Liverpool hit hard by Hazard warning

LILLE winger Eden Hazard’s late goal inflicted Liverpool’s first defeat on French soil in six visits and left Rafael Benitez’s side with an uphill battle to make the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The visitors appeared to have survived a testing examination by Les Dogues only for Hazard, who had been a threat all night, to curl in an 85th-minute freekick.

Despite being territorially dominated Liverpool had the best two chances with Ryan Babel shooting too close to Mickael Landreau and Fernando Torres’ header being brilliantly saved by the goalkeeper in the first half.

However, the scoreline was no real surprise as The Mastiffs, as Lille are known, had scored in 20 of their previous 21 games at the Lille Metropole.

Their impressive record has seen them lose just once at home in Ligue 1 since the opening day of the season on August 9, with only one defeat in 17 home European fixtures.

For Liverpool – unbeaten in France since a 1-0 Champions League defeat to Monaco in November 2004 – it was the worst possible result coming so soon on the back of a woeful performance at Wigan on Monday.

However, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists his side can still progress in the Europa League.

Benitez had called for his players to show Monday's defeat to Wigan had been an aberration and he felt they had done that.

"It was an improvement from the last game. The players’ reaction has been very positive," said the Spaniard.

“I am disappointed with the result but really pleased with the effort of the players.

They were fantastic today.

“It was against a good team on a difficult pitch.

The reaction has been good.

“I think Lille started really well. We knew they had pace – you can watch videos but until you see them on the pitch you don't see the pace they have.

“It was difficult to stop them but little by little we had more control.

“When we had that control and were going forward we conceded the goal.”

Despite conceding plenty of possession Liverpool could easily have been 2-0 up at half-time.

Benitez admitted that Babel and Torres’ and missed opportunities were costly and could have put a different perspective on the match.

He said: “When you play away you have to score your chances. To score an early goal you can manage the game but we worked hard.

“To have two or three chances to score and then concede a [goal to a] freekick...

we have to be positive.

“It is clear, particularly in this competition, you have to score away.

“We were just not strong enough today but there is still 90 minutes to play.

“I am confident we can beat anyone at Anfield with the fans behind us.

“We have to be ready for Monday’s match against Portsmouth and to win and then be ready for 90 minutes in the Europa League.”

Match facts

Goal: Hazard 85

Bookings: Toure, Aubameyang (Lille); Insua, Torres (Liverpool) Referee: Alan Larsen (Denmark)

Attendance: 18,000

Lille: Landreau, Beria, Chedjou, Rami, Emerson, Hazard, Balmont, Mavuba, Cabaye (Dumont 73), Obraniak (Toure 83), Frau (Aubameyang 77).

Subs (not used): Butelle, Vandam, Souare, Souquet.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Agger, Carragher, Insua, Kuyt (El Zhar 88), Mascherano, Lucas, Babel (Riera 73), Gerrard, Torres.

Subs (not used): Cavalieri (gk), Aquilani, Kyrgiakos, Ngog, Kelly.