Despite having failed to properly test goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev with a number of chances the Reds seemed to be managing to hold on in their last-32 Europa League first-leg tie in the sub-zero Petrovsky Stadium.

But with 20 minutes remaining, Hulk powered home a brilliant 30-yard strike before substitute Sergei Semak converted from close-range moments later.

Liverpool — and in particular top scorer Luis Suarez — will have to rediscover their shooting boots for the return leg next week otherwise their last chance of a trophy this season will be lost.

For that reason, he selected virtually a full-strength side with captain Steven Gerrard starting his first away game in Europe this season.

The Russian champions fed off the fervor of their fans and displayed a sharpness which defied their two months without a competitive match as both striker Alexander Kerzhakov and Hulk, the latter from distance, were denied early on by Jose Reina.

In between, Suarez responded by turning Nicolas Lombaerts and rolling a shot past goalkeeper Malafeev and across goal but wide of the far post.

The Belgian defender was not having the best of nights as he then inexplicably passed the ball to Suarez who drove into the area, rounded Malafeev but was denied from a narrow angle as Lombaerts recovered to block.

However, Liverpool, in trying to play a cagey European-style game, sank further back into their own half and it only served to invite on the hosts who saw Danny’s header easily saved and Hulk hit the post.

The Reds’ attacking was sporadic at best on a pitch cutting up badly but five minutes before halftime, Suarez almost pinched a cheeky goal when the Zenit defense got themselves in a mess and Suarez backheeled Sterling’s low cross just wide.

Johnson had a shot blocked by Malafeev after a long, driving run early in the second half while Suarez fired wide again as Liverpool could not find a clinical edge inside the penalty area.

It was a failing which cost the Reds dearly on Monday as they were caught cold by West Brom, who scored twice late on at Anfield.

While they had not had the same dominance as they enjoyed against the Baggies, they were not exactly in trouble — and that was when they were exposed.

With 20 minutes to go Jordan Henderson was dispossessed and Hulk, who had previously threatened without being worryingly dangerous, smashed one in to give Reina no chance.

But the defending for the second goal less than three minutes later raised plenty of questions as right back Alexander Anyukov’s low cross was drilled home at the far post by Semak.

Gerrard’s free kick forced a low save from Malafeev but no-one was on hand to capitalize on the rebound but Liverpool appeared to still be going backwards rather than forwards.

It encouraged Zenit to go for what would surely have been the killer third and Viktor Fayzulin saw his long-range effort deflected narrowly wide.

Liverpool will require a much-improved performance in a week’s time if it is to turn around the deficit and keep its quest for silverware alive.

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Marco Reus gave Dortmund the lead after three minutes and Jakub Blaszczykowski doubled the advantage in the ninth minute from the spot. Stefan Reinartz scored a brace in the 58th and 62nd minutes to equalize only to see Robert Lewandowski make it 3-2 seconds later.

Blaszczykowski saw his second penalty attempt stopped in the 70th minute but Dortmund held on for the victory, its fourth in a row as it continues to trail Bayern by 12 points.

Leverkusen suffered its first Bundesliga loss at home this season as it dropped down to third.

Dortmund was without first-choice goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, who missed the match with the flu and was replaced by Mitchell Langerak.

But the visitors grabbed the lead after just three minutes with Lewandowski sending a superb through ball for Reus, who hit a looping shot over Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Leno then dragged down Lewandowski in the eighth minute for a Dortmund penalty which Blaszczykowski converted into the lower left corner to make it 2-0.

Leverkusen missed two chances to pull a goal back in the first half with Stefan Kiessling’s header going over the bar in the 14th minute and Andre Schurrle striking just high a minute before the break.

The hosts continued their push forward but were unable to use a double chance in the 50th minute with Langerak stopping Kiessling’s close-range shot and Dortmund defender Mats Hummels blocking Schurrle’s rebound attempt at the line.

Leverkusen finally made it 2-1 after 58 minutes as Kiessling looped the ball over the defense before Reinartz poked home from six yards.

Leverkusen equalized four minutes later from a set piece with Gonzalo Castro’s free kick going to Sebastian Boenisch, who headed it back across goal for Reinartz to nod home.

Dortmund answered right back in the 63rd minute with Philipp Wollscheid playing a poor back pass to Leno, who fended the ball away but right into the path of Lewandowski to give him an easy finish.

Dortmund missed a chance to re-establish the two-goal lead in the 70th minute as Leno held Blaszczykowski’s spot kick to the lower right corner after Boenisch took down Lewandowski.

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Emmanuel Emenike gave the Super Eagles the lead just before the break and although Cheick Tiote equalized early in the second half, Sunday Mba’s deflected effort won the game for Nigeria, which will now face Mali in the semifinals on Wednesday.

Boubacar Barry, Yaya Toure and Gervinho all returned for the Elephants after they were rested for the 2-2 draw against Algeria.

Fedor Ogude was suspended for Nigeria but John Obi Mikel returned, while Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo was not 100 percent fit having picked up a knock in the opening match of the competition.

Nigeria created the first chance after just six minutes when a Victor Moses free kick from the right was headed over the bar by Brown Ideye from six yards out.

Souleymane Bamba produced a overhead kick from a Romaric corner after 13 minutes, but his effort went over the bar.

Nigeria had the best chance of what was a dull opening 30 minutes when Ideye played the ball through to Emenike on the counter-attack, only for the Spartak Moscow man to screw his shot wide from inside the box.

Emenike made up for that miss three minutes before the break, though, rifling home a 25-yard free-kick past Barry. The goalkeeper would have been disappointed with his effort, flapping at the ball as it whistled past his head and into the net.

