The misery will be dragged back to Merseyside today. Michael Owen needs a scan on his suspect hamstring, the all too familiar memory of previous fitness worries hanging heavy over the striker once again and his withdrawal from Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad for next week's friendly in Sweden guaranteed. Yet this elimination in a season desperately needing a silver lining will hurt most.
It is barely a week since Houllier's exasperation at another perceived blunder by the officials - a clear-cut penalty which was waved away against Wolves - prompted a similarly livid response. "I said then that it is not players who get you the sack but referees," he growled. It may not have come to that yet at Anfield but reality is troubling. "Today this referee delivered a huge blow to this club."
Half-time was approaching when Liverpool's world imploded. It was not as if Arturo Ibanez's decision to dismiss Igor Biscan, the last defender, was ridiculous but it was contentious nevertheless, with the official's perception of playing an advantage distinctly blurred.
Mathieu Flamini had emerged from central midfield to slide a pass beyond the Croat for Steve Marlet to chase, with the defender struggling to stay level. Biscan, gasping to keep up, resorted to tugging at the Fulham loanee's shorts outside the area and, though that did not prompt sanction, the pulling continued inside the box. Even so Marlet managed to spit a shot just wide of the post before Ibanez, catching up with play, awarded the penalty and flourished the red card.
"There was a pull but it was made some three or four yards outside the box," said Houllier, who made a beeline for the stadium's video room at the interval to scrutinise an award which had left him livid. "The referee let it go and played the advantage. If Marlet had scored, would he have disallowed it? You can either play advantage or not. It was dubious to say the very least."
Didier Drogba thumped home the spot-kick, with Biscan still distraught in the dug-out, but the visitors' momentum had been lost for good. "Not one of their players even claimed the penalty, so they were as surprised as we were," said Houllier. "It was a very generous home penalty, I'd say. I don't think he would have given it the other way around."
The timing of the goal was pivotal. Liverpool had established an advantage and appeared so unflustered that frustration had been welling among the home fans. Too often Marseille had been reduced to hopeful punts at the Ivorian Drogba, their threat too frantic to be coherent.
Liverpol were calm on the counter and that earned them the lead. Harry Kewell won possession and found Steven Gerrard, whose delicious pass was collected by Emile Heskey. The England striker, ignored by Brahim Hemdani and Abdoulaye Meite, appeared to dawdle as he bore down on Fabien Barthez but, with the loanee committed and prone, he recovered to ram the loose ball low and into the corner.
It was Heskey's first goal since the FA Cup tie at Yeovil on January 4 and Danny Murphy, lobbing a shot on to the roof of the net, might have added to that and ensured Liverpool enjoyed something of a stroll. Yet all that composure was eroded in the blink of an eye, with the subsequent reorganisation anchoring Gerrard virtually at right-back.
Thereafter Marseille marauded forward with increased belief and the decisive goal came just before the hour. Sami Hyypia had seen Manuel Dos Santos clear a header from the goal-line but the Finn was left cursing at his panicked concession of a corner. Démétrius Ferreira swung in the centre and Meite, leaping above Gerrard, thumped his header beyond Jerzy Dudek to settle the tie.
For all their frantic attempts at a riposte, Liverpool were a spent force by the end and departed the delirious arena with the assistant manager Phil Thompson provocatively raising both hands to the Virage Nord , rubbing his finger and thumb together as if to imply that Marseille had bought the referee, just as their former president Bernard Tapie did a decade ago.
"We don't think we've been beaten fairly," added Houllier, whose focus must now be on salvaging Champions League qualification. "I'm frustrated and so are the players but one decision changed this game." Only a fourth-place finish can transform their season.