Levski Sofia 2 Liverpool 4Gerard Houllier has had to endure much off the pitch in recent weeks, from a shameful death threat to the moronic graffiti sprayed on the training ground wall. Now, at last, he has begun enjoying matters on it again.
Defensive frailties remain, but the vim and verve have returned to Liverpool's approach. Levski Sofia - admittedly mediocre opponents - were systematically picked off here last night with the panache this club has craved, the tie's sting drawn as Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen plundered early goals.
Subsequent strikes from Dietmar Hamann and Sami Hyypia added the gloss to the evening's work to ensure Houllier, pounding his technical area as the temperature plummeted, returned to Merseyside this morning a satisfied man. A place has been secured in this afternoon's draw in Geneva, where more daunting opposition will surely await in the last 16. But, for the manager, the respite gathers pace.
It took 11 minutes for Levski to be shown up here and, though they revived magnificently if briefly to restore parity, the visitors' aggregate advantage was back at three by the interval. The relief in the away dug-out and among the travelling support was clear.
The actions of a tiny minority that scarred the build-up to this contest have galvanised the majority of Liverpool supporters behind their beleaguered manager. The club kept its counsel yesterday, but others publicly expressed their shock at confirmation that Houllier had been sent the death threat.
"We want the madman who did this caught and punished," said Les Lawson, secretary of the official Liverpool Supporters' Club. Merseyside Police are working to ensure that happens.
Given the circumstances, neither Houllier nor his players could have been particularly perturbed by the hostile reception they received here. "Scouse bastards," declared one banner among the Bulgarian partisans. The monkey chants directed at the substitutes Emile Heskey and Djimi Traore during the warm-up were harder to ignore.
Liverpool's potency on the break soon exposed Levski's inadequacies, but a Bulgarian error helped too. When Ilian Stoyanov's back-pass dribbled horribly short of Dimitar Ivankov, Gerrard burst on to the loose ball and rounded the prone goalkeeper. A heavy touch momentarily gave Levski hope, but the England midfielder maintained his poise to slide home left-footed from perilously close to the byline.
Houllier's mood improved further four minutes later when Harry Kewell freed Owen, timing and bending his run from deep superbly. The England striker veered into the penalty area and curled his 22nd European goal deliciously over Ivankov.
If the start suggested a stroll, there was also a painful reminder that little has come easily to Liverpool this season. Steve Finnan's miscontrol was punished by Georgi Ivanov, who slid a shot across Chris Kirkland and into the corner. If that looked like a mere consolation, Sasha Simonovic's magnificent second - exploiting Stephane Henchoz's slip - offered genuine hope.
Yet Liverpool mustered an immediate riposte. Gerrard's corner, whipped into the centre, was headed emphatically in by Hamann and Houllier could breathe more easily at half-time.
Levski continued to huff and puff after the break, with Chris Kirkland doing well to deny Stanislav Angelov, but Liverpool never appeared genuinely threatened.
Indeed, the better chances invariably stemmed from the visitors' sharp breaks. Gerrard, dragging a shot wide, and Kewell, lobbing over first-time from the captain's cross, might have extended the lead. Sami Hyypia promptly did, nodding Gerrard's cross powerfully down and in for his 19th goal in 250 Liverpool appearances to deflate the home fans once and for all.
LEVSKI SOFIA: Ivankov, Bukarev (Golovskoy 64),
Chilikov (Kolev 71), Stanislav Angelov, Stoyanov (Borimirov 62), Temile, Simonovic, Markov, Vidolov, Georgi Ivanov, Topuzakov. Subs Not Used: Petkov, Biser Ivanov, Stankov, Wagner. Booked: Topuzakov. Goals: Georgi Ivanov 27, Simonovic 40.
LIVERPOOL: Kirkland, Finnan (Biscan 58), Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher, Murphy, Gerrard, Hamann, Kewell (Le Tallec 80), Cheyrou (Baros 69), Owen. Subs Not Used: Dudek, Heskey, Diouf, Traore. Booked: Henchoz. Goals: Gerrard 7, Owen 11, Hamann 44, Hyypia 67.
Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt (Sweden).
