Liverpool fall short in spirited fightback

Liverpool did not just stroll down memory lane, they almost removed a blockade as they sprinted down it only to trip up at the finish line.

Needing four goals in 70 minutes to overturn, they nearly pulled it off before going out to Zenit St Petersburg in gallant circumstances.

Luis Suarez scored two superb free-kicks to almost create one of those extraordinary European evenings Anfield delights in serving up.

It proved to be in vain as Zenit went through courtesy of Hulk's 19th minute away goal. The tie ended 3-3 on aggregate.

Liverpool's task was made Herculean after Jamie Carragher's early mistake enabled the Brazilian striker to claim the decisive strike.

Suarez's brilliance restored hope, and Joe Allen was also on the scoresheet in a 3-1 win on the night, but Brendan Rodgers' side had given themselves too much to do, and were again left to curse mistakes.

At times it all felt a little too desperate - the necessary belief was lacking, if not the will.

Match announcers tried their best with the cheerleading before kick-off, giving prominence to songs associated with the 2005 Champions League run. It felt a little like clumsy stage management - even You'll Never Walk Alone was played far too early.

Events on the pitch played out in an eerily similar fashion to the 2005 final, Liverpool seeking to not only recreate a famous European comeback, but to contrive a seemingly irredeemable position only to escape from it.

Liverpool have scored two when needed, three even, but never four. After Hulk's strike, that was exactly what was required.

Carragher underhit his back pass straight into the path of the Brazilian striker. He completed the formalities with a slick finish.

On Carragher's 150th appearance, having been unblemished in the previous 149, the player who was eager to ensure this was not his European farewell had suffered the cruellest of setbacks.

Anfield did not need to feel any more galvanised, but this served only to intensify the atmosphere. It could not end like this for Carragher, the players seemed to think.

The stirring reaction ensured Liverpool ended the first half in exactly the same position as they had started.

Before Zenit scored, they had looked nervous, especially full-back Aleksandr Anyukov and centre-half Luis Neto. Hope remained so long as Liverpool kept creating opportunities.

Suarez equalised on the night after 28 minutes. Daniel Agger's elegant run was crudely ended by Nicolas Lombaerts.

Suarez duly slammed the free-kick through a weak defensive wall.

Two minutes before half-time, Allen, who was enjoying a more advanced role, benefited from an excellent move down the Liverpool left. Jordan Henderson sent Jose Enrique scurrying and Allen headed his cross straight at keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev, but the Welshman readjusted smartly to volley in the rebound.

In the melee, the only accomplished Russian centre half, Lombaerts, was injured and needed to be replaced at half-time.

Buoyed by repairing the damage of the early calamity, Rodgers' side were now oozing belief. They still needed two in front of the Kop in the second half, but Luciano Spalleti's half-time team talk was now tougher than the Liverpool manager's.

Suarez forced Malafeev into a save after 50 minutes with an improvised toe-poke. That Tomas Hubocan -survived a penalty claim for handball in front of a screaming Kop was a feat of its own.

By the time Suarez swerved his second free-kick beyond Malafeev, an absolute beauty from 25 yards, it really was starting to feel just like old times. The Uruguayan brushed himself down after being tripped by Neto and sent the stadium into raptures.

Rodgers, somewhat surprisingly, went for the jugular immediately with a couple of substitutions, replacing Allen with Jonjo Shelvey and Henderson with Ousamma Assaidi

That felt like a risk, even though Liverpool still needed another goal. Both Allen and Henderson had excelled.

If anything, the changes caused a period of readjustment for Liverpool.

Suarez almost made it a hat-trick of free-kicks on 70 minutes, Malafeev shoving a low drive to safety as the Russians were momentarily entrenched in their own half.

The keeper then threatened to end the evening inspired, flapping wide a Gerrard volley.

Zenit have some pedigree, though, and Pepe Reina was needed to -prevent Hulk's low strike effectively ending the tie in the 73rd minute.

The frantic finale ensured this would either be a night of glorious failure or potentially season-defining euphoria for Liverpool. Sadly for Rodgers, it was the former.