Champions League: Stuttering stalemate was hardly an appropriate way to celebrate a century of home European games but, while all is not lost this morning, it is clearly far from well on Merseyside.
Sucker-punched by the unlikeliest of equalisers amidst frantic home pressure, and with Michael Owen punchless and crestfallen and substituted 11 minutes from the end, Liverpool's attempt to emerge from an increasingly daunting group continued to stall here last night.
Parity may have been harsh but was earned thanks to the acrobatics of the visiting goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuhler and the home side's profligacy in front of goal. Today Liverpool languish in third place in this group with victory at home to Spartak Moscow next week paramount.
It had been a week of soul-searching on Merseyside, with the humiliation of the run-around to which they had been subjected in Valencia still smarting in a squad who could not have expected to endure such a drubbing.
Their scorching start left Basle decidedly singed and the Liverpool fans puzzled to be only level at the interval. Gerard Houllier's team have never lost when John Arne Riise has scored and the Norwegian might have had a hat-trick in the opening seven minutes.
Danny Murphy's corner, earned 40 breathless seconds in, found Riise unmarked and his downward volley had to be tipped on to the bar by Zuberbuhler. A thumping shot into the side-netting followed before the 22-year-old gathered Milan Baros's astute pass and crashed another searing 25-yard drive which Zuberbuhler touched on to the woodwork.
With Steven Gerrard a blur of red tearing feverishly up and down the pitch and Baros, confidence as high as Owen's is low, menacing back-tracking defenders, reward seemed inevitable. After Owen had blazed wide after jinking away from a panicked Murat Yakin, it duly arrived.
Emile Heskey robbed the former Sunderland defender Bernt Haas and squared for Baros to poke a stunning first-time shot inside the diving Zuberbuhler's near post. It was the young Czech's fourth goal in three appearances this term and should have been followed by Sami Hyypia's first of the season, only for the excellent visiting goalkeeper to leap and tip away his flicked header.
A second concession before the interval would surely have flattened the Swiss challenge for good but, ridiculously given the home momentum, they were to retire level. Murat Yakin's scuffed attempt and Hakan Yakin's snap shot just wide had served warning and parity was achieved only after Jamie Carragher's missed header allowed Julio Rossi to gather Hakan Yakin's hopeful pass. The Argentinian slid the ball under Jerzy Dudek with Basle's first shot on target.
Liverpool should have regained the lead almost immediately with Baros twisting and beating Zuberbuhler only to see his shot strike post and bar and spin agonisingly across the goal-line. The goalkeeper recovered his poise sufficiently to deny Owen his elusive goal from open play from the follow-up, though he was thankful a palmed save from Heskey after the break eluded the England forward as the frenzied home pressure mounted.
Yet, where once there had been pattern to the home side's attacks, now the forward thrusts were sucked towards the Kop in sheer desperation. Bruno Cheyrou miskicked, while two optimistic penalty appeals were both quashed to suggest luck had long since deserted the home side.
Guardian Service
LIVERPOOL: Dudek, Carragher, Henchoz, Hyypia, Riise, Murphy, Gerrard, Cheyrou, Heskey (Diouf 70), Owen (Berger 79), Baros. Subs Not Used: Kirkland, Babbel, Diao, Biscan, Traore. Booked: Diouf. Goals: Baros 34.
BASLE: Zuberbuhler, Haas, Murat Yakin, Quennoz, Atouba, Barberis, Cantaluppi, Hakan Yakin (Duruz 68), Esposito, Juilio Rossi (Tum 74), Gimenez. Subs Not Used: Rapo, Zwyssig, Varela, Koumantarakis, Degn. Booked: Haas. Goals: Juilio Rossi 43.
Referee: Dick van Egmond (Holland).
