Standard Liege 0, Liverpool 0: Pepe Reina rescues side from sub-standard display
LIVERPOOL were greeted with a torrent of toilet roll in Liege last night. That, though, was no excuse for the bog standard display that followed.
Only the heroics of Pepe Reina prevented Rafael Benitez from starting a defining season of his Anfield tenure in abysmal fashion.
Maybe it was the return of the much-unloved green away shirts that contributed to such a disappointing display in this first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round tie against Standard Liege.
But an abject Liverpool were grateful to return to Merseyside with a goalless draw, thanks largely to Reina saving an 11th-minute penalty from Standard's Brazilian full-back Dante having earlier produced an even better, if somewhat contentious, stop to deny Marouane Fellaini.
That it took the visitors until injury time to force their first shot on target tells the story for Benitez's alarmingly out-of-sorts side, who failed to score for only the second time in 12 European away games.
Standard had presented every home supporter with a complimentary toilet roll before the game in an attempt to add spectacle to the atmosphere.
And for the Anfield return in a fortnight, Liverpool would be well advised to follow suit given the nervy evening their fans can anticipate if the team replicate this form. Of course, progress to the group stages has rarely been without a fright under Benitez.
But with qualification worth an estimated £12 million and relations with the club's American owners being strained by the interminable Gareth Barry transfer saga, now is not the time for Benitez's famed Midas touch in the Champions League to desert him.
It certainly wasn't an evening to remember for Liverpool's debutants. Andrea Dossena was responsible for conceding the harsh penalty while £19m striker Robbie Keane endured a frustrating evening before being substituted midway through the second half.
Benitez believes that Keane and Fernando Torres can ultimately prove Europe's most lethal strikeforce, but that will only happen once the pair are given far greater service than afforded to them last night.
Concerns over the less-than-ideal pre-season preparations appeared justified as Liverpool appeared well off the pace, lacking the cohesion, sharpness and aggression of the Belgian champions.
Yes, Benitez hasn't been helped by the loss of Ryan Babel, Lucas Leiva and in particular Javier Mascherano to Olympic duty, the trio remaining in Beijing for this weekend's quarter-finals. But Liverpool have been aware of their absence for weeks.
There were no such problems for Standard. Skipper Steven Defour declined the opportunity to represent Belgium in the Far East and highly-rated midfielder Fellaini was flown back from China especially for last night's game.
No wonder. It has been more than 25 years since Standard hosted a fixture of such gravitas, and banners laid out before the game signalling "Hell-Side", "Publik Hysterik" and "Ultras-Inferno" made Liverpool aware they were in for a hostile reception, even if the last lost some of its impact by being draped upside down.
Benitez's pursuit of Barry will most likely take a decisive turn this evening should the Aston Villa midfielder be cup-tied in Europe until next year by appearing in his team's UEFA Cup tie in Iceland.
But the Liverpool manager effectively settled the issue of Xabi Alonso's immediate future by including the Spaniard in his starting line-up, at a stroke making him far less appealing to prospective buyers in the current transfer window.
Liverpool had negotiated five previous Champions League qualifying rounds and won nine of 11 previous games against Belgian opposition, including victory in both legs against Standard in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1965.
Despite training at the stadium the previous evening, Steven Gerrard was deemed only fit enough for bench duty, with Liverpool keeping the same team that started the friendly victory over Lazio last Friday. It meant a European bow for Damien Plessis alongside Alonso in central midfield, and the young Frenchman justified his manager's faith with an encouraging, mature performance; a rare positive for Benitez.
Liverpool may have been unbeaten throughout pre-season but they began their campaign proper in dreadful fashion. Buoyed by the impressive backing of their home support on the steep banks of the stadium known locally as "The Cauldron", Standard raced out of the blocks and Liverpool were reliant on some brilliant goalkeeping by Reina to prevent an early calamity.
The game was only seven minutes old when a simple free-kick once again caused panic in the Liverpool defence.
Fellaini met Dante's delivery, the ball hit the Standard midfielder on the shoulder and then struck the inside of the post before Reina somehow clawed away and the visitors eventually cleared to safety.
The home fans claimed a goal, but endless TV replays couldn't conclusively prove the ball had crossed the line before the keeper's intervention.
Five minutes later, referee Tom Henning Ovrebo awarded Standard a penalty when Wilfried Dalmat's right-wing cross struck Dossena on the hand, despite the incident clearly occurring outside the area. It was a poor decision, but justice was done when Dante struck his spot-kick too close to penalty expert Reina. Clearly, not the peak of Dante's career.
Liverpool's over-worked and worryingly uncertain defence then sought to grapple some semblance of control and the remainder of the half passed with relative calm.
But going forward, Benitez's side were largely limited to hopeful long balls up to Torres and Keane, with Alonso's 25-yard free-kick that landed on the roof of the net their only attacking moment of note in the first half.
The second half brought more of the same. Igor De Camargo sent a free header wide from Dante's cross in the 66th minute and later brought Reina again into action, but Standard found it difficult to maintain their hectic opening pace in the final quarter.
Having weathered a considerable storm, Liverpool will now be favourites to finish the job in a fortnight. But they will have to do an awful lot better than this.
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