Kuyt 45 + 1

Dirk Kuyt’s strike in first-half stoppage time gave a lacklustre Liverpool side maximum points in their opening Champions League Group E match, against Hungarian champions Debrecen, at Anfield.

Kuyt was first to react when Debrecen goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic saved Fernando Torres’ shot from the edge of the box, poking the ball home just ahead of his marker.

The goal gave Liverpool their 100^th win in Europe’s senior club competition and was reward for Liverpool’s most fluent spell of an otherwise disjointed display against the tremendously hard-working visitors, in their first Champions League season.

Both Albert Riera and Steven Gerrard had been narrowly off-target as half-time approached.

And Poleksic also turned aside a powerful 20-yard strike by Riera on 37 minutes, with Kuyt’s shot on the rebound being scrambled off the line.

Liverpool had half-chances before and after this spell. But the visitors forced the first fine save of the night from Liverpool’s Pepe Reina, who tipped over Peter Czvitkovics’ 20-yard shot on 31 minutes.

Gerrard came close after the break, volleying narrowly over the crossbar. And he had a shout for a penalty moments later when his shirt appeared to be pulled as he cut in from the left.

Fortunately, the referee did no more than wave away Gerrard’s appeals, as the Liverpool captain had been stupidly booked in the first half.

He had taken a free-kick before Pedro Poenca blew his whistle, despite the Portuguese match official virtually waving said whistle under his nose by way of instruction.

Yossi Benayoun had Liverpool’s best efforts of the second period. He jinked past four defenders and forced Poleksic into a near-post save on 65 minutes.

And he fired high into the Kop when he should have scored on 83 minutes.

Debrecen applied some late pressure, setting up a nervous period of stoppage time. But Reina wasn’t seriously troubled again.