Liverpool 1-1 Basel: Five Talking Points

Srihari

A late equaliser from Steven Gerrard wasn’t enough as Basel went through to the Round of 16 and Liverpool were left licking their wounds after the draw.Liverpool went into the first half having barely created anything and trailing by a goal. A revitalized home side came out in the second half and controlled the game. The referee then controversially sent substitute Lazar Markovic off to make things tougher for the Reds.Liverpool were still knocking on Basel’s door and Steven Gerrard hit a fantastic free-kick to bring the Reds level.Liverpool were hoping that it would be yet another magical European night at Anfield with Liverpool scoring late in the game, but that was not to be and the Swiss side held on to reach the knockout stages.Here are the major talking points from the game:

#1 Gerrard unable to drag Reds through

The stage was set. Anfield was rocking. All Liverpool had to do was to win their final home game against Basel and they were through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League. Even though they conceded a goal in the first half, it looked as though the Reds had a chance.

Even after being down to 10 men, they had a chance. Why? Because in Steven Gerrard they had someone who specialised in dramatic late goals. But on Tuesday, even their captain could do nothing as their hopes of going through was dashed.

Try as he might, Gerrard was simply unable to inspire an insipid Liverpool side who ran out of ideas until he scored with 10 minutes to go. But even Gerrard's 100th goal at Anfield wasn't enough as the Reds were left with a spot in the Europa League for their efforts.

#2 Basel hang on after bright start

Although Basel only needed a draw from the game, in the first half, they showed plenty of courage and were unlucky to score just once. The Swiss side held passed the ball really well and in Marco Streller they had a striker, who not only held onto the ball but also brought his team mates into play. Basel were patient and confident on the ball early on, but all of that changed on its head in the second half.

Although they were playing with a man advantage for half an hour, they could so easily have lost the game. The visitors lost their rhythm in the second half and misplaced their passes and heaped pressure on themselves. Although they were still creating chances, they weren't taking them, but thankfully for Paulo Sousa, they held on and joined Real Madrid into the draw for the Round of 16.

#3 Referees deserve more praise

To err is human. But sometimes referees aren't even allowed the luxury of committing an error, that anyone who is put under the same level of pressure would do. On Tuesday, Björn Kuipers had an excellent game in which he left the game flow, understood what was at stake and took every tackle on its merit. But instead of being praised for his overall performance, the experienced Dutch referee will be hounded in the papers for making a mistake that cost the home side a chance to go through.

But in fairness to the referee, while the sending off was harsh, Lazar Markovic brought it all on himself by leaving his arms flailing when he was clear of the defender and running into space. While Liverpool supporters have a right to feel aggrieved, the blame should be directed at the players on the pitch, for failing to beat Basel and not the referee for making one bad call on an otherwise faultless night.

#4 Liverpool\'s blunt strike force showing them up

With Mario Balotelli and Daniel Sturridge out injured, the Reds had just two strikers to call on and although one of them started, the other wasn't even in the squad for their most important game of the season. If that wasn't baffling enough, Brendan Rodgers subbed Rickie Lambert at half-time and replaced him with Markovic and played without a centre forward for 45 minutes, when they desperately needed a goal.

For all the concerns over their defence, it is their attack that is the reason why they are out of the Champions League and are in ninth place in the League. Last season, they were outscoring opposition for fun, but when your centre back Martin Skrtel is taking shots from long range with quarter of game to go you know that you are in trouble.

#5 Where do Liverpool go from here?

Going through the group stage of the Champions League, especially when you have been out of it for a few years, was never going to be easy. But all the Reds needed was a win against Basel, but they couldn't even manage that. And although they are through to the Europa League, that might be a bane rather than a boon as Everton and Spurs have already shown this season.

With a tough encounter against Manchester United on Sunday, a victory would have been a much-needed boost. But a defeat would mean that they go into that game having been knocked out of the Champions League and still struggling to make ends end meet in all competitions.

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Edited by Staff Editor