Atletico Madrid 1 Liverpool 0:THE DEBATE about the meaning of the Europa League for Liverpool is at an end. The real worth of the tournament was expressed in Atletico Madrid's resolute attitude that saw them reaching a level well beyond their wearying opponents in the closing stretch.

Their single goal lead, secured through Diego Forlan’s early strike, might have been doubled after 76 minutes when Jamie Carragher had to make a frantic clearance after Pepe Reina had blocked an angled drive by Tomas Ujfalusi.

As befits the home side, Atletico Madrid were more stimulated to go on the attack and Liverpool did not look their normal, well-drilled selves. A goal in the ninth minute from the former Manchester United attacker Forlan arose from slackness in defence and the scorer maintained the slapdash tone in the way he converted it.

Jose Manuel Jurado had far too much scope to cross and the Uruguayan, having miscued an attempted header, poked the loose ball past Reina.

The match, prior to the interval, was mostly haphazard when Liverpool were in possession. Nonetheless, they would have been level in the 19th minute had Yossi Benayoun not been ruled off-side incorrectly when taking a ball from Dirk Kuyt.

Infuriating as that was, Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, would also have been aghast by the disorganised play that only seemed to be corrected when half-an-hour had gone.

One very obvious reason, or excuse, could be advanced in the visitors’ enforced travel plans. The manner in which Liverpool made their way to this game, when English airports were closed, risked the self-pity that comes with tedium, but Benitez had been adamantly cheerful about a trek he preferred to think of as an exercise in team-building.

While Atletico were distressed by the unavailability of the Argentina striker Sergio Aguero through suspension, Liverpool lack the former Atletico forward Fernando Torres after his recent knee surgery. It had been drilled into manager Quique Sanchez Flores’ men, too, that no English side had ever won here in a European tie.

It was therefore a grind for Benitez’ team even to occupy territory initially, although there were hints by the interval of Liverpool achieving some concerted play.

This occasion required far more than that of Benitez’ players and immediately into the second half there was an even more marked feeling of the side striving to impose itself. Regardless of the greater effort and better organised passing, they were still being kept at too great a distance from the goalkeeper David De Gea.

In an episode that typified frustration, Steven Gerrard, the visitor’s captain, continued a run when he might have put Benayoun clear.

The general tone was encouraging for Atletico, who set out to dictate terms. Forlan was sent beyond the defence in the 54th minute but mysteriously attempted to finish with a fanciful and ineffective flick with the outside of the foot that caused puzzlement more than alarm to the Liverpool defence.

There had been true fear in the Liverpool ranks in the 57th minutes when Reina had to pull off an outstanding save. A cross reached Simao and his shot bounced off the turf before being tipped over the bar by a goalkeeper whose reflexes were uncanny.

Benitez’ had to intervene in a match where his line-up was again losing its edge. The ineffective striker David Ngog was removed, but Ryan Babel, the man introduced, is a wide midfielder who has to rummage for the memories of his time as a centre forward for Ajax and the Dutch national team.

Meanwhile, the volume rose in a home crowd that saw little cause to doubt its control of the night.

Liverpool now face a real challenge to recover in this tie at Anfield next Thursday. The side had spells of endeavour but the display did not gel. Frustrations familiar in the Premier League had seeped into the European scene.

• Guardian Service

ATLETICO MADRID:De Gea, Ujfalusi, Perea, Dominguez, Antonio Lopez, Paulo Assuncao, Simao (Valera 77), Raul Garcia, Reyes (Camacho 90), Jurado, Forlan (Salvio 85). Subs not used: Sergio Asenjo, Juanito, Cabrera, Borja. Booked: Valera.

LIVERPOOL:Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Agger, Kuyt, Lucas, Mascherano, Benayoun (El Zhar 83), Gerrard, Ngog (Babel 64). Subs not used: Cavalieri, Aquilani, Degen, Ayala, Pacheco. Booked: Kyrgiakos.

Referee: Laurent Duhamel (France).