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Liverpool crash out

David Ngog's goal was not nearly enough for them

David Ngog's goal was not nearly enough for them
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.

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 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 a cool £10m immediately and put further question marks over the financial direction the club is facing.