FIORENTINA 2, LIVERPOOL 0

RAFA BENITEZ was left irritated by his Liverpool side as exciting prospect Stevan Jovetic scored both goals in Fiorentina's 2-0 Champions League win.

The young Montenegrin was the undisputed star of the show with his first-half brace that asked questions about the Reds' ability to progress from the group. After a narrow 1-0 win against a Debrecen team hammered 4-0 at home by Lyon on matchday two, the Premier League side clearly need to up their game.

The Merseysiders have bounced back from poor starts before the in the competition but the Anfield boss must be growing concerned with his side's defensive frailties. With in-form Fernando Torres muzzled in attack, there was no way back for the visitors with the damage done in the first half.

Pepe Reina was left totally exposed in the 28th minute when Jovetic, playing off main striker Adrian Mutu, sprung the offside trap to collect a through ball by Cristiano Zanetti and finish with an assurance belying his 19 years.

With the Serie A side defending resolutely, Liverpool were unable to force their way back into the game and their hopes were dealt a killer blow when Jovetic found the net again. The Stadio Artemio Franchi was rocking as Juan Vargas's powerful effort was diverted home by the alert teenager eight minutes before half time.

Liverpool knew a goal would not only get them back in the game but it would equal Bayern Munich's record of scoring in 22 consecutive Champions League fixtures. However, they found Sebastien Frey and his defenders in a determined mood after the break.

The Reds, clearly given a stern team-talk by Benitez, upped the tempo and Frey had to react smartly to keep out Yossi Benayoun, who had conceded possession for the home team's opener.

Lucas Leiva did little to improve his standing with some Kop fans by wastefully heading over from the resulting corner with the goal at his mercy while Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard saw efforts blocked.

Torres was furious when he felt he was fouled by Alessandro Gamberini inside the box, but no penalty was forthcoming, and the Spain hitman showed an uncharacteristic lack of composure when smashing a volley off target from a Martin Skrtel centre with time running out.

Cesare Prandelli's team offered little in way of attacking threat in the second half but their tactics proved spot-on as Liverpool slip to third in the group table ahead of back-to-back games against Lyon.

Benitez now has to pick his troops up for the huge fixture on Sunday against Chelsea in the Premier League.

"I was not only disappointed with the challenging midfield but all over the pitch," he said.

"But they did not produduce anything we did not expect. We had watched them, we knew about Jovetic.

"There was nothing new out there that surprised us but we still played badly.

"We now have Chelsea away at the weekend in an important Premier League game. I believe you will see a different Liverpool in that match, a totally different performance with a different mentality.

"Then we have Lyon home and away in this group. They are the leaders and it means we have to now win them both.

"Mentally, we will have better days than this. We certainly will not be as bad again.

"If you make too many mistakes against such sides, you will be punished. It is very simple.

"They were on top of us all the time. We played badly and they were just better than us."

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