So close, yet so far as Reds crash out of Europe

It was a case of glorious failure for Liverpool at Anfield last night, as they just couldn't quite complete what would have been one of the best European comebacks the Kop has ever witnessed. The Reds exited the Europa League at the round of 32 stage after failing to score the four goals required to secure progress after Jamie Carragher, in his 150th and final European match for the club, had gifted Hulk a decisive away goal with a disappointing error.

Two exquisite free kicks from Suarez and a bundled effort from Allen following a neat one-two between Enrique and Henderson were enough to make most Kopites believe a shock comeback was on the cards. However, Liverpool failed to capitalise on their momentum in the final half hour, crashing out of the competition as their opponents Zenit St Petersburg advanced to the next round on away goals after a 3-3 draw on aggregate.

Seeking to harness the power of the fans' support, Rodgers emphasised the importance of the role of the crowd in the pre-match build up. Anfield didn't disappoint either, as an electric atmosphere was produced to intimidate the Reds' Russian opponents and inspire the Merseysiders to victory.

Feeding off that energy, Liverpool started in the ascendancy, playing with a good early tempo and making most of the running. All they had to show for it, however, was a free kick that Steven Gerrard blasted way over the bar.

Disaster struck on 20 minutes, though, when Hulk capitalised on a short back pass from Carragher, which allowed the Brazilian to run through on goal and slot past Reina to net a crucial away goal for Zenit and put them three ahead on aggregate.

Hulk pounces as Carragher makes a mistake

Preventing Zenit from scoring an away goal had been of paramount importance considering Liverpool hadn't managed to net one in Russia. Now, needing four goals in 70 minutes to emerge victorious, the Reds were facing an almost insurmountable task. If any team was going to mount a memorable comeback, though, it was Liverpool on a European night at Anfield.

Roared on by the Kop, Agger picked the ball up deep and dribbled to the edge of the Zenit box, where he drew a desperate foul. After Denisov was booked for trying to change the position of the free kick and refusing to move back to where the referee instructed him to stand, Suarez stepped up and, rather than curling the ball goalwards, he intelligently drilled it through the poorly constructed wall and into the net.

At that point, a sense of the impossible being made possible was stirring inside an increasingly noisy Anfield, as the supporters provided inimitable vocal backing. The Reds would have to keep things tight at the other end, though, as a second Zenit goal really would have killed the game as a contest. Reina's mis-kick of a bouncing ball was therefore briefly frightening, although the Spaniard quickly recovered.

Nevertheless, the momentum was clearly all in Liverpool's favour when they netted their second of the evening minutes before the break. The excellent Enrique, who immensely enjoyed the attacking freedom he was necessarily given in the dire straits Rodgers' side found themselves in, played a superb one-two with Henderson, the former Sunderland midfielder providing a return pass of pinpoint accuracy. On the by-line, Enrique picked out the unusually far forward Allen, who turned the ball home at the second attempt.

Allen bundles home to put the Reds ahead on the night

Needing only two second half goals without reply to progress, many Liverpool supporters predicted the completion of a historic comeback and a night that would live long in the memory. Zenit were visibly shaken by the Reds' reply to their opening goal, and they seemed unable to cope with the cauldron that was Anfield. They weren't afraid to attack when they had the ball, but thankfully they rarely enjoyed possession due to the home side's dominance.

The second period began as the first had ended, with Liverpool attacking constantly, ravenously hungry for further goals to fuel their comeback. Agger may have unnecessarily blasted over the bar to provide Zenit with temporary relief, but it was clear that the visitors were hanging on to their aggregate lead by the skin of their teeth, relying on referee Kuipers failing to spot Hubocan's handball in the penalty area.

The home side were given a free kick on the hour mark, however, as Suarez was fouled yet again by a Zenit defender. He picked himself up and then curled a sensational free kick around the wall and into the net. It was his 25th and arguably most important goal of what has been a brilliant campaign for the inspirational Uruguyuan.

With half an hour left to score once more, what had previously appeared impossible- or at least extraordinarily difficult- now seemed eminently possible, if not inevitable.

At that point, Rodgers decided to make a double substitution, swapping Allen and Henderson for Shelvey and Assaidi respectively. Although both played quite well, in hindsight it was probably a unwise time to make the substitutions, as disrupting the flow of a confident side by making changes is naive.

Soon after arriving on the pitch, Shelvey picked up a yellow card for a rash challenge, which gave Hulk a set piece in a dangerous position. Thankfully, he wasn't as lethal as Suarez, although his dipped effort did go worryingly close to finding the back of the net. At the other end, Suarez and Gerrard were the main protagonists for the Reds, the former watching Malafeev parry another one of his free kicks, before the latter's volley at an awkward angle after the ball just didn't sit up for him nicely was turned behind by the goalkeeper.

Due to their dedication to passing football and refusal to change their style of play, Liverpool ran the risk of conceding a fatal second goal. When Agger refused to clear long, the ball fell to Hulk and he forced Reina to make an excellent low save. Then, after intervening importantly in the box, Enrique foolishly tried to play his way out and the ball went to Anyukov, whose long-ranger was fortunately deflected over.

In the closing stages, however, it was all Liverpool. Shelvey's thunderous first time strike frustratingly flew into the side-netting, while Agger headed a corner wide as the Reds searched for that elusive fourth goal and Zenit held on for dear life. Unfortunately, despite Reina going up for a corner at the death, they managed to stop Liverpool scoring again and thus progressed on away goals after a 3-3 draw on aggregate.

Suarez can't hide his disappointment after the final whistle is blown 

The Anfield crowd remained at their sensational best, though, closing the evening with a rousing rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" during injury time, showing their appreciation for the players' phenomenal effort and demonstrating that Liverpool FC remains the best footballing family to be a part of.

It may have ended in disappointment, but Liverpool were back where they belong last night- competing in epic European encounters at fortress Anfield. We can only hope that it isn't too long before we are back playing big games in Europe once again.

You'll Never Walk Alone