Harry Kewell's second half header ensured the reds safe passage into the next round of the UEFA Cup, but plucky Steaua Bucharest have every right to feel aggrieved after being denied a stonewall penalty kick when the scores were still level.
I almost never made this game. Having not learned from the last round when I was lucky to get a spare off someone just before kick off, I hadn't bothered getting a ticket again. I just assumed I'd pick one up when I got to the ground, but it had sold out earlier that day and there weren't many spares floating around outside. I'd rather miss the game than line the pockets of a tout, but luckily a guy outside overheard me explaining my plight to a mate and sold me a spare for £15.
Whatsmore, it was in the posh seats in the upper Centenary, with a free programme and access to the Premier Club in the Paisley and Shankly suites. My seat even had a cushion on it. A far cry from my usual Main Stand seat anyway. Not bad for £15. I could get used to that, although there's a few too many stairs to climb for my liking.
Liverpool deserved to win - just - but the match turned on an incident two minutes into the second half, when the dallying Igor Biscan got himself into all sorts of problems in his own area before clumsily tripping the dangerous Raducanu.
The capacity crowd collectively held it's breath and looked to the referee. He waved play on, and a relieved Liverpool went down the other end where Gerrard crossed for Kewell to score and rub salt into the open wounds of the Romanians. Steaua were incensed, and who can blame them?
Liverpool have been on the end of some bad decisions in recent weeks, but we were given a serious let off tonight. Biscan has been largely impressive this season at centre half, but much like Djimi Traore, there is always the feeling that he is an accident waiting to happen.
Both players are prone to 'moments' where they'll do something daft. Sometimes it can be costly, such as Traore's slip against Charlton at Anfield last season, whilst other times they can get away with it, like Igor tonight. Quite what he was doing is anyone's guess, but he is a very lucky boy that he wasn't punished for his moment of craziness.
The reds deserved to go through, but never really hit top gear against a Romanian side who proved they are a lot better than many of us had thought. They certainly impressed me. A bit lacking in a cutting edge perhaps, but they played some nice stuff and with better finishing could have gone through.
That they didn't go through was largely due to Steven Gerrard, who was like a man possessed. The skipper was everywhere, and seemed to relish the freedom the recalled Didi Hamman's presence gave him. The German was his usual dependable, efficient self, but it was the effect his inclusion in the side had on Gerrard's game which will have given Houllier most food for thought. Right from the first whistle Gerrard was bombing into the box trying to make things happen. In the absence of Hamann, Stevie hasn't been able to do that, although he's been excellent in the role he has been playing.
Gerrard had three attempts on goal in the opening quarter of an hour, the best of which was a header from an excellent Kewell cross which sadly went straight to the keeper. The only thing lacking from Gerrard's display was accurate shooting. Long range shooting is the one part of Steven's game which seems to have gone backwards of late, but I'm sure he'll be back on song soon enough.
There'd been a few rumours doing the rounds on various forums that there was to be a 'Houllier Out' banner in the Anny Road. Now any regular visitor to this site will know I'm not Houllier's biggest fan, and that last season I called for him to be sacked. I still wouldn't shed any tears if he went now, but there's something that just doesn't seem right about banners at Anfield calling for a manager to go.
Saying it on local phone ins, or on web forums or fanzines is one thing, but doing it at Anfield while a game is being played, and shown on national tv is something else entirely. I didn't see any banners, but it seems there were a couple, and the owners of them were ejected from the ground, which is another thorny issue.
I don't think they should have made the banner, but equally I don't think they should have been thrown out, as they were merely expressing freedom of speech. However, they may have been removed for their own safety as I know plenty of people who'd have happily lynched them for their actions. It's an unsavoury situation, and one which I hope will not be repeated.
Houllier's team selection will have pleased most fans, as not only was Hamann back, but Sinama was given a start alongside Owen. 'Flo' enjoyed a lively evening, and did enough to once again show he is far more worthy of a place in the side than the man who's name is no longer uttered in these parts.
With Diouf and Kewell looking to get to the line and put crosses in, and Gerrard rampaging forward, things started well for the reds. There was one scare when Raducanu got in behind but lobbed the ball too high and over the bar, but generally Liverpool controlled the early stages.
But the longer it went with no goal, the more tense things would become. Raducanu was a constant danger, and the little fella playing right wing back looked good too. Steaua knocked out Southampton in the last round, and given that at this moment in time we're little better than the Saints (if you think that's harsh look at the league table) it was perhaps unrealistic to expect this tie to be anything other than tricky.
The game definitely turned on the Biscan penalty incident. Had that been awarded and converted, there's every chance we'd be out of Europe now. That's unthinkable given how far off the pace we are in the league, but on another night and with a different referee it could have happened.
But it didn't, so I'll focus on the positives. We're in the draw for the next round, Hamann is back, Gerrard is in great form, Kewell is class, and I thought Diao recovered from an awful start to have a steady game at right back.
And last but not least, Sami Hyypia is back to his old self. For the past 18 months he had been a shadow of the player we knew and loved, but since being stripped of the captaincy, he's a changed man. He literally looks like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He's a yard quicker, he's jumping higher and his whole demeanor is brighter. It's great to have him back.
It's a relief that we went through, but with the CL dropouts set to enter the fray for the next round, performances need to improve drastically if we are to repeat the 2001 success. Thankfully, we have three months to get our form sorted out.
In the meantime, we have to pick up some league wins, starting with a tricky game with dogged Birmingham on Sunday.
Liverpool: Chris Kirkland; Salif Diao, Igor Biscan, Sami Hyypia, Djimi Traore; El Hadji Diouf (Vladimir Smicer), Stevie Gerrard, Didi Hamann, Harry Kewell: Florent Sinama-Pongolle (E**** H*****), Michael Owen (Danny Murphy):
