It keeps their Champions League dreams alive and the five-time winners could easily have finished the match three or four goals in arrears after a hammering from Liege in everything but goals.

Benitez said: "We were not surprised by the fine performance of the Liege side, we had seen enough of them to know they were a good, aggressive side.

"The real surprise for me was the way Liverpool played. The only positive to take from the match was the fact we did not concede a goal. We will have to be a lot better in the second leg at Anfield, much better.

"We have been playing well in pre-season, looking confident and passing the ball well. But we did not do any of those things. I did not want to bring Steven Gerrard on because the doctors had told me he was not fit enough to start the match.

"We waited until well into the second half before using him but we were not controlling the game and I had to bring him on."