The Reds put in a memorable performance against Zenit St Petersburg on Thursday as goals from Luis Suarez and Joe Allen secured a win, but not qualification in the Europa League

COMMENT
By David Lynch

As always seems to be the case with Liverpool, the latest look at where the club wishes to head heavily referenced what had gone before.

Ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League clash with Zenit St Petersburg, supporters were urged by manager Brendan Rodgers and captain Steven Gerrard to recapture the atmosphere seen on the many famous European nights at Anfield in order to aid progression to the next round.

Reading these rallying cries, it was clear that, even as the Merseyside club attempts to move forward and emerge from a hellish period of transition, the value of their storied past cannot be undervalued. But, whether supporters wearied by the tribulations of these recent barren years still had their voices was set to be fully tested for the first time in quite a while.

Thankfully for Rodgers, the Kop seemed ignorant of the fact that this was the last 32 stage of a tournament which is largely viewed as the Champions League’s ugly sister, as fans dived into every 50/50, headed every ball and relentlessly chased the opposition alongside their heroes in the opening minutes.

Incredibly, this commitment did not even threaten a wobble as Hulk slipped the ball under Pepe Reina just 19 minutes in to ensure that the Reds would need four goals to progress. The Kop simply continued as normal in orchestrating an atmosphere which would facilitate victory, and they were soon rewarded.

Their collective hope was turned into outright belief at the possibility of qualification as Luis Suarez and then Joe Allen scored to take the hosts in at half-time with a 2-1 lead and needing two goals in the second period. Put simply, the famous Anfield of old was back, and so this was an entirely attainable target.

It has often been said that, on its best days, the sheer weight of desire on the Kop can suck the ball into the net and with an hour on the clock this truly appeared to be the case. A Suarez free kick met the back of the net having taken a laws-of-physics-defying journey around the wall and into the top corner. Success was now assured, surely?

With just one goal needed and half an hour left to get it, another memorable comeback appeared to be on the cards, but, despite having shown a level of desire which merited more, the required goal just eluded the hosts. It is a disappointment that will certainly hurt a group of supporters and players who gave so much on the night, but the importance of taking on the wider point should not be underestimated.

In no uncertain terms, Liverpool Football Club needs and deserves nights like this.

These were sentiments later expressed by Rodgers, a manager it is worth noting is new to the phenomenon witnessed by those present on Thursday evening. He told reporters: “Hopefully there’ll be many more great nights for us to celebrate and especially after having sampled that as a manager in the home dugout, to feel that, I want many more occasions like that and with bigger prizes.

“We really needed them tonight and they were right behind us all the way and I’m just disappointed that we couldn’t do it for them but hopefully there’ll be many more that we can do it for them.”

The Northern Irishman rightly hinted that the club’s eventual aim is to reach the Champions League but, with that target firmly out of reach this season, another attempt at winning its lesser counterpart would, on the evidence presented against Zenit, be more welcome than initially perhaps expected.

If next season is stage two of a three-part plan to reach Europe’s premier cup competition, then the not insignificant reward of a Europa League run is the least the club’s supporters deserve.

Follow David Lynch on

Liverpool were eliminated at the last-32 stage by Zenit St Petersburg on Thursday despite winning 3-1 at Anfield, as Hulk’s early away goal cancelled out Luis Suarez’s double

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was proud despite his side’s 3-1 win over Zenit on Thursday evening seeing them eliminated from the Europa League on away goals.

The Reds went into the second leg of the last-32 clash 2-0 down on aggregate after defeat in Russia and needed four goals to progress after Hulk scored early on at Anfield.

Two Luis Suarez free kicks and Joe Allen’s close-range strike gave Liverpool hope but they ultimately fell short – a fact which did not detract from Rodgers’s assessment of his players’ performance.

“I’m very proud of the club and the players tonight,” he told reporters.

“To come back from a three-goal deficit and put in that effort and quality and character into the game was just an absolutely phenomenal show.

“It was a fantastic night but unfortunately we probably lost the tie over there [in Russia]. At this level to have to score that many goals and for us to nearly do it, it gives me great pride.”

The Northern Irishman went on to lament the referee’s failure to award the hosts a penalty after Tomas Hubocan appeared to handle in the area in the second half.

“It’s probably too soon after the game but it certainly was a penalty, I think everybody could see that,” he continued.

“We had momentum throughout the game and it looked a clear penalty, it wasn’t one that there was any debate on – especially when you’ve got a fourth official, or fifth official standing behind the goal and looking clear at it.”

Rodgers refused, however, to blame Jamie Carragher for his side’s cup exit, after the veteran defender’s weak backpass allowed Hulk to score the vital away goal.

“There’s no blame. It’s probably the first mistake I’ve seen him make since I’ve been at the football club and that includes every day in training,” he added.

Luis Suarez scored twice as Liverpool beat Zenit St Petersburg 3-1 but crashed out of the Europa League on away goals.

Hulk had given the visitors a 19th-minute lead after capitalising on a disastrous error of judgement from Jamie Carragher, before the Uruguayan and Joe Allen struck to give Liverpool hope at half-time but could not push on from Suarez’s second, a brilliant free kick, to progress.

Liverpool were without cup-tied duo Daniel Sturridge and Phillipe Coutinho, while Daniel Agger replaced the injured Martin Skrtel alongside Carragher, who was making his 150th European appearance.

The visitors, meanwhile, installed Sergey Semak in favour of top-scorer Aleksandr Kerzhakov, with Hulk moving into a central attacking role.

The Kop was in full voice and boos greeted every Zenit touch, while Liverpool showed the same poise and control in possession that helped them thrash Swansea City 5-0 on Sunday.

But on 19 minutes, disaster struck. Carragher was caught in possession inside his own half by Hulk, who suddenly had 40 yards of space to himself with the Liverpool goal gaping. The Brazilian burst forward and calmly slotted past Pepe Reina – scoring his sixth goal for Zenit and second of the tie.

A steep hill had suddenly become a mountain as Carragher’s catastrophic error meant Liverpool now needed four goals to progres but Suarez offered the hosts a glimmer of hope minutes later, thumping home a low free kick from the edge of the area.

And Liverpool were not done there as a fantastic cross from Jose Enrique found Allen on 43 minutes, who, after having his initial shot saved, reacted brilliantly to fire home the rebound from inside the six-yard box. Anfield was rocking once again.

The visitors made two changes at the break but it was all Liverpool from the restart and their incessant pressure suggested the required target of two more goals was well within their reach.

Zenit were feeling the heat. After 50 minutes, Liverpool were refused a penalty even though Tomas Hubocan visibly handled in the area, before Suarez was then denied by the palms of Vyacheslav Malafeev.

Suarez could not be stopped on 58 minutes, however, as the Uruguayan curled a sensational 25-yard free kick into the top corner for his second and Liverpool’s third.

Unbelievably, the 26-year-old almost made it a hat-trick of free kicks 10 minutes later but Malafeev was this time able to punch the ball away.

And the goalkeeper was Zenit’s hero again moments later as he dived to save a Gerrard half-volley, before Reina kept Liverpool in the tie with a save of his own straight up the other end.

The clock was ticking, though, and the tension mounting. The stage was set for a memorable finale but the Reds could provide no fairytale as Zenit held on to ensure that Liverpool’s participation in Europe this season came to an admirable end.