Liverpool defeat at Portsmouth

Liverpool's Premier League fortunes hit a new low on Saturday with a 2-0 loss at struggling Portsmouth in which Javier Mascherano was sent off.

Rafael Benitez's side suffered their seventh league defeat of the season as goals in each half from Nadir Belhadj and Frederic Piquionne moved Pompey level on points with West Ham at the foot of the table.

While Avram Grant continues his bright start as Portsmouth boss, a dismal season worsens for Benitez, who saw Mascherano given his marching orders for a rash challenge just before half-time. The midfielder will now miss three matches through suspension.

To make matters worse, Alberto Aquilani had hoped to make a belated first start following his £20 million move from Roma, but was ruled out altogether by a calf strain.

Benitez raised some eyebrows with the selection of Andrea Dossena - ostensibly a full-back - on the left side of midfield, with Yossi Benayoun, Ryan Babel and Fabio Aurelio all consigned to the substitutes' bench.

The same injury ruled out David James again and meant a fifth straight start for Asmir Begovic in goal for Portsmouth.

However, neither goalkeeper saw much early action on a freezing day that began with a pitch inspection. Overnight temperatures of minus five and a lack of undersoil heating had put the fixture in doubt, but it went ahead despite frosty patches on the surface.

Both sides made a suitably tentative start, with the lack of attacking quality neatly summed up by a Kevin Prince Boateng effort from 25 yards that soared 15 rows back into the stand.

Fernando Torres returned to the Liverpool starting XI and hit one sighter just over from long range, then slid in a fraction too late to make contact with a Steven Gerrard cross from the left.

Pompey had offered next to nothing going forward until they broke the deadlock on 33 minutes. Jose Reina parried a Boateng shot that was headed as far as Belhadj at a tight angle wide on the right, and the Algerian thundered his volley into the net before Reina could even flinch.

Daniel Agger squandered a golden opportunity to equalise on 39 minutes, sending a free header over from a Gerrard free-kick.

Four minutes from the break, Mascherano flew into a reckless tackle on Tal Ben Haim. Although the contact was minimal, the Argentine had his studs up and referee Lee Mason showed a straight red card.

A spate of ugly challenges either side of half-time saw yellow cards shown to Hassan Yebda, Lucas Leiva, Glen Johnson and a frustrated Torres.

Liverpool created next to nothing going forward but almost levelled through an outrageous piece of good fortune on 67 minutes - a Gerrard shot took two big deflections and was saved brilliantly by Begovic on its way inside the near post.

Piquionne missed a free header on 75 minutes, but made amends with eight remaining. He teed up a Boateng cross from the right and lashed a volley past Reina from a similarly tight angle to Belhadj's opener.

Gerrard went close in the dying stages, but by that time Liverpool were well beaten.

Having guaranteed a top-four finish this week, Benitez could see his side slump as many as eight points adrift of the Champions League places depending on weekend results. More worryingly still, on current form it is impossible to see them doing anything but losing more ground.
Eurosport