Champions League

FULL TIME

Gut wrenching heartache for Liverpool who were just two minutes away from pulling off a memorable victory, but threw it away right at the death. They have a huge mountain to climb now - two wins are required from two games, but even that may not be enough. If Fiorentina can beat Lyon in two weeks time, the Reds will be out of the Champions League. The Rafa run of misery goes on. Full time in Lyon, Lyon 1 Liverpool 1.

LYON 1-1 LIVERPOOL

If there is such a thing as a commentator's curse, I'm very, very sorry Liverpool fans. Kamikaze defending from Babel, who fails to win a regulation header, and then Insua, Agger and Kyrgiakos who all miss a pass over the top for LISANDRO LOPEZ, who stays cool and beats Reina from close range.

ALL LIVERPOOL

All Liverpool now. Lyon's confidence has been drained from them and the Reds are the more likely scorers in these closing stages.

ANOTHER CHANCE

Another chance for Babel. Benayoun slots a nice ball past Gassama and the winger should do better from ten yards out, but drags his shot wide.

THE TABLE

That goal changes things beyond recognition in Group E. Lyon and Fiorentina have nine points each and Liverpool sit behind them on six. Crucially, if the Reds can nab a second goal here they could overtake Lyon in the next round of games on head-to-head record.

TORRES OFF

With the goal in the bag Torres is given a breather, with David Ngog getting a five-minute run out.

REAL RYAN?

Would the real Ryan Babel please stand up? Liverpool fans might be more familiar with his latest effort - a 20-yard free kick on the left of the area which the Dutchman lashes out for a throw in. And yes, he was going for goal.

LYON 0-1 LIVERPOOL

Cometh the hour, cometh the man - RYAN BABEL belts an absolute beauty into the top corner from 25 yards. Where did that come from? Really, a quite spectacular strike, with seven minutes to go. What a moment for Liverpool.

KNIFE EDGE

Just eight minutes to go and this is on an absolute knife edge. A goal either way has serious ramifications, but a draw still leaves Liverpool in the brown stuff. Stick or twist, Rafa?

MISSED AGAIN

Kallstrom with the resulting free kick but the Swede fails to find the target yet again.

LUCKY

Agger pulls back Ederson as he tries to sprint into the box and is extremely lucky to avoid picking up a second booking.

YARD WIDE

At the other end Lisandro Lopez breaks free of Agger and lines up a 20-yard curler with his left foot, but it's a yard wide of Reina's right-hand post.

ONE-TOUCH

Torres looks out on his feet but with so much at stake Benitez will surely leave him on the field. Some nice one-touch passing from the Reds but it results in nothing.

GROUP E UPDATE

The defences of Fiorentina and Debrecen - hang your heads in shame. Alberto Gilardino notches for the Italians to make it 5-2, which means the two sides have now shared 14 goals in just under two matches.

LOPEZ CHANCE

Sudden moment of panic for Liverpool as Kyrgiakos sends a hospital headed pass back to Reina which is horribly short, but the Spaniard saves his team mate with a one-handed stop from Lisandro Lopez's snap-shot. Too close for comfort, that.

FINAL CHANGE

Sidney Govou enters the fray as Lyon make their final change, with Gomis the man to be sacrificed.

GROUP E UPDATE

Goals galore in Florence, can't they spare one for us? Coulibaly has scored for Debrecen to reduce the deficit to 4-2.

BASTOS FREE KICK

Bastos curls an impressive long range free kick towards goal but Reina plucks it from the air with confidence.

COMING TO LIFE

The game is coming to life and a goal surely isn't far away. How much longer can Torres and his dodgy groin last?

LUCAS CHANCE

Liverpool's third golden chance of the night, but Lucas is the culprit this time as they spurn it yet again. To be fair he at least makes Lloris pull off a top save from an eight-yard shot, before Kuyt's bobbling overhead kick is cleared off the line.

BABEL ON

No surprise to see Andriy Voronin withdrawn. In fact the only surprise is that it's taken Benitez this long to haul him off the pitch. Ryan Babel is his replacement.

AS THINGS STAND

That scoreline merely heightens the need for a Liverpool win here. As things stand, Lyon have ten points, Fiorentina nine, Liverpool four and Debrecen one.

GROUP E UPDATE

It now surely is game over in Florence. Marco Marchionni makes it 4-1 to the Italians.

ON TOP

Still Lyon on top here and things are getting a bit hairy for Liverpool. First a corner and then a Cissokho cross keep the Reds on their toes.

