Cole left frustrated as Reds blow lead

Liverpool 2 Young Boys 2

The 31-year-old’s first Liverpool goal in 19 months appeared to have secured victory over Young Boys to ensure progress to the knockout stages from Group A.

But having led once through Jonjo Shelvey’s fourth European goal of the season only to be pegged back by Raul Bobadilla’s brilliant equaliser, Brendan Rodgers’ side conceded to Elsad Zverotic with two minutes to go.

Liverpool now have to avoid defeat in Udinese in a fortnight to have a chance of progressing.

But Cole, who scored a goal and set up another, believes they should not find themselves in such a precarious position.

“It’s disappointing. It was just the game management at the end,” he said. “We need to see the game out. Maybe we had a few young players on the pitch but we should have killed the game off.”

The veteran midfielder’s place at Anfield has been questioned in the recent past but he believes he still has a future under Rodgers.

“Of course. I was a good player at West Ham, Chelsea and Lille and I think I can be a good player at Liverpool,” he said. “I’m getting stronger with every game.

“It was my third game back from a hamstring problem and I felt good.

“On a personal note it was quite good. The overall sense though is disappointment that we didn’t see it out in the end. But the young lads especially have been terrific this year. We just keep going.”

With Group A leaders Anzhi having beaten Udinese earlier in the evening, Liverpool knew victory would see them progress.

Defeat for the visitors would’ve put them out and they started brightly, fashioning several chances inside the opening 11 minutes.

But it was the hosts who went ahead through Shelvey, heading in Cole’s adroit cross just after half an hour.

They were pegged back just after the break, however, when Argentinian striker Bobadilla smashed an unstoppable left-footed drive past Pepe Reina.

Cole then rolled back the years, as well as his marker, to turn on the pass supplied by Steven Gerrard via the Luis Suarez and plant a shot past Marco Wolfli.

Luck was definitely on the midfielder’s side as before the goal Rodgers had summoned Raheem Sterling to be his final substitute and 31-year-old Cole ultimately made way for a player 14 years his junior.

Watching on from the bench Cole was denied his moment of glory by Zverotic’s swerving 88th-minute equaliser.

LIVERPOOL: Reina; Carragher, Skrtel, Wisdom (Gerrard 31); Sahin, Cole (Sterling 75), Henderson, Downing, Shelvey; Assaidi, Suso (Suarez 60).

YOUNG BOYS: Wolfli; Nef, Zverotic, Veskovac (Ojala 23), Sutter; Lecjaks, Farnerud, Schneuwly (Vitkieviez 82), Nuzzolo (Frey 77); Bobadilla, Zarate.

Referee: Alon Yefet (Isr).