More misery for Liverpool as Champions League dream ends

At least in that frenzied final assault, after Steven Gerrard had equalised and the team in red gave everything to add this to their all-time list of comebacks, we saw a few glimpses of the old Liverpool spirit. Yet the damage, ultimately, had been done and for the majority of the match it had been mystifying to see them playing with so little drive and momentum when their place in the Champions League was at stake.

They had played like a team politely ushering themselves to the door and, though it was an impassioned ending, the late spell of pressure from a side down to 10 men also felt like a deception bearing in mind what had preceded it.

The awkward truth for Liverpool is that it had been another night to expose the scale of their deterioration before Gerrard's 81st-minute free-kick arced into the top corner of the Basel goal and, briefly, it seemed as through there might be the most dramatic of endings. It was a heroic effort given that Lazar Markovic, a half-time substitute had been sent off barely a quarter of an hour after coming on and maybe that late period will give Brendan Rodgers a flicker of consolation in this demoralising period.

It is just a shame for Liverpool that they left it so late before finding any real self-belief. They had set out knowing they had to win, and yet the sense of urgency that might have been anticipated in the opening exchanges was conspicuous only by not being there. The crowd were strangely subdued and as Basel sized up their opponents, then elegantly took command, it was strange to be at Anfield for one of these high-importance fixtures and find the volume turned so low.

Basel had a boisterous following but, more than anything, they also had the knowledge they had beaten English opposition, including Chelsea twice last season, on their last four encounters. They quickly showed their tactic would not be conservatism and it was a wonderful exchange of passes that led to Fabian Frei's firecracker of a shot opening the scoring after 25 minutes.

Liverpool's difficulties had already been encapsulated in a revealing moment out by the touchline when Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen and Lucas all left a dropping ball to one another and the nearest Basel player, Taulant Xhaka, was completely unchallenged with his header. Soon afterwards, Raheem Sterling had Liverpool's first shooting opportunity and his diminished confidence was plain in the way he declined the chance and tried to find Gerrard in a much less menacing position.

By half-time, Liverpool were beginning to look as low on ideas as they were self-belief. Lucas and Allen were not closing down opponents quickly enough. Basel were knocking the ball around confidently and Marco Streller probably ought to have put the Swiss league leaders in an even more commanding position when Frei picked him out at the far post and the striker slashed his volley into the Kop.

Shkelzen Gashi had already put the ball into the same stand after Martin Skrtel’s miscontrol and, though Liverpool were on top in the possession statistics, it was the team in white that used the ball with greater expertise. The move for Frei’s goal was a case in point, culminating in a clever one-two with Luca Zuffi just outside the penalty area and then a 20-yard shot, left-footed and with the minimum of back-lift, to pick out the spot just inside Simon Mignolet’s left-hand post. Gashi picked out the same area shortly before half-time but this time the home team were spared by an offside decision. Liverpool were teetering, ragged, dispirited and barely recognisable from the side that had bewitched Anfield at times last season.

Rickie Lambert, so desperately peripheral, was removed at half-time, with Markovic taking over on the right and Sterling moving into the centre-forward’s role. José Enrique had struggled to cope with Xhaka’s right-wing advances and Alberto Moreno took over at left-back. The double substitution was a measure of how alarmed Rodgers must have been by the opening 45 minutes and, to give Liverpool their due, they did start to impose themselves with more authority early in the second half, quicker into the tackle, increasing the tempo. They are also entitled to be aggrieved by Behrang Safari’s reaction as he and Markovic went for the ball and the Liverpool player swung back his right hand in his final act of the night. It was the merest of touches, barely a flick of fingertips against Safari’s nose, and almost certainly meant as a hand-off rather than something more violent.

For such a marginal contact, it certainly did not merit Safari’s theatrical reaction and it was a shame as the defender had been outstanding.

From that position, Liverpool did at least emerge with some dignity. Gerrard was prominently involved but the referee made the correct decision when he ruled that Tomas Vaclik, Basel’s goalkeeper, had won the ball as Liverpool’s captain raced alone into the penalty area.

Gerrard's equaliser came shortly afterwards and Liverpool might have nicked it during that late charge. Basel, however, had been the superior team and Liverpool drop reluctantly into the Thursday-night routine of the Europa League, with only five points out of six group games.