Saviola on hand to sink Pool

Monaco 1 Liverpool 0

Liverpool lost Spanish imports Luis Garcia and then Josemi - both taken off on stretchers - as they slumped to a frustrating Group A defeat. The manner of Monaco’s winner, Saviola scoring after apparently handling the ball in the box, left Liverpool furious.

Fuming Rafael Benitez slammed the controversial Monaco goal which left his side in desperate danger of missing out on the second round. Javier Saviola seemed to control the ball with his hand in the penalty area before drilling the winner past Reds keeper Chris Kirkland in the second-half.

Liverpool boss Benitez was furious with Danish referee Claus Bo Larsen for not penalising the Argentinian forward.

Saviola left the ground laughing, saying: “You will have to watch it on TV.”

Benitez said: “Everybody around the world could see it was a handball. The linesman could see it, and the referee said to my players he had seen it. But afterwards he was smiling and I do not know why.

“It was a bad game on a bad pitch and to lose to a handball makes things very difficult.

“The referee said the hand was close to the body, but everyone could see it was handball. When my staff went to see him afterwards to talk to him he was smiling, I do not understand that.

“When you see a referee in the right place and he still does not give the handball, and the linesman is also in the right spot and it is not given.

“I don’t think we need video evidence but it is important to have a referee with a clear conscience.

“We have four referees now around the pitch, but somebody has to say something. When my players tried to talk to him afterwards he was just smiling at them, I just do not understand that.”

Liverpool lost Luis Garcia with a hamstring injury which will keep him out for three weeks, to add to the list of injured stars that also includes Djibril Cisse and Milan Baros.

Spanish full-back Josemi was also carried off with a head wound that needed 20 stitches afterwards.

Monaco coach Didier Deschamps took a diplomatic view of Saviola’s winner and said: “I could not see the handball from where I was sitting, but I was aware the Liverpool bench were protesting.

“But the referee did not see it their way, which was good fortune for us.

“This was an important win for us, and it was certainly not easy. Liverpool are a very well-disciplined side.

“But we played well and the victory is important for us. But we still believe we have to win in Spain in our last match against Deportivo La Coruna, and that will also not be easy. But we are confident we can do it and we have the spirit in our team to achieve our goal.

“The situation is very complicated, with three teams still able to qualify. But we must not be frightened of the situation and just go to Spain with the right attitude. But we are more than aware that everything is still possible.”

MONACO: Roma, Evra, Plasil, Maicon, Zikos, Nonda, Squillaci, Farnerud (Modesto 79), Givet, Chevanton (Perez 67), Saviola (Adebayor 73).

LIVERPOOL: Kirkland, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore (Kewell 58), Gerrard, Hamann, Biscan, Riise, Luis Garcia (Josemi 4), Mellor, Josemi (Warnock 64).

Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark).