Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League's knockout phase took a big hit with a surprising 2-2 draw away at Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad on Wednesday.
3 things we learned from Liverpool’s 2-2 draw away against Ludogorets
Liverpool’s season goes from bad to worse.
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The game got off to a nightmare start for the visitors, with Ludogorets taking a stunning lead in just the third minute of play. It was the result of another error by the under-fire goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who fumbled a dipping Marcelinho effort straight into the path of Dani Abalo. The former Celta Vigo man was just left with the simple task of tapping in his second goal in as many games against Liverpool.
However, fortunately for the Reds, they managed to hit back just five minutes later, when a calamitous mistake at the back by Ludogorets allowed Rickie Lambert to sneak in behind defender Cosmin Moți and loop a header over goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov to swiftly restore parity.
For most of the remainder of the first period, Ludogorets remained in the ascendency. Their bright attacking play enabled them to force Liverpool deep into their own half, while the visitors’ centre-backs struggled to deal with the Bulgarians’ direct passes.
Even so, Ludogorets failed to convert their promise into a second goal, and were made to pay with just over five minutes of the half remaining, when Raheem Sterling surged forward on the counter-attack and laid on a delicious pass for Jordan Henderson to tap home and give Liverpool the advantage.
Ludogorets nearly pulled level shortly after the restart, though winger Virgil Misidjan’s effort whistled past Liverpool’s far post. Alas, goalmouth action was few and far between after the initial effort, with the hosts struggling to muster the energy they had in the first half.
The game began to lull, and the Reds looked increasingly untroubled. They had a couple of chances to kill the game off once and for all, but profligate finishing from Henderson and Sterling ensured that Ludogorets were still only a goal behind as the match headed into its final few minutes.
Eventually, the Bulgarians found a second wind, and began to threaten with a string of corners into the area. Unbelievably, with less than three minutes left on the clock, they managed to find an equaliser. A corner was flicked on Svetoslav Dyakov in the penalty area, and Georgi Terziev was on hand to flick home at the back post. Liverpool had no response, and the game ended 2-2. The Reds now need a win against Basel if they want to progress.
Ludogorets Razgrad: Stoyanov; Minev, Terziev, Minev, Caiçara; Espinho (Younès 81’), Dyakov; Misidjan, Marcelinho, Alexandrov (Wanderson 72’); Abalo (Quixadá 69’).
Goals: Abalo (3’), Terziev (87’).
Liverpool: Mignolet; Johnson, Touré, Škrtel, Manquillo; Sterling (Moreno 82’), Lucas, Allen, Henderson; Gerrard; Lambert.
Goals: Lambert (8’), Henderson (37’).
3 Things
1. Liverpool weren’t good
For obvious reasons, this isn't a game that will live long in the memory for Liverpool. Their build-up play was extremely sluggish and easy for Ludogorets to defend against, and they lacked pace on the counter-attack thanks to Raheem Sterling's deep defensive deployment on the left, and Jordan Henderson's deployment altogether on the right of midfield. Steven Gerrard really didn't offer anything in an advanced midfield position, and Rickie Lambert was ... Rickie Lambert. The pressure mounts on Brendan Rodgers.
2. Ludogorets were impressive
Considering this is their first ever appearance in the Champions League, and considering they have a team without almost any household names (of course, we all know who Cosmin Moți is after his penalty shootout heroics in the qualification round), it has been a pretty impressive campaign from Ludogorets. They have not only been well-disciplined without the ball, but offered something with it. They’ll no doubt be hoping they’re here to stay.
3. ... Simon Mignolet was not
Simon Mignolet has come under fire from none other than former Liverpool goalkeeping legend Bruce Grobbelaar, and he won’t have eased those criticisms with this performance. He was certainly at fault for Ludogorets’ first goal, and looked uncomfortable with dipping shots throughout the evening. It’s no surprise the Reds have been linked with various goalkeepers of late.
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