Time runs out for luckless Liverpool

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Trailing to AC Milan but buoyed by Dirk Kuyt's last-minute header, Benitez's men entered what should have been three minutes of stoppage time desperately searching for a leveller, but German referee Herbert Fandel blew up after just two minutes and 44 seconds, which included an AC Milan substitution that should have seen an extra 30 seconds played.

"It is not an excuse but I am disappointed," said Benitez. "After Dirk scored, we were confident we could get another but I was surprised by the lack of time we were given."

He added: "It could have made a difference but in the end, I suppose you need to score in the 90 minutes."

Benitez felt his side were in control until Filippo Inzaghi fortuitously deflected Andrea Pirlo's free-kick past Pepe Reina in the final minute of the opening period.

The goal transformed the contest as, from being in a relatively comfortable position, Liverpool were forced to chase the game in a manner that offered Kaka and Pirlo a chance to open them up.

A second duly arrived eight minutes from time when Kaka brilliantly set up Inzaghi for his second, ensuring Kuyt's point-blank header proved nothing more than a consolation.

"We were going forward and creating chances and overall I felt we were controlling the game," said Benitez. "Then Milan scored a bad goal from a deflection, which meant we had to go forward more and leave bigger spaces.

"Even in the second-half I felt we were really close but we were still losing, so I brought on Peter Crouch for Javier Mascherano. It allowed us to take more risks in attack but then we lost control of the midfield.

"Unfortunately, when you do that against a side like Milan, they can kill you with one opportunity. It only takes one pass from Kaka and that is what happened."