Ivory Coast was level three minutes after the interval when Didier Drogba’s free kick from the left was headed home by Tiote from close range.

Nigeria fought back and almost took the lead were it not for Barry, who atoned somewhat for his earlier error.

Moses’ outswinging corner found Ideye at the far post but his close-range header was blocked by the stopper.

His counterpart at the other end, Vincent Enyeama, was next to impress by parrying Yaya Toure’s powerful shot from the edge of the area to safety.

Nigeria took full advantage of Enyeama’s save when with 12 minutes left Mba ran at the Ivory Coast back-line and, with few options available, he opted to shoot.

The ball deflected off Bamba and Barry who could only watch as the ball looped over his head and into the top corner.

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Edin Dzeko’s 12th goal of the season put the hosts ahead from close range midway through the first half only for Daniel Sturridge to smash home his fourth in six matches since his move from Chelsea.

An even better trademark Steven Gerrard strike put Liverpool ahead with 17 minutes to go only but Sergio Aguero salvaged a point with an exquisite shot from the narrowest of angles.

All the early pressure was with City but once Liverpool had weathered that initial storm, it started to come into its own. Luis Suarez, busy without being particularly threatening, flashed a shot across Joe Hart and wide of the far post as it seemed the visitors were about to take control.

That notion was dispelled in the 24th minute as some neat interplay from Silva and James Milner from a throw-in on the left saw the latter cross low for Dzeko to sneak behind Daniel Agger and tap home from close range.

If that goal was founded in simplicity, Liverpool’s equalizer was made of pure brilliance, although it was viewed as controversial by indignant City players and their fans. Agger appeared to go through Dzeko to get the ball but referee Anthony Taylor saw no foul and with the Bosnia international collapsed on the turf in their own half Liverpool played on.

The boos grew louder as the Reds made their way upfield but almost a minute had expired — with City momentarily winning the ball back on the edge of its area — before Sturridge scored. Gerrard rolled the ball forward to the former City striker who smashed a fierce left-footed shot past Hart.

Liverpool finished the half the stronger and having continued that after the break, Mancini made a tactical switch 10 minutes in when he replaced Matija Nastasic with Aleksandar Kolarov and went to a back three.

That appeared to re-energize City but Gerrard hit a sweet strike in the 73rd minute that was very reminiscent of his goal in the 2006 FA Cup final. Gael Clichy’s poor clearance from Jose Enrique’s cross dropped to the midfielder 30 yards out and the England captain controlled the ball on his chest before unleashing a dipping low volley which gave Hart no chance.

Martin Skrtel was introduced for the tiring Enrique and after almost scoring at one end was involved in a mix-up with Reina which allowed City to equalize. Aguero raced onto Gareth Barry’s pass and the goalkeeper’s rush of blood saw him charge out to the left edge of his area, from where the Argentina international turned him and fired in impressively from a narrow angle.

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Robin van Persie’s league-high 17th goal of the campaign gave United a 19th-minute lead, and the hosts looked likely to coast to victory at Old Trafford when captain Nemanja Vidic unwittingly deflected the ball in from close range to make it 2-0 in the 54th.

Daniel Sturridge pepped up a lethargic Liverpool when he came on as a halftime substitute and the new signing from Chelsea halved the deficit three minutes later, but Brendan Rodgers’ team couldn’t find the equalizer to cap its improved second-half display.

“It was a big game, everyone felt that during the week, and this is a great result,” said van Persie, who joined the team from Arsenal in August.

United is now 10 points clear of second-place Manchester City ahead of the champions’ match at Arsenal later Sunday, with its total of 55 points after 22 games the team’s highest tally at this stage of a top-flight season.

The game between England’s two most successful clubs, which share 37 league titles between them, was billed by some as a duel between Van Persie and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez — the division’s most prolific marksmen. Van Persie came out on top.

While Suarez was kept quiet — much to the delight of home fans who jeered his every touch as a result of his recent spats with United defender Patrice Evra — his rival continued his sensational scoring run that is keeping City at arm’s length in the title race.

The Netherlands striker beat marker Daniel Agger to Evra’s driven cross and calmly slotted the ball home from 12 yards for his ninth goal in his last nine games. Van Persie has also scored at least one goal in nine of his last 10 games.

“Robin van Persie is different class,” United striker Danny Welbeck said. “He produces moments in the game others can’t do and we are glad he is on our side.”

With Liverpool’s midfield giving the ball away cheaply and sitting far too deep, United was invited to attack at will and should have been more than a goal ahead at halftime.

Welbeck, given a rare start up front with Wayne Rooney still injured, thrashed wildly wide and Tom Cleverley went close with a volley. Van Persie then saw an impudent flick cleared from near the goal-line by Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel before Pepe Reina pushed the ball away from the inrushing Shinji Kagawa.

The first half highlighted the gap that has emerged between the two sides in recent years, with the last of Liverpool’s 18 titles coming back in 1990. It was much different after the break, though.

Sturridge was introduced for the second half for his league debut for Liverpool and his pace and energy sparked a vast improvement by the visitors, who finally tested the United defense.

The former Chelsea striker’s goal came only after United had stretched its lead, however, when Van Persie’s free kick was headed down by the unmarked Evra with the ball deflecting off the side of Vidic’s head into the net.

Liverpool’s riposte was almost immediate, Sturridge sidefooting home from close range after David De Gea could only palm out Steven Gerrard’s low shot, and it set up a tense last half hour for the home side.

Sturridge and fellow substitute Fabio Borini shot wide as United fans became increasingly anxious, and Sturridge had an even better opportunity in the 85th only to blaze over the crossbar from an angle.

United, which has made a habit of edging tight matches this season, is now 24 points clear of eighth-place Liverpool in the standings.

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