False hopes: Liverpool celebrate Ngog's goal, but the cheers were to turn to tears
Loyal: Liverpool fans show their support in Debrecen, but their patience will be severely tested now
Breakthrough: David Ngog flicks home the opening goal for Liverpool
Down and out: Rafa Benitez contemplates Liverpool's failure as Steven Gerrard trudges off
Night of pain: Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez looks on as Steven Gerrard walks off the field
Horror show: Liverpool¿s anguished players watch on a TV in the tunnel area as Lyon miss a late chance against Fiorentina to seal their fate in this season's Champions League
Blow: Steven Gerrard couldn't hide his disappointment as Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League
Bitter pill to swallow: David Ngog scored Liverpool's goal against Debrecen but the Merseysiders have still been knocked out of the Champions League
Liverpool suffered the humiliation of being relegated to the Europa League on a night of drama in Europe.
Manager Rafael Benitez admitted they had only themselves to blame after suffering an agonising Champions League exit.
After beating Debrecen 1-0 in the Ferenc Puskas Stadium, the Liverpool players watched anxiously on a television monitor in the tunnel as their fate was sealed.
Fiorentina hung on to a 1-0 win of their own at home against Lyon, who they join in the first knock-out round.
There were no excuses from the Spanish manager, a Champions League winner in 2005 and runner-up in 2007, as he pinpointed last minute goals in both games against French side Lyon as the moments that cost five-time European champions Liverpool qualification from the group stage for the first time in seven years.
'We did our job tonight, and I couldn't have asked for any more, but if you look back over the group, those two late goals made a massive difference,' he said.
'We made mistakes in those games in the last minute, so we have to accept it's our fault in the end.
'I'm really disappointed because we had so many chances in every game and could have won them all. 'This really hurts, especially the way we are out. You think back to those two goals against Lyon and realise that avoiding just one of them could have made all the difference. We could still have been in there fighting. But we can't change it now and have to be positive.
We have to make sure we are at our best in our next game against Everton because the target now has to be to try and put a winning run together in the Premier League.'
Benitez insisted Liverpool had become a victim of their own success in the Champions League after qualifying for the knock-out phase every season since he took over in 2004.
'We are in a very bad position and can't win the Champions League now,' he said. 'But it is worth remembering a lot of teams don't even make it into this competition. Because we have qualified for five years in row, people think it's easy, but it's not.
'I don't think the disappointment will linger with the players. They know it has been a bad run of games and that they could have been better in at least two of them. But at least they won tonight and showed a lot of character, and they deserve some credit for that.
'I feel so sorry for the players, staff and fans, but we will pick ourselves up and be in the right frame of mind for the derby. I honestly think people have got a bit complacent about us in this competition because we go through every year. They are expecting us to get to the final every year, but no-one has a divine right to do that.
'We knew at half-time Fiorentina were winning, then at the end, we were waiting for the final whistle over there. It was difficult to take, but all we can think about now is winning the derby on Sunday.'
Despite the bitter blow of crashing out, and the financial implications, Benitez was given a rousing endorsement by managing director Christian Purslow.
Liverpool will be £2.6million out of pocket, after budgeting for reaching the first knock-out round, but Purslow declared: 'Tonight I'm delighted really at the positive signs. We should have won by a lot more.
'We've got players coming back from injury and it's really important our fans understand that we've got some heroes out there, doing it on the park in the past few games, half-fit or on painkilling jabs to do a job for our club.
'I came more in hope than expectation, but I'm very sad because things didn't go for us, but the die was cast with two late goals against Lyon. Those are the fine margins in football.
We have turned a corner in terms of the injuries, and the performance was evidence of that. It sets us up nicely for a really big game on Sunday, which we go into in a positive frame of mind.
'We budget for a level of performance that maybe fans would not like to be at, but it's prudent, if we have three home games in the Europa League, we are at the equivalent to what we budget for in the Champions League.
'It's a missed opportunity, financially, but it has no effect on budgeted performance, and that's the key thing. Budget prudently and then you don't get negative surprises if football doesn't go the right way.
'This has no bearing on Rafa whatsoever. He signed a new five-year deal four months ago and in those terms he is four months into a five-year journey.
'You don't deviate from long-term plans for people and the way to take the club to the next level because of two late goals against Lyon, and that's what it boils down to.'
Captain Steven Gerrard was crestfallen but insisted his club should now concentrate on winning the Europa League, having won the UEFA Cup just eight years ago.
'Of course it's disappointing, we played fantastically well tonight and despite getting three points we don't progress.
'Hopefully now we'll be in the Europa League so we'll try to win that.
'The main prize has gone and to be playing in the Europa League is disappointing but we have to accept that, move on and try to win that competition.
'The only consolation in this is if we go on and win the secondary one.'
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, whose side sealed their passage to the last 16 with a 2-0 win over Standard Liege at the Emirates thanks to goals from Samir Nasri and Denilson, insisted he was not surprised Liverpool were eliminated from the competition.
Wenger said: ‘You always favoured Fiorentina at home against Lyon, who are not on an especially good run, to qualify for the first time in their history.
‘I thought it would be difficult for Liverpool to qualify.
‘They can, of course, respond well and do well in the Europa League.’
When asked if Wenger was glad his Premier League rivals were out, the Frenchman replied: ‘Frankly, no. Anyway, If Liverpool are out, another big team is in. We cannot play against them in the next stage anyway.’
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