Basel claimed yet another English scalp in the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in Group B this evening.
Marco Streller proved to be the match winner for the hosts as he swept home a loose ball from close range after the Reds had failed to clear their lines from a corner.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a frustrating evening for Brendan Rodgers's side at St Jakob-Park.
Match statistics
BASEL
Shots: 11
On target: 5
Possession: 56%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 9
LIVERPOOL
Shots: 15
On target: 5
Possession: 44%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
Truth be told, this was a pretty dire game of football. Neither side threatened too much in the final third and chances were few and far between throughout the 90 minutes. Basel got a stroke of luck with their goal, and that proved to be the difference between the two sides tonight.
Both teams would have been fairly encouraged at the start of the game, with the defences from either side looking shaky. However, the attackers were even worse and failed to capitalise on the space they were afforded at times. There was a noticeable lack of quality for both sides in the final third this evening.
Liverpool certainly didn't do enough to win this match, but they will still feel that Basel weren't too much better than them. They may feel that a draw would have been the fairest result, but if either side deserved to win then it was the hosts. There wasn't too much between the teams, but Basel were able to make the most of a rare clear chance, while Liverpool weren't.
Basel's performance
Basel won this match tonight because they were marginally the better side - or rather, a more accurate way of putting it might be to say that Liverpool were slightly worse. It was not a classic display from the hosts, who rarely threatened Simon Mignolet in the opposition goal and struggled to create many clear chances.
However, they saw more of the ball and were the side in control of the game for the longest periods. Streller's goal was messy and had no small element of luck about it, but just before that they had another good chance which was about as close as Liverpool came all night.
They will need to improve in the coming matches if they are to hold on to their place in the top two of Group B, but Paulo Sousa will not be too worried about his side's performance right now. The main priority this evening was to pick up three points, and he will be delighted to have got off the mark against their closest rivals for second.
Liverpool's performance
Hugely disappointing from Liverpool. For a side that relied on intensity and fast-paced play during their sensational run last season, they were remarkably flat and uninspiring in the final third tonight. They actually got themselves into a number of good positions, but the final ball was dreadful and the decision-making even worse.
Their key players - most notably Raheem Sterling - had an off day and, in truth, the visitors looked tired. They were sluggish in possession and had none of the zip and tempo that made them such a tough team to play against last season. The added burden of European football may already be having an effect, and that is something Rodgers will have to address.
He will have rarely seen his side as poor as they were tonight. Both teams struggled to carve out clear chances, but Liverpool were particularly poor going forward. Whenever they finally did find a way through, they wasted the chance and Rodgers can have no complaints at coming away from this one empty-handed.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Geoffrey Serey Die: This was not a match blessed with quality on either side, but one player stood out in the middle of the park. Geoffrey Serey Die was powerful on and off the ball as he prevented the Liverpool midfield from getting any joy whatsoever, while he also broke forward and threatened on a couple of occasions. A bright spark in an otherwise dull match.
Biggest gaffe
This one has to go to Martin Skrtel, who got too tied up in closely marking his man at a corner and subsequently gave away the chance that brought the goal. The ball hit Skrtel on the back of the head before also clipping Dejan Lovren on the way through, forcing Mignolet to make a reaction stop. However, he could only claw the ball to Streller, who fired it home.
Referee performance
Jonas Eriksson had a relatively quiet night tonight, although he did get one big decision wrong as he failed to award Basel a penalty five minutes into the second half. Sterling got the wrong side of Derlis Gonzalez and brought him down, but the referee waved the claims away. It wasn't a stone-waller, but it probably should have been a spot kick.
What next?
Basel: It is back to domestic action for Basel as they face St Gallen in the Swiss Super League on Saturday.
Liverpool: Liverpool are also in action on Saturday as they host West Bromwich Albion at Anfield.
Barney Corkhill
