Pragmatic Liverpool have too much for Debrecen

Liverpool 1 Debrecen 0. Liverpool notched up their hundredth victory in Europe's premier club competition last night at Anfield, dispatching Hungarian champions Debrecen 1-0, and while the illustrious historical achievements of the past have an eternal glitter, it's the bread-and-butter results such as last night's that make them possible.

Rafa Benitez sent out an unchanged side in his 300th game in charge of Liverpool, a rare sight in itself, and the team which had put Burnley to sword on Saturday in the Premier League started brightly enough, with the weekend's hat-trick hero Yossi Benayoun having a few chances fall his way.

But Debrecen had not become their country's first group stage representative since 1995 for nothing, and impressed in defence. They even came close to silencing an under-strength Anfield when Laszlo Bodnar tested Jose Reina with a shot and a long-range free kick, and the Spaniard had to touch over a rasping effort from Peter Czvitkovics after a defensive howler Martin Skrtel.

This was the last that the visitors saw of Liverpool's half for a while, as the home side turned on the style and pressed for the opener. Albert Riera brought the best out of the Hungarians' keeper when the winger had been put through by Jamie Carragher, and Dirk Kuyt missed the chance of stabbing home the rebound. Riera turned provider for Steven Gerrard, sending in a dangerous low cross that the England man contrived to put wide.

Liverpool's pressure finally told when on the stroke of half-time Fernando Torres had a shot parried by Vukasin Poleksic into the path of Kuyt, who made no mistake in putting Liverpool ahead with the last kick of the half. After the interval, the visitors tried to press for an equaliser, but Liverpool comfortably kept them at bay, and Benayoun could have doubled the advantage after magnificently beating four Debrecen men.

"We won the game and that is the most important thing in the first game of the group stage," Benitez said afterwards. "Hopefully we can play better in the next game, but you could see from the beginning that they were going to press with intensity for every ball. We knew it would be difficult against them. They have shown that they’re a good team." ·