FREE KICK

Kallstrom goes for the top corner with a 30 yard free kick but gets it all wrong.

ALL WRONG

Kallstrom goes for the top corner with a 30 yard free kick but gets it all wrong.

GROUP E UPDATE

Riccardo Montolivo has made it 3-1 to Fiorentina. Probably game over in Florence, although they did play out a 4-3 thriller in Hungary two weeks ago.

USING HIS HEAD

Gomis is nearly in again - this time he reads the pass but Reina is alert and rushes from his goal to head the ball clear.

BASTOS HEADER

Cissokho gets to the byline and whips over a cross for Bastos at the back stick, but his header from close range is well over the bar. Lyon moving through the gears here.

NOT READ

Makoun threads a defence-splitting pass for Gomis to chase, but the striker doesn't read it and the ball rolls through to Reina.

GROUP E UPDATE

Fiorentina have retaken the lead against Debrecen, Dario Dainelli with the goal.

RIGHT PLACE

Kuyt and Lucas try and combine outside the box but Toulalan is in the right place for the French side.

IN FINE VOICE

Liverpool have largely subdued the hosts but Lyon's fans have been in fine voice all evening. The Stade de Gerland is packed to the rafters to boot.

EDERSON SHOT

Cissokho dinks a cross towards Ederson who finds room to sidefoot a 15 yard volley over the bar.

CLASSY CARRA

Carragher gallivants down the right touchline and is unlucky not to win a corner. Liverpool's number 23 has done excellently so far - perhaps he's benefiting from being out of the firing line at centre half.

SECOND HALF

We're back playing again in Lyon.

HALF TIME

Plenty of positives for Liverpool at the break - they're not losing, Lyon look below par and have had to make two changes, and Fiorentina aren't winning. Now, just a goal after the break and Rafa Benitez is suddenly a brilliant manager once more.

BREAK

The break is on for Liverpool but Cris, Lyon's best defender by a distance, takes the ball off Torres' toes after Benayoun tries to play him in.

CORNER

First corner for Liverpool but Voronin can't beat the first man with his outswinger.

GROUP E UPDATE

Christmas has come early for Liverpool - Rudolf has equalised for Debrecen.

LYON SUB

Lyon have been forced into another change - Pjanic can't shake off his injury, so Ederson takes his place in midfield.

HAPPY RAFA?

Not long until half time then and Benitez will probably be pretty content with this. After Lyon's expansive opening the game has tightened up considerably.

BLOCKED

The tricky Gomis tries to beat Reina from range once more but Insua gets in a good block.

BOOKING

Lisandro Lopez does the same to Kuyt, with the same result.

BOOKING

Agger tugs back Gomis as the striker tries to race clear, and that's a deserved yellow card for the Dane.

INJURIES

Aly Cissokho and Pjanic both go down injured for Lyon in the space of a couple of minutes, which disrupts the flow of the game.

SHOULD SCORE

Prepare to have a major hissy fit, Reds supporters! Voronin evades the Lyon offside trap and is put clean through by a long ball but, one-on-one with Lloris, fires a tame effort straight at the keeper's legs. A really poor finish, that.

MINIMAL CONTRIBUTION

Andriy Voronin's selection will have angered a fair few of you Liverpool fans out there, and I can only add to your fury by telling you he's contributed zilch to the cause so far.

NULLIFIED

Liverpool are starting to plan their way into this now. Lyon's threat has been nullified for the time being.

LYON SUB

Lyon's defensive problems take a turn for the worse - Anthony Reveillere is injured and has to be replaced by youngster Anthony Lamine.

KUYT CHANCE

Insua is the architect again, aiming a low cross towards Yossi Benayoun who tees up Dirk Kuyt for an eight-yard lob which Lloris has to top over the bar. Much better from the visitors.

GOMIS SHOT

Gomis drives a powerful strike from 25 yards but it's straight at Reina. Lyon's front three of Bastos, Lopez and Gomis look pretty lively.

GROUP E UPDATE

Bad news from Florence - Fiorentina have taken the lead against Debrecen though Adrian Mutu.

TORRES CHANCE

Big, big chance for Fernando Torres but, from the penalty spot, he shoots straight at Hugo Lloris with his left foot. Insua's low cross evaded Lyon's defence and Torres was all alone.

MAKOUN SHOT

Jean Makoun is given room to spank one from 30 yards, but it's comfortably over Reina's bar.

PRESSURE

Lyon continue to pressure the Liverpool back four with some silky, confident football. The Reds' midfield is far too static.

