Travel is supposed to broaden the mind but the 2,000 Everton supporters who followed their team to Belgium last night did not learn anything that they did not already know. Needing to beat a team who had not lost at home for 18 months and who had gone close to knocking Liverpool out of the Champions League, Everton gambled and lost to leave their fans with that familiar sinking feeling.

Nothing that happened last night was as bad as being outclassed by Liverpool at Goodison Park last Saturday — at least they started with two strikers this time — but in little more than a week Everton have been knocked out of the Carling Cup and the Uefa Cup as well as being humiliated by their fiercest rivals.

“We’re bitterly disappointed,” David Moyes, the Everton manager, said. “We wanted to get through and at this moment in time it does not feel too good because we’re out.” In Europe, the real damage was done when Everton conceded two away goals in the 2-2 draw with Standard Liège at Goodison Park two weeks ago. Moyes’s team had to win last night to progress to the group stage of the competition but despite starting with Yakubu Ayegbeni and Louis Saha in attack they created few opportunities and did nothing to suggest that they deserved to eliminate the champions of Belgium.

Everton heads dropped after Liège took the lead midway through the first half and they did not rise again until a ten-minute spell in the second half when Phil Jagielka equalised against the run of play. Everton’s defensive frailties have been exposed in the Barclays Premier League since the start of the season and it was always likely that opponents who were so relaxed that they went tenpin bowling instead of training on Monday would find a way past Tim Howard at their own ground.

Liège made the almost inevitable breakthrough when Howard did well to keep out a stinging drive by Steven Defour. Unfortunately for the Everton goalkeeper, his parry fell at the feet of Milan Jovanovic, who found Axel Witsel unmarked at the far post. Witsel’s smart finish meant that Everton needed to score twice but with Yakubu and Saha struggling to get into the game that never appeared to be on the cards.

Football is not rocket science and Liège did the simple things well. They attacked down the flanks and when that failed, they gave the ball to Defour, a scheming forward who Moyes believed should have been given the red card in the first half for arguing with Peter Sippel, the German referee.

“He definitely deserved to be sent off,” Moyes said. “He would not have got away with that in England. The crowd influenced the referee tonight and they did a very good job. We were playing well against 11 men and it would certainly have made a difference if we had played against ten.”

But Defour stayed on the pitch until the bitter end and his influence grew when gaps started appearing in the Everton defence in the second half. Knowing that they had to score twice to stay in the competition, Everton switched to 4-3-3 and poured forward but they still needed the bizarre intervention of Aragon Espinoza, a fully paid-up member of the crazy goalkeeper’s club, to drag themselves back into the game.

Jagielka was on hand to prod the ball home after Espinoza had flapped at a harmless corner taken by Mikel Arteta in the 65th minute before Jovanovic restored Liège’s advantage from the penalty spot 12 minutes later after Leighton Baines had tripped the Serbia forward in the penalty area.

“This isn’t my toughest test as a manager,” Moyes said before confirming that he was ready to sign a new contract at the club. “All managers face difficult times. Nobody has a divine right to win football games, you have to earn the right to win. But we controlled the game and we defended well. Their counter-attacking was the biggest threat but other than that we were comfortable.” That depends on your definition of comfortable.

Liège were dangerous every time they attacked, whereas Everton posed a threat only at corners and when the ball was anywhere in the air near Espinoza. It is a familiar failing as far as most Everton supporters are concerned and one that Moyes has to address if Everton are to salvage their season with a decent run in the FA Cup. That is all they effectively have left to play for.

As for Liège, they have 11 players who could do a job in the Premier League. If you are an agent, get yourself down to the Stade Maurice Dufrasne before the transfer window opens in January. In your case, travel could broaden your mind and your wallet.

Standard Liège (4-4-2): A Espinoza — M Camozatto, O Onyewu, M Sarr, D Bonfim — W Dalmat, B Nicaise, A Witsel, M Jovanovic — S Defour, D Mbokani. Substitutes not used: J de Vriendt, R Goreux, S Toama, T Mikulic, L Benko, M Ingrao, E Mangala. Booked: Defour.

Everton (4-4-2): T Howard — A Hibbert (sub: V Anichebe, 63min), P Jagielka, J Lescott, L Baines — L Osman, T Cahill, P Neville (sub: J Yobo, 88), M Arteta — Yakubu Ayegbeni, L Saha (sub: S Pienaar, 71). Substitutes not used: C Nash, S Castillo, N Valente, J Rodwell. Booked: Baines.

Referee: P Sippel (Germany).