Marseille	0 - 4	Liverpool
Booked Cana 41	Half Time ( 0 - 2 )	Scorers Gerrard 4 Torres 11 Kuyt 48 Babel 90  Booked Carragher 29 Aurelio 89

Liverpool took control from the first whistle in France as Captain Steven Gerrard started off an impressive display against a half-hearted Marseille to help the Reds progress with style.

The hosts started with ex-Liverpool player Zenden in midfield but Djibril Cisse could only make a place on the bench as Marseille knew that only a victory would definitely see them progress.

Rafa Benitez gave Javier Mascherano and Harry Kewell starts in midfield, while Fernando Torres partnered Dirk Kuyt up front as Liverpool did what the national side failed to do just last month.

Marseille played a high back line and it caused them plenty of problems as the first-half progressed. They were caught out early on when Gerrard raced through and was amateurishly brought down for a penalty after an unnecessary lunge from the defender, who was lucky not to be sent off as the last man. The midfielder stepped up and saw his spot-kick well-saved by the goalkeeper, but he was the first to follow-up and converted the rebound himself to give Liverpool a fourth minute lead.

The home defence didn’t look particularly comfortable with some loose marking which went some way to conceding the goals. But it was also confident play by the visitors who exposed the gaps at the back of the home defence and made Marseille look fairly ordinary.

And within 11 minutes they were 2-0 up thanks to a superb individual goal from Fernando Torres. Harry Kewell knocked in a faint ball from the right to the Spaniard on the side of the penalty area and he dummied the ball before beating a defender and striding towards the goal then hit a shot across Steve Mandanda into the far corner.

The French were rocked by the early set-back and it took them some time to get into the game. But they eventually started to put up some sort of a fight.

But Liverpool still looked in control at the break. Jose Reina’s goal remained unchallenged with Mathieu Valbuena’s wide shot their best effort. And it could’ve been worse for the home side if Gerrard and Kewell had been able to convert their chances for Liverpool before half-time.

Cisse came on as a substitute for the second-half as Marseille tried to get back into the game straight away.

But it was Liverpool who continued their domination after the interval and Dirk Kuyt’s goal put the result beyond doubt just minutes after the restart. A poor clearance by the goalkeeper went straight to Kewell on the left and with Kuyt played a mile onside and unmarked in the centre thanks to some loose defending, the Australian crossed the ball back into his path and he coolly smacked the ball into the back of the net.

The game then entered a bit of a cagey spell with neither side able to do that much. Cisse came closest for the hosts when Jamie Carragher prevented him from reaching a cross, as Marseille looked unimpressive up front. Despite their promises before the game, they failed to live up to expectations in what at times was a leisurely stroll for the Reds.

For their part Liverpool failed to test the goalkeeper enough, despite putting the ball past him three times. Torres broke away from the back-line again but his attack was ended by a lack of support as Liverpool seemed quite content to end with what they had.

Ryan Babel made some incisive breaks into the Marseille half after coming on as a substitute, while at the other end Hyypia’s well-organised defence ensured Reina had a quiet night. In the centre of the pitch, Mascherano helped to control the midfield until he went off injured a few minutes from time.

And to round the night off, it was Babel’s pace which again exploited the poor positional play at the back for Marseille when he outpaced the defender and nicked the ball past the keeper to score Liverpool’s fourth goal in injury time.

It was another impressive European display from Liverpool as they scored four goals in the Champions League for the third game in a row. Despite a dismal start to the campaign, they won their final three games in style, scoring 16 goals and conceding just the one, to progress to the knock-out stage.

A disappointing performance from the French champions meant that they finished in third place and were knocked out due to Porto’s victory over Besiktas. They were overrun by Liverpool and didn’t look up to the task on the night, with the scoreline flattering them more than the Reds.


Marseille: Mandanda, Bonnart, Rodriguez, Givet (Faty 45), Taiwo, Cheyrou (Nasri 34), Ziani, Zenden (Cisse 46), Cana, Valbuena, Niang.

Subs Not Used: Mate, Oruma, Zubar, M'Bami.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Kewell (Aurelio 67), Mascherano, Gerrard, Benayoun, Kuyt (Lucas 86), Torres (Babel 77).

Subs Not Used: Itandje, Finnan, Crouch, Hobbs.

Att: 53,000

Ref: Terje Hauge (Norway).

By Ben Hughes