Eight is enough: Liverpool posts historic win

Alvaro Arbeloa (L) and Peter Crouch congratulate Liverpool teammate Yossi Benayoun after he scored the team’s second goal.

Liverpool, England  - Yossi Benayoun had a hat trick and Ryan Babel and Peter Crouch each had two goals as Liverpool defeated Besiktas, 8-0, on Tuesday in the most lopsided win in the history of the Champions League.

Benayoun, who also had two assists, scored three straight goals as Liverpool, last year’s runner-up, won its first match of this year’s competition to stay in contention for a berth in the knockout round.

Liverpool (1-2-1), which just lost to Besiktas 2-1 in its last Champions game, still has its work cut out for it in the last two games of the group stage. It will likely need wins over FC Porto and Marseille to advance.

Liverpool has four points, four behind Group A leaders FC Porto and three back of second-place Marseille. FC Porto moved into first place in the group with a 2-1 victory over Marseille on Tuesday.

Crouch, who missed two chances in the first eight minutes, started Liverpool’s record-setting performance in the 19th minute. He got behind Besiktas’ defense after a pass from teammate Andriy Voronin was misplayed by Matias Delgado.

Crouch’s initial shot was stopped by Besiktas goalie Hakan Arikan but the tall striker ran onto the rebound on the left and place a shot into the empty net.

Liverpool pushed its edge to two goals in the 32nd minute when Benayoun scored the first of his three goals. Voronin was again responsible for setting up the score, making an accurate cross from the left side to an open Benayoun.

Benayoun settled the ball with his right foot, then shot the ball into the net past a helpless Arikan.

Benayoun added his second and third goals just three minutes apart after half, converting twice into an open net. Both goals came after Arikan coughed up the ball and Benayoun just had to tap the rebound into the goal.

Liverpool’s fifth goal was a perfect give-and-go from Gerrard and Voronin that ended with Gerrard’s deflected shot sailing into the upper left of the goal in the 69th minute.

Gerrard and Voronin were taken off after the goal, but Liverpool continued to pour it on.

Substitute Babel was responsible for Liverpool’s next two goals, the first an unbelievable back heel off a pass from Benayoun. Babel directed the ball into the lower left corner, again leaving Arikan stumped in the 78th minute.

With a jubilant crowd at Anfield chanting for a seventh, Babel forced Besiktas defender Ibrahim Toraman into a mistake that led to his second goal just three minutes later.

Babel pressure Toraman near the top of his own 18, and when he tried to clear the ball it deflected off Babel and sailed perfectly into the upper right.

Babel missed a hat trick in the 84th minute when he sent a header off the bar, but Liverpool still found the net one more time.

Crouch, who had seven goals in European competitions last year, headed a cross from Benayoun to score his second of the match in the 89th minute.

Arsenal and Juventus shared the previous record with seven-goal victories in Champions League play. Arsenal defeated at Slavia Prague, 7-0, last month and Juventus beat Olympiakos, 7-0, in 2003.

Liverpool remains at home for its next Champions match on Nov. 28 against FC Porto.

FC Porto (2-0-2) got goals from Tarik Sektioui and Lisandro Lopez on Tuesday to remain undefeated in Champions play with a 2-1 win over Marseille (2-1-1), which dropped its first match of the group stage.

Sektioui opened the scoring in the 27th minute, but Mamadou Niang equalized in the 47th for Marseille. Lopez scored the game-winner in the 78th.

In Group B on Tuesday, Steffen Iversen scored two goals as Norway’s Rosenborg defeated Valencia, 2-0, to continue its surprising play. Rosenborg (2-1-1) is second in the group and Valencia (1-3-0) is fourth.

Chelsea (2-0-2) held onto the top spot in the group following a 0-0 tie with Schalke (1-2-1), which is third.

In Group C on Tuesday, Tommaso Rocchi scored two goals as Lazio edged Werder Bremen, 2-1. Rocchi, who had his first goal off his own missed penalty kick, scored in the 57th and 68th minutes.

Diego converted a penalty kick in the 88th minute for Werder Bremen (1-3-0), which is last in the group. Lazio (1-1-2) is tied with Olympiakos for second.

Olympiakos (1-1-2) picked up a key point with a 0-0 draw against first-place Real Madrid (2-0-2) in the group’s other match.

In Group D on Tuesday, defending champion AC Milan (3-1-0) defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 to remain atop the group. Filippo Inzaghi scored twice and Kaka had one for AC Milan. Shakhtar Donetsk (2-2-0) is third in the group.

Celtic (2-2-0) got a goal from Aidan McGeady to defeat Benfica, 1-0, in the group’s other match to move into second place. Benfica (1-3-0) is fourth.

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