equally dismissive of the setback, shrugging off the loss of their inspiration to take the lead before the interval. On 41 minutes a Fabio Aurelio cross from the left fell to Benayoun and the Israeli calmly slotted past Hugo Lloris. Aurelio, Benayoun and David Ngog went close to doubling the lead before substitute Gonalons scrambled home an equaliser.
Benitez was then jeered for replacing Benayoun with Andriy Voronin and the atmosphere worsened when Sidney Govou found Delgado at the far post to slot a devastating winner.
GROUP E
TEAM PLD W D L GD PTS
Lyon 3 3 0 0 6 9
Fiorentina 3 2 0 1 2 6
Liverpool 3 1 0 2 -2 3
Debrecen 3 0 0 3 -6 0