Liverpool vs. Sion: Score and Reaction from 2015 Europa League Match

Liverpool failed to win their second UEFA Europa League match on Thursday, playing out a disappointing 1-1 draw with Swiss side FC Sion at Anfield, England.

The result sees the visitors take the lead in Group B, two points ahead of the Reds and Bordeaux, who could only manage a 0-0 draw against Rubin Kazan.

Adam Lallana gave Liverpool an early lead, but a defensive error allowed Ebenezer Assifuah to equalise in the first half. The Reds failed to get anything going in the second half, allowing the visitors to easily defend the 1-1 draw.

With the Merseyside derby against Everton on the schedule for the Reds, Thursday's disappointing outing was anything but the perfect preparation for Sunday's vital clash.

As shared by the club's official Twitter account, manager Brendan Rodgers decided to hand both Divock Origi and Danny Ings the chance to start, with Jordon Ibe sliding into the left wing-back position:

Ibe provided the Reds with a great dynamic down the wing early, and led by the young winger, the Reds looked dangerous from the opening whistle. Lallana first threatened with a lofted free-kick, and just minutes into the match, the midfielder opened the score after superb work from Origi.

The Belgian used his pace to get open down the flank before pulling the ball back for Lallana, who easily converted from close range.

Sportswriter Paul Tomkins liked Origi's effort:

The goal gave Liverpool the perfect start to the match, but rather than chase a second, the Reds appeared content to play the ball around a bit and draw Sion out. Chances were few during the opening stages, although a deflected shot from Origi fell kindly from Ibe, putting visiting goalkeeper Andris Vanins to work.

Liverpool appeared to be in control, but a momentary lapse of concentration allowed the visitors to equalise out of nowhere. Assifuah timed his run perfectly, but Joe Gomez chose the wrong time to step out and Ibe was nowhere to be found, allowing the Ghanaian far too much space to run and convert past Simon Mignolet.

Liverpool FC News didn't like their youngster's positioning:

Ings thought he'd restored the lead after a great ball in from Nathaniel Clyne, but the linesman correctly judged the forward to be offside. Meanwhile, Sion continued to threaten, with Leo Lacroix guiding a header into the arms of Mignolet.

Sion were happy to defend the 1-1 draw and did an excellent job sucking all of the energy out of the match, as the Reds failed to find any openings in the defence. Lacroix in particular was impressive tracking down Origi and Ings, and with the two forwards struggling to find space, Liverpool's creative options in midfield had no answers.

When the ball did finally fall into a dangerous area, Lacroix produced a fantastic tackle to deny Origi, who seemed destined to score.

Sport Witness didn't like the look of the Reds as they made their way off the pitch for half-time:

Liverpool wanted to start the second half the same way they started the first, and Ings immediately drew a save from Vanins with an angled drive. Minutes later, Kolo Toure nearly sent social media into full meltdown mode, hitting the cross bar with an overhead kick.

Paddy Power was disappointed:

While the start to the second half looked promising for the Reds, they once again couldn't keep up the pace. Before long, the match became a battle for possession in midfield, and chances or shots on goal became a rarity.

Some fans started getting angry:

"

Some people are surprised at the empty seats tonight. I'm surprised there are occupied seats. People have paid actual money to watch this.

— Joe (@JoeScouse_LFC) October 1, 2015"

Rodgers had seen enough, taking off the hard-working but ineffective Ings and introducing Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool's top play-maker. Alberto Moreno had also come on, and the Spanish full-back was very active in the attacking third, putting some real pressure on the Swiss defence. 

Coutinho tried his luck with a free-kick from long range, but Vanins was paying attention, quickly moving across his line to stop the shot. Emre Can also had a decent look on goal, but his header flew off target.

The Reds did far too little to threaten Sion, however, and after 90 minutes, the 1-1 score was still on the board. The Anfield Chat was anything but satisfied:

The 1-1 draw is a fantastic result for Sion, who weren't expected to do much in Group B but suddenly find themselves in the lead after two matches. Liverpool still look like the strongest team in the group on paper, but Rodgers' men have looked anything but impressive in Europe so far, and they'll have to turn it around in a hurry.

A double-header against winless Rubin Kazan may be just what the doctor ordered, but the Reds can't afford to drop any points against the Russians.   

Post-Match Reaction

Rodgers told BT Sport (h/t talkSPORT) he was disappointed by the result, looking at his forward's inability to finish chances as the main reason the Reds failed to grab the win:

"

The result was disappointing, considering the number of chances we created.  We worked well and had a good start but gave away a disappointing goal with a young player just learning the game, it was probably their only chance.

To give away a goal like and create as many chances as we did, you've got to have enough quality to finish and that was unfortunately the story for us. We worked hard but we should have scored the goals with the chances we created.

"

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