Liverpool toppled out of Europe in shame at Anfield.
Defender Mike Marsh became the third Liverpool player to be sent off in four Cup Winners' Cup games this season as Spartak won a cold war that also produced five bookings.
Marsh was dismissed with three minutes to go for a late challenge on Dimitri Radchenko, scorer of Spartak's first goal.
With manager Graeme Souness starting a five match UEFA touchline ban for abusing the referee in the first leg, this season's European campaign has produced a catalogue of disasters for a club once feared across the continent.
The handicap of a two goal deficit proved to be too great for Liverpool to overcome against the Russian champions who showed far greater resilience than French club Auxerre in their meekly surrender a year ago.
On that occasion a Kop in full cry enabled Liverpool to overturn a two goal deficit - but Spartak were made of far sterner stuff.
They refused to retreat into a defensive shell, keeping three attackers up in search of a potentially decisive away goal and they were rewarded when Radchenko side-footed in a Vladimir Beschastnikh cross after 63 minutes.
Andrei Platnitski added a second goal from Radchenko's pass a minute from the end to confirm Liverpool's earliest exit from a European tournament since they crashed to another Soviet side, Dynamo Tblisi in a European Cup first round concept 13 years ago.
Their attacking edge was blunted when Mark Walters pulled out with a thigh strain leaving Souness to use full-back David Burrows as an emergency winger.
With Bruce Grobbelaar suspended after being sent-off in Moscow, Mike Hooper came in for his first game of the season in preference to David James. Hooper, in fact, spared Liverpool greater embarrassment with some excellent saves from Platnitski (twice), Dimitri Khlestov, Radchenko and substitute Mikhail Rusayev.
Liverpool rarely threatened the goal of Stanislav Chercesov, No 2 goalkeeper for the CIS at the European championships. He showed his quality as early as the second minute when he flicked a Burrows piledriver over the bar, then held an Ian Rush volley.
But Liverpool could not maintain their promising start. As their anxiety mounted they followed up with a series of hurried, off-target efforts like Mark Wright's header from a Jamie Redknapp free-kick.
If any confirmation were needed that it was not to be their night it arrived in the 50th minute when Marsh and Don Hutchison created a chance for Michael Thomas. The former England midfielder looked certain to score as he shot with venom from eight yards but the ball flicked off Khlestov for a corner.
Souness paid a rich tribute to Liverpool's Russian conquerors. Souness conceded: "We were beaten by a very good team. We made it extremely difficult for ourselves conceding two late goals in the first leg. To have to chase a game like that is tailor-made for them, the way they play. But all credit to them. They made us chase shadows for long spells. If we had got an early goal back it might have been different. Perhaps then they may not have looked so silky on th ball."
Asked his opinion of the late sending-off of Marsh, Souness considered his response carefully before saying: "I thought the referee's performance was very disappointing."
Spartak coach Oleg Romantsev believes his team's success over the four times former European champions can act as a springboard to glory. He said: "I think we can win this trophy now. This team have only been together for less than a year and it is getting better all the time. We have had such a long hard season and we are all very tired now. We will probably feel happier later. What we have achieved has not sunk in yet.
Copyright - British Soccer Week