Liverpool 0-1 Valencia
Liverpool lost a home match for the first time in 10 months, as they went down to the Spanish Champions for the second time this season.
With Liverpool ideally requiring a win from the match, it was no surprise to see the Reds start the game as the brighter side.
Owen twice broke into the Valencia penalty area in the opening minutes, and a 4th minute shot by Diao from the edge of the 18 yard area was deflected out for a corner, which came to nothing.
The next 10 minutes of the game developed into a rather scrappy affair, with countless misplaced passes by both sides and no significant action on front of either goal, a cross by Kily Gonzalez which hit the bar being the closest that either side came to creating a chance.
A 14th minutes free kick to Valencia was fired into the Liverpool wall from just outside the area, and another set piece from a very similar position was curled well over the bar by Pablo Aimar, with Owen setting himself up almost immediately for a shot at the other end, but his effort was no closer to hitting the net than that of Aimar.
The game was starting to really come to life, and on 28 minutes, the visitors should have taken the lead.
A corner, won by John Carew, was swung into the area towards Pablo Aimar, whose cushioned header set up Ruben Baraja for a shot at goal from only a couple of yards out, but the Valencia midfielder got his foot under the ball and side footed over the bar.
Less than a minute later, Michael Owen looked like he was on his way to putting Liverpool ahead when an attempted clearance by the Valencia defence was charged down by Hamann with the ball rebounding towards Owen, who was clean through on goal. But the run of Owen was halted by a late flag from the Norwegian linesman, which proved to be an incorrect call, as Owen was clearly onside when the ball was played.
Valencia did take the lead on 33 minutes though, with Sami Hyypia deflecting a shot by Rufete into the corner of the net, leaving Jerzy Dudek wrong footed.
Liverpool could have been level before half time when Diao and Owen combined to set up a chance for Gerrard from just inside the area, but Gerrard's placed shot was palmed away by Canizares.
The Spaniards were well worth their half time lead, with Liverpool not quite reaching the level of football that was required to get back into the game.
That changed in the very early stages of the second half though, and only a brilliant save from Canizares prevented Owen from equalising. A determind run down the right by Heskey saw him into the area, before he pulled the ball back to Owen and he made space to get in a shot but the former Spanish international 'keeper threw himself at the ball, making sure that his side remained in the lead.
It wasnt long before Canizares was again called into action, when a Steve Gerrard corner from the right was flicked towards goal by Heskey and Canizares managed to get fingertips to the ball to touch away from goal, and Didi Hamann was first to the ball but his header from a couple of yards out was blocked on the line by Albeda.
Heskey managed to get another shot on goal just before the hour mark in the game, when he used his strength to turn Marchena on the edge of the box, but he wasn't able to get a clean strike at goal, scuffing a shot just wide of the post.
It was Heskey's final major contribution to the game, with Baros coming on to replace him, and Smicer entering the action in place of Danny Murphy.
Liverpool were certainly on top so far in the half, and Valencia's only attempt at goal in the first 25 minutes of the second half was a dreadful volley from 20 yards out by Aimar who was later brought off, to a loud chorus of boos by the home crowd which was due to both comments he had made before the game, also a number of cynical fouls which the Argentine had made during the game and a deliberate stamp on Salif Diao during the first half which went unnoticed by the referee.
Angulo was the player who replaced Aimar, and it was he who had Valencia's best opportunity of the half when he struck a fierce drive from 25 yards which forced Dudek into making a save at full stretch.
The last change by Houllier was to bring on Bruno Cheyrou, with Carragher the player brought off as Houllier changed to a slightly more attacking formation to play out the final ten minutes.
Liverpool kept up the pressure on Valencia as the game drew nearer to a close. Hamann fired a free kick from 30 yards out, which Canizares did well to hold onto after the ball had taken a slight deflection. A minute later, and Hyypia headed over the bar from a free kick by Cheyrou, and Baros had a chance with just over one minute remaining of the ninety, as he struck an excellent left foot volley from a tight angle but again, Canizares was equal to it.
The game with a number of tussles in the Valencia area between Albelda and Hyypia, as the Spaniards clearly looking to waste as much time as possible in the final couple of minutes, which proved to be successful as Valencia held onto the lead to send them into round two of the competition.
Liverpool's second half performance was certainly deserving of a draw, but anything less than a win was always going to mean that the Reds would need a result on the final matchday, which sees them face Basel away from home.
The win for Valencia confirms that they will finish as group winners, while Liverpool remain in second place, 2 points ahead of Basel, who have a game in hand which is away to Spartak Moscow next week. Should Basel win that game, then Liverpool would need to beat Basel on the final day of the first round.
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