Reds in despair with injuries

Lyon’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Liverpool inflicted a fourth successive defeat on the English side for the first time in more than two decades. The former European champion must win its final three group games to have a hope of advancing to the Champions League knockout stage.

Liverpool lost only twice in the league all of last season, but with four losses in their first nine games this year, the title has already started to slip away.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is facing up to the worst injury crisis of his five years with the club as the team prepares to face its bitter local rivals on its Sunday visit to Manchester United.

Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Glen Johnson and Albert Riera are all doubts with the Reds needing a win in order to remain in the title hunt.

Striker Torres and fullback Johnson missed the Lyon clash while Gerrard who sat out the controversial 1-0 Premier League defeat to Sunderland rejoined the team at Lyon only to walk out of the field with the same groin problem after 24 minutes in the game.

Benitez said: “We have just too many problems – I cannot remember an injury situation like this.”

When asked as to how he intends to lift his slumping club, he said “It is something we have to do.

We have to prepare the players, push them, prepare as always and keep going.

It’s a question of doing things properly and having the confidence we can do it.

Today, I would say, with some of the chances, everything could have been different.

We have to prepare for the next game, that’s our job and we will do it.”

Liverpool has won the league a record 18 times in its proud history, but with 11 league championships since 1990, Manchester United has caught them, and is threatening to move right on with a fourth successive crown this season.