Dirk Kuyt: Liverpool's draw with Lyon feels like a defeat
Kuyt: 'I think we deserved to win, but we conceded in the last minute and everyone is really disappointed.' Photo: Getty Images
Thursday November 05 2009
Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt has said the club's 1-1 Champions League draw with Lyon last night felt as bad as a defeat as the pressure mounts on Rafa Benitez.
Liverpool were leading 1-0, thanks to a superb 25-yard strike from Ryan Babel, right up until the dying seconds before Lisandro Lopez snuck through to equalise, sending Lyon into the knockout stages of the Champions League and tipping the Anfield club towards the Europa League of Everton and Fulham.
Liverpool are now five points behind second-placed Fiorentina with two rounds of games to play.
They must claim maximum points from their remaining two Group E fixtures with Debrecen and Fiorentina, and hope Lyon can secure a result against the Italians.
"It feels like a defeat," said Kuyt. "I think we deserved to win, but we conceded in the last minute and everyone is really disappointed.
"It's out of our hands now, but we stuck together as a team here and everyone put a lot of effort into the game.
"We showed character and that's what we have to do at this stage. We deserved more, but all we can do is work hard and be ready for the next game.
"If we keep working hard like this, things will change quickly. The most important thing is we as players, staff and a team are sticking together and we want to fight - I am sure we will come back stronger."
Goalkeeper Pepe Reina has said Liverpool will continue to fight for their Champions League survival right until it is mathematically impossible to qualify.
He said: "I am really disappointed because I think we played one of our best games of the season so far, but we did not get the result we wanted.
"I thought we'd done enough to win. We didn't deserve to lose at home when we played Lyon, and we didn't deserve to draw here, but that's the way it is and we have to face it.
"We were really unlucky but it's the way things are going at the moment. We have to keep fighting while we have a chance.
"At the moment we are not in the best situation, but I think we have a strong character and enough quality to sort things out.
"All we can do is play with desire and passion and try to be more consistent.
"The worst thing is we are not depending on ourselves. We need Lyon to get a result in Fiorentina, but all we can do, and have to do, is win in Hungary.
"We will keep fighting and the least we can do is win our two remaining games."
- Giles Mole
© Telegraph.co.uk
