Standard Liege were rooted to the bottom of the Champions League group table with seconds remaining in their home encounter with the team just above them, AZ Alkmaar. The Belgians trailed 1-0 and needed a goal to lift themselves above the Dutch champions to secure Europa League qualification with a 3rd-place finish.

One last throw of the dice…. seconds remaining…. a free-kick is swung to the back post and rising to the occasion above everyone else is Standard’s Turkish goalkeeper Sinan Bolat to bullet home a header that Sandor Kocsis and John Toshack would have been proud of.

Cue epic celebrations. We’re not Rafael Benitez is this chuffed to be in the Europa League…. but it’s time to embrace it, Liverpool fans.

The Reds, who were dubbed one of the competition’s favourites, have picked up just four points from four games and qualification is now out of their hands. With numerous permutations, most of them ugly, the likelihood is that Liverpool need to beat Debrecen and hammer Fiorentina to have any hope of progressing – but if Lyon lose in Florence in three weeks time, Liverpool are out no matter what.

Rafa Benitez, despite missing the likes of Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Albert Riera and Martin Skrtel, still managed to submit a strong outfit for his side’s must-win fixture in Lyon tonight and for the large part, Liverpool looked comfortable and deserved their 1-0 lead courtesy of an 83rd-minute rocket from sub Ryan Babel. But Benitez and his side are being punished left, right and centre for their mistakes at present and it was the Greek defender Kyrgiakos who, rather than stand his ground and muscle his man away, decided to dive in when off balance, allowing Lisandro Lopez to run clear and finish high past Pepe Reina.

The talk of Benitez losing his job is premature; he has no money to spend so neither does an incumbent, and it’s clear the players and most fans are behind him. But at any club, one win in eight matches simply isn’t good enough. No league titles in twenty years simply isn’t good enough.

Today’s mammoth clash between Liverpool and Manchester United doesn’t decide who wins the Premier League this season, but it did speak volumes about the make-up of both sides.

In years gone by, United have had big characters who rolled their sleeves up in times of need; Hughes, Bruce, Pallister, Ince, Keane, Stam – even Beckham. But for all the qualities that this current-day squad possess, a combative, body-on-the-line spirit isn’t one of them.

Too many times in recent memory have this United side surrendered a crucial match with a whimper, with the Champions League Final in Rome being the most inglorious example. Today, Liverpool didn’t have to be particularly impressive in order to celebrate their third successive win over United but they applied the fundamentals, scrapped for every ball, and fought as though their lives depended on it. In circumstances like that, you expect the opposition to match that endeavour but it never happened and the champions meekly raised the white flag and conceded three points to their most bitter rivals.

The one-paced United midfield were never gifted a second with Lucas and Mascherano in their faces and first to every loose ball, supported by the trio of willing hustlers in Kuyt, Benayoun and Aurelio. Scholes and Carrick surely isn’t the answer for Ferguson’s side in big games; technically astute they may be but as a pairing they lack pace, mobility and physical presence. What the great Scot would have given for Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves. Sir Alex has a vast array of options in that middle third but, when it comes to the grand occasion, is it a case of numerous tradesmen and masters of none?

That’s for Fergie to seriously ponder. But nevertheless, take nothing away from Liverpool; when the chips are down, they seem to be in total contrast to United. Four straight defeats and yet you could sense even before kick-off that they were going to give this everything they had and more often than not, that’s enough.

But now, they’re facing an altogether different number five. An unprecedented fifth successive defeat, against their arch rivals Manchester United on Sunday, would leave a season that was so hyped, so bullish, so promising…. in tatters. In October. Five has become a hugely frightening number indeed.

And it might not stop there. This morning Rafa Benitez’s side lick their wounds that could easily be reopened time and time again in the next fortnight as, after the champions come to town, there are two more crunch clashes with Arsenal and Lyon again.

Liverpool’s 2-1 home defeat to the French league leaders has left them with a uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League second round; failure to do so would be a catastrophic malfunction, both on the pitch and in the boardroom.

What has happened to the swash-buckling, steam-rollering, free-scoring, never-say-die Liverpool from last spring? Jamie Carragher cut the most forlorn figure you are ever likely to see as the final whistle went last night; close to tears in his post-match interview. This is Jamie Carragher – the embodiment of all that it stands for to be a Liverpool player – and there he was looking like a totally broken man.

These are worrying times for Rafael Benitez. Manchester United will head to Merseyside on Sunday smelling blood, envisioning a huge Street Fighteresque ‘Finish Him’ mirage above the Anfield pitch – and if they head back down the East Lancs with a ten-point lead over Liverpool, Benitez – and his team’s 2009/10 season – may well indeed be finished.

And with Fernando Torres set to miss out once again through injury, Rafa Benitez will be pondering how the Reds are going to hit the back of the net for the first time since September 26th. The media love to eulogise about Anfield on ‘big European nights’ and how the Kop can suck the ball into the opponent’s net, and the team will need that support tonight more than any other time in recent history as they look to draw confidence from home comforts.

Lyon, despite a dismal 2-0 home defeat to Sochaux at the weekend, shouldn’t be underestimated. In Lisandro and Gomis, they have a frontline akin to the skill, tenacity, pace and strength of Rooney and Drogba. Behind them, the ever-willing Toulalan and Makoun will look to quell the force of Gerrard and with a makeshift strike-force consisting of either Kuyt, Babel or N’gog – patience could be the name of the game both on and off the pitch.

Liverpool can’t afford to look ahead to Manchester United on Sunday, otherwise their Champions League campaign will become as perilous as their Premier League assault.

Champions League Predictions

AZ Alkmaar 1-2 Arsenal
Liverpool 2-1 Lyon

I watched the match. I must say, I’ve never seen Liverpool play so badly. It really was men against boys. Fiorentina were first to every ball. I can’t even recall a good attacking move by Liverpool in the first half. Both goals should have been stopped however. The first was ridiculous – every Liverpool defender tried to play the offside – they all just looked around when Stevan Jovetic was through on goal – expecting the flag and the whistle. It didn’t come and Jovetic calmly slotted past Reina.

We are all use to seeing Liverpool tighten up when they need to. However, Tuesday night was different. When they are a goal down, playing badly, Fiorentina are on fire – DON’T GIVE THE BALL AWAY – keep it at 1-0 at the break. Instead Liverpool gave the ball away way to easily and Jovetic poked in his second from a cross/shot. Bam, I felt right there, there go Liverpool’s chances in this game!

But..in the end. We need to take this game into context. Its an early group stage game in the Champions league. It doesn’t matter that they lost – I have no doubt they will still qualify – they still have Fiorentina at home, Debrecon (whom Lyon smashed 4-0 the other day). This game will act as a warning bolt of lightning in the Liverpool camp.

Gerrard said: “We will be fine if we win our home games.”

I’ll put my life out on the line here and say that I expect them to take the game to Chelsea, I expect a goal feast and I expect another phenominal performence from El Nino!

Chelsea also played rubbish this week, however their opponents were too weak to get anything from the game and Chelsea ran out 1-0 winners, courtesy of an 18th minute Anelka strike. I feel this puts so much pressure on both Chelsea and Liverpool on the weekend, to perform and get a result. I’m already starting to get excited!

Manchester United, it could be argued were the only English side who showed some spirit over the past couple of nights. United needed goals from Ryan Giggs (he’s getting mentioned a lot recently!) and Michael Carrick to come from behind to beat Wolfsburg – the German champions.  United had two balls in the back of the net – both disallowed (Rooney and Giggs) but that didn’t deter them! One thing to take from this game – Vidic is immune to getting sent off, unitl the weekend at least!