Liverpool hit bottom with 2-1 defeat at Besiktas

ISTANBUL (AFP) - Liverpool failed to revive their flagging Champions League season, remaining winless after three games and bottom of their group Wednesday with a 2-1 loss to Besiktas.

It started well for the visitors, with Steven Gerrard taking a shot on goal in the first minute and Tello lucky to clear an Andriy Voronin ball off the Besiktas goal line just five minutes later after some sloppy defending.

But a defensive muddle made it 1-0 for the home side after only 13 minutes.

Jamie Carragher wrestled the ball away from Bobo after a dangerous run by the Brazilian to the goal line, but his clearing shot bounced off Steve Finnan to fall in front of Serdar Ozkan whose kick took a deflection off Sami Hyppia to leave Pepe Reina wrong-footed.

As the game settled into midfield, Arne Riise in the 17th and Gerrard in the 20th forced saves from Besiktas goalie Hakan Kurtulus.

Besiktas riposted with Tello shooting wide from 25 meters in the 34th minute and a fine volley from Edouard Cisse, who joined Besiktas this year from Paris Saint Germain, going just wide two minutes later.

Liverpool piled on the pressure in the final minutes of the half, with Ryan Babel in particular wreaking havoc with the Besiktas defence on the left, but to no avail.

Besiktas were in a more defensive mode in the second half, but came close on 51 minutes when Reina blocked a close shot from Bobo after a fine deep pass into the penalty box from Koray Avci, on for Serdar Kurtulus in the 42nd.

Rafael Benitez put Yossi Benayoun in for Jermaine Pennant in the 59th and Liverpool again put the pressure on, but the equalizer failed to come.

Andriy Voronin booted the ball in on 68 minutes after a moment of panic in the Besiktas defense, but was ruled off-side.

Gerrard came close in the 72nd only to have Hakan grab the ball from his feet on the six-yard line.

Rafael replaced Javier Mascherano with Lukas Leiva in the 76th but as he bolstered his attack, Besiktas seemed more dangerous: Koray Avci stole the ball and sent Higuain, who replaced fellow Argentine Delgado in the 62nd, running for the penalty box with a precision pass to Bobo, who managed to shoot over the bar from less than one metre.

Liverpool's hopes were dashed six minutes later when Bobo atoned, catching a deep pass from Besiktas captain Ibrahim Uzulmez on the left to knock the ball in between Reina's legs.

Benitez brought Peter Crouch on for Hyypia in the 83rd as Liverpool settled into the Besiktas half of the field, hoping to beat the Istanbul defence with high balls to the 2.02-metre striker.

But it was a flying header by Gerrard on a badly cleared ball that made it 2-1 five minutes from time.

It was too little too late, however, as Besiktas survived five minutes of hell at the end of the game as Liverpool settled into their penalty box, the last serious threat a Crouch header slapped into corner by Hakan three minutes into extra time.