A BUNCH OF VIOLETS WILTED UNDER PRESSURE

RATINGS

mirror.co.uk/sport/football Good save early on but could do little about the goals Alexander-arnold

Was left isolated down the right side. Subbed at half-time

Matip

First start since September and a tough game to be thrown into Van Dijk

Without him and his clearances, would have been worse for Reds Robertson

Tried to get down the left flank and was effective when he did Milner

Gave the ball away for Red Star’s second goal, not his best display Wijnaldum

Brushed off by Pavkov for second goal on a difficult night for him Lallana Booked

Good build-up play early on and one of Reds’ livelier players

A threat down the left as he tried to make something happen

Horror miss in the first 20 minutes and selfish at other times. Subbed JURGEN KLOPP wanted his Liverpool side to cool the atmosphere with their football. But instead his Kop stars froze in the red-hot and raucous Rajko Mitic Stadium.

Red Star Belgrade stunned Klopp’s men with a performance that was worlds apart from their collapse at Anfield just two weeks ago. Liverpool’s display was very different too – but in a much more negative way. Milan Pavkov’s double for the Serbian team handed them their first European Cup win since 1992 and put a serious dent in Liverpool’s hopes of easing into the Champions League’s knockout stages.

In fact, Klopp (left) and his team now face a tough task to progress out of Group C ahead of Napoli and Paris Saint-germain after their second defeat on the road in Europe this season.

A win here for the Merseysiders would have put them in control, but their future in the competition is now firmly in the balance.

They certainly can not start making plans for a drop into the Europa League in the new year just yet, after they lost three European Cup away games in a row for the first time since 1979 – if you include last season’s semifinal second-leg defeat at Roma. Defender Andy Robertson had warned his team-mates that they would face a “different beast” to the Red Star side that lost 4-0 at Anfield.

And this was some monster roared on by one of the hottest atmospheres in European football.

Liverpool may have left Xherdan Shaqiri, who has his own history with Serbia, back at home, but there was no warm embrace for those that did travel.

The noise generated by the crowd at the start of the game was both ear-splitting and spine-tingling in equal measure. Red Star’s fans were not allowed to travel to Anfield for the reverse fixture two weeks ago.

But back on home turf, their supporters’ backing brought the best out of their team as Liverpool buckled under the intensity.

They had an early chance to silence the home crowd, but striker Daniel Sturridge fluffed his opportunity on a rare start. A clever dink from Adam Lallana started the move before