Draw maintains Liverpool hope
Published on: Friday, November 28, 2014
SOFIA: There was some respite for under-pressure Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers as his side ground out a 2-2 draw away to European minnows Ludogorets in the Champions League on Wednesday.The result ended a run of four straight defeats in all competitions for the five-time European champions but left them needing to beat Basel at Anfield in their final Group B match in order to qualify for the last 16 of the continent's elite club football tournament.Liverpool fell behind in the third minute in Sofia but were leading with two minutes to go.
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It was anything but plain sailing as Dani Abalo put Ludogorets ahead before Rickie Lambert's equaliser five minutes later, the England striker's first Champions League goal, and another before half-time from Jordan Henderson steadied the visitors' nerves.However, the truly morale-boosting victory Liverpool craved was denied them when Georgi Terziev levelled in the 88th minute."To go a goal behind so early on you really need a team that is together and I think the character of the team came out," Rodgers told Sky Sports."We spoke before the game that this needs to be the night to change our season and for that we needed to show the character in our team," the Northern Irish boss added.
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"We are disappointed with the goal we conceded in the end but it is irrelevant, we need to beat Basel in the final game."This is a real confidence boost for us, because Ludogorets are a really difficult team to play against."
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Liverpool, runners-up in the Premier League last season, have struggled badly since the departure of star striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona.And their season hit a new low on Sunday as they suffered a 3-1 loss away to Crystal Palace, leaving them closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places.Fans of the Merseyside club who had made the journey to Bulgaria must have feared the worst when their side, who needed a stoppage-time penalty from captain Steven Gerrard to beat European newcomers Ludogorets at Anfield in September, fell behind to an early goal.Kolo Toure's poor clearance straight to Marcelino led to a dipping shot which Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet fumbled into the path of Abalo, who swept the ball home.But, to their credit, Liverpool were soon level with a goal that, like the opener, owed much to the failings of the defending side.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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