MUSN'T LOSE

Nothing offered yet up front by the Reds, but that won't bother them too much so long as Reina has a clean sheet at the other end. A win would be extremely handy, but Liverpool's first priority must be not to lose this game.

BATTLE

Interesting battle shaping up on Lyon left, between the marauding Lisandro Lopez and Jamie Carragher, out of position at right back. Lopez wins round one, earning a free kick from a dithering Carragher.

DEFLECTED SHOT

Michel Bastos cuts inside and tries to beat Pepe Reina from range. It hits Emiliano Insua but the deflection is kind to Liverpool and Reina collects.

BRIGHT START

Miralem Pjanic tries to play in Bafetimbi Gomis but Daniel Agger is there with a timely interception. Bright start from the home side.

KICK OFF

Liverpool, in their white away kit, get us underway.

TEAMS OUT

The teams are out in the Stade de Gerland and promptly line up for the fabled Champions League anthem. It's no You'll Never Walk Alone, but it'll do.

LYON LINE UP

Bafetimbi Gomis, who scored Lyon's winner in a 1-0 victory at St Etienne on Saturday, is drafted into the starting XI as Claude Puel makes three changes to his team. Also in are Kim Kallstrom and Anthony Reveillere, with Francois Clerc, Ederson and Sidney Govou making way. Defenders Jean Alain Boumsong, Anderson and Mathieu Bodmer are injured, so Jeremy Toulalan deputises at the back. Full line up: Lloris; Reveillere, Cris, Toulalan, Cissokho; Pjanic, Makoun, Kallstrom, Michel Bastos; Lopez, Gomis. Subs: Vercoutre, Ederson, Govou, Delgado, Tafer, Gassama, Gonalons.

LIVERPOOL LINE UP

Fernando Torres starts up front as Rafa Benitez makes just one change from the side which lost 3-1 at Fulham. That change sees Daniel Agger, recovered from a back problem, slot into defence alongside Sotirios Kyrgiakos, with Jamie Carragher moving to right-back. Alberto Aquilani is on the bench. Full line up: Reina; Carragher, Agger, Kyrgiakos, Insua; Kuyt, Lucas, Mascherano, Benayoun; Voronin, Torres. Subs: Cavalieri, Ayala, Darby, Aquilani, Speaking, Babel, Ngog.

KICK OFF 1945 BST

Will Liverpool elicit the spirit of Istanbul 2005/Marseille 2007, or perhaps Florence/Fulham 2009? Join us from 1915 BST to find out when we'll bring you the all-important team news followed by live text commentary on a huge night for Liverpool Football Club.

THE OPPOSITION

Despite finally giving up their French title in 2008-09 (to Bordeaux) after seven consecutive triumphs, Lyon look as strong as ever in the Champions League this year. Karim Benzema may have gone but Les Gones, managed these days by Claude Puel, house many top-quality players (as Liverpool found out two weeks ago) including striker Lisandro Lopez and Jeremy Toulalan, who pulls the strings in midfield.

TEAM NEWS

As well as Gerrard, the Reds will also be without Fabio Aurelio (calf), Albert Riera (hamstring), Martin Skrtel (virus) and Glen Johnson (calf). Torres has a persistent groin injury and Daniel Agger (back), David Ngog (ankle) and Alberto Aquilani (not match fit) are also struggling. Still, you've got to look on the bright side. Oh no wait, there isn't one.

MARSEILLE MAGIC

In 2007 Benitez's team were even worse off than they are now, sitting bottom of their Champions League group having picked up one point from three games. They then reeled off results of 8-0, 4-1 and 4-0, with the latter a magnificent performance in Marseille in a do-or-die clash, to qualify and eventually reach the semi-finals. Unsurprisingly, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres were the heroes that night but just one of them can play in Lyon, and he's only half fit…

PREVIEW

Disaster, noun, 1 – occurrence that causes great distress or destruction. 2 – project, etc, that fails. As Glen Johnson aptly put it earlier this week, his Liverpool side face a disaster if they don't qualify for the Champions League knockout phase. Lose in Lyon tonight and the Reds will find themselves nine points behind their hosts and possibly six behind Fiorentina (who play Hungarian minnows Debrecen), with just two games to play. Disaster? How about full-blown crisis? Rafa Benitez has guided his side to six defeats from seven games (their worst run for half a century) and one more this evening could sound the death knell for his reign at Anfield. Then again, in this competition at least, we've been here before…