Forget Fiorentina, here are Rafa's 10 worst Liverpool horror shows

Published 15:49 30/09/09

Rafa Benitez has declared that Liverpool's performance at Fiorentina on Tuesday night was the worst of his six seasons in charge at Anfield.

"I cannot really recall a performance like that. We certainly will never be as bad again," fumed the Liverpool boss after Torres, Gerrard and co crashed to a 2-0 defeat in the Champions League.

But perhaps Benitez has got a short memory, for the Reds have suffered more than a few shockers under his management. Liverpool fans might like to look away now, as, in chronological order, MirrorFootball remembers 10 Rafa horror shows…

1) Burnley 1-0 Liverpool (FA Cup 3rd round, January 18, 2005)
Liverpool crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Championship side Burnley, thanks to a memorable moment of madness in the second half from hapless French defender Djimi Traore, who inexplicably attempted to deal with a Burnley cross with a Zidane-style pirouette, only to turn the ball into his own net.

2) Liverpool 1-4 Chelsea (Premier League, October 2, 2005)
Five months earlier, the Reds had ended Chelsea's Champions League dreams in the semi-finals at Anfield, but Jose Mourinho got his revenge by inflicting Liverpool's worst home defeat in 36 years, with goals from Frank Lampard, Damien Duff, Joe Cole and Geremi doing the damage against a shell-shocked Liverpool team.

3) Everton 3-0 Liverpool (Premier League, September 9, 2006)
In their biggest derby defeat in 42 years, the Reds lost 3-0 to their bitter rivals. Tim Cahill got the opener, a mistake from Jamie Carragher let in Andy Johnson for the second and Pepe Reina's fumble set up Johnson for the third. To rub it in, Johnson celebrated by indicating the result with his fingers. To really rub it in, Everton rush-released the game on DVD.

4) Arsenal 3-0 Liverpool (Premier League, November 12, 2006)
The Gunners ended Liverpool's flickering hopes of the Premier League title, beating them 3-0 in a clinical performance at the Emirates Stadium. Mathieu Flamini put Arsenal in front and Kolo Toure doubled their lead, before William Gallas was left completely unmarked to head home the third. Still, there was always the FA Cup…

5) Liverpool 1-3 Arsenal (FA Cup 3rd round, January 6, 2007)
Arsenal dumped the Reds out of the FA Cup with a masterclass in counter-attacking. Tomas Rosicky curled a shot past Reina for the first goal, and the Czech added a second just before the break. Dirk Kuyt pulled one back for Liverpool, but Thierry Henry killed off their hopes, robbing Carragher to slot home the third. Still, there was always the League Cup…

6) Liverpool 3-6 Arsenal (League Cup 5th round, January 9, 2007)
Four days after their first-team had knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup, Arsenal's second string did the same in the League Cup, becoming the first team in 77 years to score six at Anfield. Julio Baptista inflicted most of the pain with four goals, while Reds defender Gabriel Paletta achieved the remarkable feat of making Jeremie Aliadiere look good.

7) Reading 3-1 Liverpool (Premier League, December 8, 2007)
In a shambolic performance at the Madejski Stadium, the Reds lost 3-1 at the hands of Premier League strugglers Reading. Stephen Hunt, Kevin Doyle and James Harper scored for the Royals, while Benitez didn't exactly help the cause by substituting Torres and Gerrard to keep them fresh for Champions League action.

8) Liverpool 1-2 Barnsley (FA Cup 5th round, February 16, 2008)
The Reds started this FA Cup tie in fine form, taking the lead through Dirk Kuyt and forcing Barnsley keeper Luke Steele to make a string of saves, but Stephen Foster grabbed an equaliser for the Tykes, before some dismal defending let in Brian Howard for the winner in injury time. For Phil Thompson's reaction on Soccer Saturday , scroll down.

9) Manchester United 3-0 Liverpool (Premier League, March 23, 2008)
Liverpool found themselves outclassed by their fierce rivals at Old Trafford after Javier Mascherano took an early bath (eventually) for arguing with referee Steve Bennett over a series of challenges by United players. Wes Brown put the home side in front, Cristiano Ronaldo headed home the second and Nani completed the rout.

10) Liverpool 1-3 Chelsea (Champions League quarter-final 1st leg, April 8, 2009)
Guus Hiddink's Chelsea simply tore Liverpool apart at Anfield with a breathtaking display of attacking football. The Reds had actually taken the lead through Fernando Torres, but Chelsea responded in style, overpowering Liverpool with two goals from Branislav Ivanovic and one from Didier Drogba, leaving the Reds with a mountain to climb in the second leg.