Liverpool's season of high hopes looks on the verge of coming apart. On a night calling for nothing more than fundamental competence and concentration here the Merseysiders collapsed again, slipping to an emphatic defeat against a team that lies near the foot of the French First Division.

In their 34 years of European football, Liverpool have never recovered from a three-goal first-leg deficit so it is fair to say that their UEFA Cup adventure ended last night, and embarrassingly so.

The pressure may be mounting on Roy Evans but even as the skies above him darken he still finds it hard to be disloyal. Apart from Karlheinz Riedle and Patrik Berger, removed from the equation by injury, only Michael Thomas paid with his first-team place for Saturday's debacle in the Merseyside derby.

Rob Jones and Mark Wright had been tipped to return to stiffen a defence that had floundered at Goodison Park but they started on the bench while the cautious Evans's plan to sneak an away goal consisted of having Robbie Fowler ploughing a lone furrow in attack.

Fowler saw little of the ball early on as Liverpool were too busy trying to sort out the confusion threatening to envelop their defence.

Despite defeating Scotland's finest, Rangers, in the previous round, Strasbourg are more enthusiastic than accomplished. They rely to an embarrassing degree on the pace of their right-winger Stephane Collet, but his predictability in no way diminished his threat.

As early as the third minute he pulled back a cross from the byline which almost proved Liverpool's undoing. In his haste to clear, Neil Ruddock tried to do what he had done at the weekend and put through his own goal. This time he was spared by the goalkeeper David James who, fearing Ruddock's touch would be deemed a back pass, chested the ball behind for a corner.

But Liverpool were not to be so fortunate in the 20th minute when their hesitance and timidity were finally punished.

Collet's corner from the left was headed back out of the penalty area, deliberately so, by Godwin Okpara, falling directly in front of David Zitelli, who swept in a quite glorious drive from 20 or so yards.

In truth, Liverpool were all over the place, an ugly mess lacking even a fundamental sense of organisation and only on nodding terms with anything like creativity in midfield.

It could have been worse: on the half-hour Steve Harkness was required to clear a Denni Conteh shot off the line after James had gone walkabout.

In an opening hour which Strasbourg dominated totally, Liverpool managed to fashion just one solitary chance, Steve McManaman steering in low and hard just before the interval only to be denied by the fingertips of Alexander Vencel.

But the next time the small crowd rose as one it was to acclaim, predictably, another Strasbourg move of genuine authority. Six minutes into the second half Zitelli went within two inches of a second goal when he headed Frederic Arpinon's cross against the far post.

Strasbourg were not to be denied. In the 63rd minute Zitelli did succeed in doubling the French side's advantage when he arrived ahead of Bjorn Kvarme at the near post to head in a Gerald Baticle cross.

Liverpool's spirit was emphatically broken and six minutes later Strasbourg struck again when Conteh swept beyond Ruddock before planting a low shot just inside James' post.

RC Strasbourg: Vencel, Raschke, Suchoparek, Okpara, Collet, Arpinon, Baticle, Zitelli (Rabbah 87), Conteh, M'Goghi (Rott 77), Dacourt. Subs not used: Klein, Keller, Avril, Mezriche.

Liverpool: James, Kvarme, McAteer, McManaman, Leonhardsen, Fowler, Redknapp, Harkness, Ruddock (Owen 74), Ince, Bjornebye. Subs Not Used: Jones, Wright, Nielson, Thomas, Matteo, Murphy. Booked: Ruddock. Att: 18,813.

Referee: M Pereira (Portugal).

. Aston Villa are 25 to 1 to win the EUFA Cup at William Hill, who also quote Liverpool at 50 to 1.