Debrecen 0 - 1 Liverpool: Liverpool fail to make last 16 for the first time in six seasons under Rafa

Published on Wednesday 25 November 2009 00:44

LIVERPOOL crashed out of the Champions League after a bitterly disappointing victory in the Hungarian capital.

They needed to win to give themselves any chance of reaching the last 16, but events in Florence ended those dreams with Fiorentina achieving the victory they needed to qualify.

David Ngog scored Liverpool's early winner, but they struggled painfully to produce a convincing display, the damage having been done in two games against Lyon that cost them four points.

The road to Madrid, where the Champions League final is due to be played, now becomes the road to Hamburg – where the new Europa League will reach its conclusion – with Liverpool in with the likes of Valencia, Benfica and neighbours Everton.

The Reds' reliance on Lyon to make a game of it in Florence proved misplaced and they failed for the first time in six seasons under Rafael Benitez to reach the last 16.

It was the end result everybody expected on the night, but Liverpool left the Hungarian capital deflated. The cost is little more than a couple of million pounds this season for Liverpool, who continually stress that they never budget for anything but the group stages. But it is a severe blow to the esteem of a true European power who have suffered a fall from grace few would have predicted when the competition started in September.

The true damage comes next season if they fail to finish in the Premier League's top four, something they are far from certain of. That would see them lose 10m immediately and put further question marks over the financial direction the club is facing.

"The main prize has gone and to be playing in the Europa League is disappointing, but we have to accept that, move on and try to win that competition," said Steven Gerrard. "The only consolation in this is if we go on and win the secondary one."

Benitez commended his side for doing their part in securing victory over Debrecen but attempted to divert attention to Sunday's meeting with Merseyside rivals Everton: "We had to do our job today. Our job was to win and we won, but we couldn't control the other game. To win today was the only thing we could do and we played well, with four or five clear chances. The main thing is to be ready for the next match – we have an important game on Sunday."

Asked whether he was confident of qualifying for the Champions League next year, Benitez said:. "I am 100 per cent sure we will finish in the (Premier League's] top four," he said. "The team will play well when all the players are available so I am sure we will finish in the top four."

Debrecen: Poleksic, Bodnar, Meszaros, Mijadinoski, Fodor (Dombi 78), Szelesi, Kiss, Szakaly (Coulibaly 62), Czvitkovics, Laczko, Rudolf. Subs Not Used: Pantic, Ramos, Komlosi, Bernath, Varga. Booked: Szelesi.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Insua, Kuyt, Lucas, Mascherano, Aurelio (Dossena 89), Gerrard (Aquilani 90), Ngog (Benayoun 77). Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Kyrgiakos, Spearing, Skrtel.