A rare headed goal from Harry Kewell fired Liverpool into the third round of the Uefa Cup and left Steaua Bucharest cursing their luck in Liverpool on Thursday.
The Australian winger’s 49th-minute strike was enough to secure a 1-0 victory that sent Gerard Houllier’s side through 2-1 on aggregate.
But Steaua could justifiably feel hard done by after being denied what appeared to be a clear-cut penalty just before Kewell outjumped Florentin Dumitru to meet Steven Gerrard’s cross from the right with a textbook header beyond Vasili Khomutovski.
Barely a minute earlier at the other end of the pitch, Claudiu Raducanu had tumbled to the ground after clipping the ball off the foot of Igor Biscan. The referee waved play on but television replays suggested the Romanians’ furious protests were justified.
An otherwise subdued Michael Owen might have killed off the visitors with his only significant contribution to the match 20 minutes from the end.
Picking up a loose ball in the centre circle, the England striker accelerated away from one defender, skipped round another and chipped Khomutovski in exemplary fashion only to see the ball finish in the side netting.
That summed up a frustrating evening for Liverpool, although Houllier will have taken heart from a typically accomplished performance from influential midfielder Dietmar Hamann in his first start since undergoing surgery on his shin at the start of the season.
Raducanu’s penalty claim was only one of a string of missed opportunities for Steaua.
The striker should, and could, have snatched a precious away goal inside the first two minutes when Liverpool’s defence was caught cold by Falemi Nana’s through ball.
Raducanu raced clear of the back four but with only Chris Kirkland to beat the Steaua striker lifted the ball over the bar from 12 yards.
The liberating effect of Hamann’s return to the side on Steven Gerrard was quickly apparent as Liverpool responded to that early scare at a brisk tempo.
Freed from the defensive responsibilities he had assumed in Hamann’s absence, Gerrard was clearly in the mood to stamp his authority on the match.
That intention was interpreted a little too literally with a fourth-minute challenge that left Steaua captain Matei Radoi writhing in agony and inexplicably did not result in a booking for Gerrard.
The England midfielder made a more positive contribution three minutes later when he rampaged into the box to meet Kewell’s cross with a header that flew narrowly wide.
Gerrard was less precise with a couple of shots from good, albeit long-range, positions and Steaua gradually began to assert themselves, much to the frustration of the Anfield crowd.
Ten minutes before half-time Gabriel Bostina ghosted in behind Salif Diao in the Liverpool area only to send his header wide of Kirkland’s left-hand post when almost any effort on target would have resulted in a goal.
After going ahead, Liverpool were content to sit back and soak up the pressure and they were fortunate that Nicolae Dinita failed to hit the target after finding space in the box three minutes from time. — Sapa-AFP