Liverpool land in the black stuff as Dublin dreams drain away

SO there will be no party to end all parties in the Irish capital in mid-May. Dublin won’t be painted red.

Liverpool’s hopes of providing a silver lining at the end of a season of upheaval were dashed on St Patrick’s Day and not even copious amounts of the black stuff could ease the pain.

A dour stalemate with Braga ensured the Reds’ trophy drought will extend into a sixth season.

It was a fittingly miserable end to an uninspiring continental adventure which has limped along from the moment Liverpool took to the field in a Macedonian outpost last July.

Having made hard work of the group stage against a trio of also-rans and then struggled to see off Sparta Prague, the Reds were finally put out of their misery last night.

This was no hard luck story or heroic failure. Liverpool got what they deserved after failing to produce the guile or the quality required to break down a defiant but limited Braga side over 180 minutes.

Kenny Dalglish could hardly quibble about the perspiration from his players – Glen Johnson and Dirk Kuyt walked away from Anfield looking like they had gone 12 rounds with David Haye – but inspiration was in short supply.

The passports can be tucked away and the big question is when will they be needed again?

Winning the Europa League presented Liverpool with their only realistic hope of qualifying for Europe next term.

With that chance gone and fifth place in the Premier League looking beyond them, the Reds are looking at a first season without European football since 1999/2000.

On the face of it for a club with such a proud tradition that would be a bitter blow but maybe a year focused on domestic matters wouldn’t be the end of the world.

For a start it would give Liverpool the chance to regroup and prepare a proper challenge to reclaim their place at Europe’s top table.

The fact that Liverpool used 32 players in 14 largely dismal games to get this far speaks volumes.

This failure against the sixth best side in Portugal was also a stark reminder to watching owner John Henry that a serious outlay of cash will be needed this summer to improve a squad littered with weaknesses.

Surely Henry will soon confirm that Dalglish’s return to the Anfield dugout is permanent.

The Scotsman has worked miracles since picking up the pieces following Roy Hodgson’s disastrous reign but the fact is he was left with too much to do.

Liverpool lost their way after a start brimming with promise last night.

Dalglish had urged the Reds to avenge the cowardly elbow directed into Andy Carroll’s face by Kaka in the first leg by overturning the 1-0 deficit and the team sheet looked to be a statement of intent.

Carroll was handed his first start alongside Dirk Kuyt following his eventful cameo in Portugal a week earlier.

With Maxi Rodriguez returned to the starting line up on one flank and Joe Cole on the other it looked like a team capable of posing Braga the sort of questions that weren’t asked in the first leg.

Carroll was the pivotal figure in the early onslaught as he terrorised the central defensive duo of Paulao and Alberto Rodriguez.

Inside eight minutes his flick on found Cole whose shot was parried away by Artur. From the rebound Carroll’s shot was deflected behind.

There was no respite for Braga as from the ensuing corner Carroll climbed highest at the back post to meet Raul Meireles’ corner but nodded wide.

Only a blatant shove in the back denied Carroll the chance to connect with another pinpoint delivery from Meireles. Rather than point to the spot, Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi bizarrely penalised the Reds striker.

However, momentum wasn’t maintained and as the half wore on Liverpool went downhill fast.

The £35million acquisition of Carroll has undoubtedly given Liverpool a Plan B but that is no reason to completely abandon Plan A.

Rather than pass and move in a bid to get in behind Braga, the Reds got sucked into the trap of pumping a succession of long balls forward in Carroll’s direction.

They went too direct too often rather than looking to get to the byline and pick out the big man with quality deliveries from wide areas. He’s got a decent left foot to match his aerial prowess but he didn’t get the opportunity to show it.

Braga, who were hammered 6-0 at Arsenal last September, could hardly believe their luck as attack after attack petered out and the visitors grew in confidence.

Left-back has been a problem area for the Reds all season with the hapless Paul Konchesky falling a long way short of Anfield standards before being banished out on loan and Fabio Aurelio spending long periods on the treatment table.

Danny Wilson has helped to fill the void but the teenage Scotsman isn’t a full-back and endured a testing first half.

His poor clearance played the Reds into trouble and he was relieved to see Lima’s shot deflected behind.

Martin Skrtel then came to Wilson’s rescue to thwart Alan after the goal scorer in the first leg turned away from the youngster.

The ball may have stayed on the floor for longer periods in the second half but too often it went sideways or backwards as Liverpool toiled.

It was pedestrian and predictable with Cole and Maxi Rodriguez’s habit of drifting inside leaving Liverpool desperately short of width.

Carroll, increasingly starved of service, went into the book after taking out his frustration on Alberto Rodriguez’s ankles.

Both Carroll and Kuyt didn’t help Liverpool’s bid to sustain any meaningful spell of pressure as they kept carelessly straying offside.

Chances were at a premium. There was no spark, no cutting edge. There was a spirited late rally with Carroll’s goal-bound header striking Kuyt before Skrtel was thwarted by a fine stop from Artur but there was no way through. This was Braga’s night.

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