Liverpool departed from the European Cup last night, and rather more meekly than a first glance at the aggregate score might suggest. They were well beaten in the end by a Polish side who have emerged from their long winter break looking like genuine contenders for the title once held by Bob Paisley's team. The feeling remains, however, that they might not have been able to do so but for the absence of Kenny Dalglish, whose importance to Liverpool was never more starkly illustrated than by their long periods of impotence in the face of a sound defence backed by an excellent goalkeeper. After half an hour, during which Neal scored from a penalty, reducing Widzew's two goal lead from the first leg, the hope that this would be one of Anfield's great European nights began to ebb away. An equaliser by Tlokinski, also from the spot, meant that Liverpool would have to score three further goals to win and when Smolarek underlined his constant threat on the break by putting Widzew ahead on the night, the Poles began to play relaxed football, confident in the knowledge that they were through to the semi-finals. Rush and Hodgson came back with goals in the closing stages, the latter's empty winner being greeted almost with indifference by the Anfield crowd, who went on to demonstrate their enduring sportsmanship by giving Widzew an ovation of remarkable warmth. The Liverpool supporters, several thousand of whom had been locked out when the gates closed 20 minutes before kickoff, had begun the night by giving raucous vent to the rather more partisan feelings that were commonplace in hungrier times. The news that Dalglish was out with a stomach upset - Hodgson taking his place - simply made them more determined to sweep the team to victory on a tide of emotion. Though the Poles showed little evidence of nervousness is the face of it all, the sheer weight of Liverpool's early pressure told on them, and after 15 minutes, the English champions went ahead. Neal flighted a free-kick beyond the far post and as Kennedy rose to head it back, Filipczak appeared to shoot up a hand instinctively.

When the ball made contact the referee had little hesitation in pointing to the spot and Neal, who failed with a penalty against Brighton in the FA Cup last month, made no mistake. This seemed the perfect opportunity for Liverpool to settle to their normal fluent game, but without Dalglish they lacked subtlety and their continued ascendancy carried little threat to Mlynarczyk before the Poles broke clear and equalised in the 34th minute. The heavy pitch, which had taken a good deal of rain, beat Souness as he tried to turn just outside his own penalty area. He slipped and Rozborski immediately played an astute ball into the area, where Smolarek did the rest. He touched the ball wide of Grobbelaar as the goalkeeper dived at his feet and was brought down by a flailing hand. The European career of Bob Paisley was effectively ended in the few minutes after half-time when Hansen struck a low drive against a post and Filipczak broke clear down the Polish right before drawing Grobbelaar and setting up the simplest of chances for Smolarek. Liverpool sent on Fairclough, the former supersub, for the last 25 minutes, but the task was too great. Rush averted the possibility of defeat with an equaliser 11 minutes from time, taking advantage of a rare defensive error by Swiatek, and in the dying seconds Hodgson spoiled what was becoming a marvellous exhibition of Mlynarczyk's technique by hooking in Liverpool's third.

Bob Paisley had little praise for the Polish champions: "Lodz won't win the cup. I was surprised at their attitude, the way they kicked our players and their cry baby attitude whenever they went down," he said. The Liverpool manager thought the absence of Dalglish a crucial factor: "There was a lot of tension and some of them couldn't cope with it. Kenny is one man who can handle that. We made three blatant mistakes in two games and were punished."

Liverpool’s campaign to win the European Cup for a fourth time ended in forlorn yet glorious failure at Anfield last night. They drew on every ounce of commitment their weary legs could summon to answer the cruel conspiracy of fate which has dogged them through this quarter-final tie. But ultimately it was all they could do to preserve an unbeaten home record in European matches, which stretches back to 1973. The task of pulling back a two-goal deficit against the undeniably gifted Polish champions had looked daunting enough before they lost the unique skills of Kenny Dalglish to a stomach bug before the match. For a fleeting period in the first-half their survival chances looked realistic. A Phil Neal penalty, awarded after Filipczak had handled Alan Kennedy's header, gave them a 15th minute lead. And for a quarter of an hour the Poles were clearly rattled by a barrage of shots, albeit most of them from long range, and the passionate atmosphere generated by Anfield's biggest crowd of the season. But from the moment Lodz poached a 33rd minute equaliser the tie slipped beyond even Liverpool's powers of recovery. A chill went around the ground as skipper Graeme Souness, who set an inspirational example to the men around him, dallied and then lost his feet thirty yards from the Kop goal. Rozborski pounced in an instant and sent Smolarek clear.

The splendidly swift and elusive World Cup winger fell as he tried to round Grobbelaar's out-stretched hands, West German referee, Tritschler, pointed to the spot and Tlokinski scored comfortably from the penalty. Liverpool, thrown back to square one, lost Ronnie Whelan with a knee injury within four minutes and in the 52nd minute Lodz clinically exposed the inevitable gaps left by Liverpool's gamble in throwing caution to the wind in search of goals. A long pass by Swiatek released Filipczak down the right touchline and he had time to measure the square pass which gave Smolarek the simplest of chances to score at an unguarded far post. From then on Liverpool were playing for their pride and if they lacked the guile Dalglish can bring to their game in the penalty area, sheer effort and determination kept up the heavy bombardment on the Lodz goal. Shots rebounded off bodies and legs, Polish international goalkeeper, Jozef Mlynarczyk, made a series of scrambling saves and Alan Hansen struck the foot of a post with a low 20 yard drive. It was 80 minutes before Ian Rush struck an equaliser. And, right on time, David Hodgson volleyed spectacularly home from close range from a Sammy Lee corner to give Liverpool a victory worthy of their courageous fight.