Going to the game I started thinking to myself: how is it that I'm always tense before a match? Whilst everyone around me was confidently predicting 5 or 6 nil wins, I was praying that Debrecen wouldn't cause some surprise.

Forty five minutes into the game and my fears were being fulfilled. Liverpool looked like the better side but sloppy passing and a well organised Debrecen side were keeping them at bay.

That should have paved the way for Liverpool to close it in the second half but instead they ended up hanging on for the result. No one played particularly badly, yet there were a lot of mistakes being made all across the pitch.

Good Game
A fantastic save in the first half was followed by normal administration of the game by Pepe Reina who got another clean sheet. This thanks also to a solid performance by Martin Skrtel and Jamie Carragher even though thei task was made easier by the fact that the Hungarians played with a lone striker upfront.

Glen Johnson might have his critics whilst playing for England but no one is complaining for Liverpool. When hes starts going forward there is an air of expectation that something is going to happen and so too tonight.

In midfield, Dirk Kuyt got the all important goal and was full of his usual rynning. His play, however, was punctured with mistakes just as Albert Riera was. The Spaniard can sometimes be untouchable but his inconsistency remains a major issue. He was good againt Debreceni, however, causing them headaches particularly in the first half.

Steven Gerrard started in deep midfield again but never really looked comfortable. Of course there were moments of brillaince but, like the rest of the team he never really got going.

The same criticism (although criticism is probably too harsh a word) could be made of Yossi Benayoun who was full of his usual trickery but too often lost his way.

This leaves the player who, in my opinion, was the best on the pitch. Many are quick to critise Lucas Leiva and often he deserves at least some of it. Not on this occasion though, as he bossed the midfield. Indeed he was so good that Javier Mascherano wasn't missed at all. Which, in reality, is part of the problem: Lucas is being asked to replace Xabi Alonso when in reality he is better suited to fill in for the Argentine.

Bad Game
Emilaino Insua has easily slotted into the first team and deserves to be first choice. Yet for some reason - perhaps fatigue - he was very poor on this occasion and rarely got up to support Riera.

It was also an off night for Fernando Torres who never even got close to a scoring chance except, perhaps, the shot which eventually Kuyt poked in.

Reserves
Having criticised Benitez last week, there was a lot at stake for Ryan Babel when he came on. Yet he did allright, showing a couple of flashes of his talent and hints of what he could do if he really got going.

It was nice to see Fabio Aurelio back but he nearly gave us a heartarrtack when he lost that ball in the final moments of the game which allowed Debrecen to counter with Liverpool unbalanced.

Javier Mascherano was introduced with a minute to go as an insurance policy by Benitez who clearly was as anxious as the rest of us that something could go wrong in the closing stages