Gerrard puts Liverpool in charge

With a bitter training ground bustup between Thompson and Fowler still fresh in the mind, it was a controversial decision that could have had severe repercussions had Liverpool lost. But for all Kiev's frenzied first-half efforts, Thompson's side seldom looked like losing.

Dudek had to pull off exceptional reflex saves from Aliaksandr Khatskevich, whose 14th-minute free-kick could only have been sighted at the last moment, and twice from Valentin Belkevich in one spell of Ukrainian supremacy.

Liverpool had the perfect answer two minutes from half-time as they went ahead with a goal of stunning simplicity. The tireless Gerrard laid it on with a curling cross deep into the Kiev area that coincided happily with Murphy's arrival from deep.

The one unheralded member of an otherwise star-studded Liverpool line-up watched the ball all the way on to his left boot and steered a first-time volley past Vitaliy Reva.

Kiev needed inspiration from somewhere to keep alive their slim qualification hopes and finally found it in the 59th minute.

Belkevich's cross from the left appeared to have eluded everyone until Tiberiu Ghioane slid in at the far post to make scoring contact with an outstretched boot. But Liverpool were not to be denied. They threatened another goal in the 62nd minute as Heskey met Gary McAllister's corner with a towering header that beat Reva but was knocked off the line by Florin Cernat.

The reprieve for Kiev was shortlived, though. Substitute Patrik Berger's 67th-minute cross was drifting out of play until Vladimir Smicer craned his neck to divert it back into the middle. Gerrard still had plenty to do but accomplished it with customary panache as he brought the ball down and volleyed firmly and unerringly past Reva.

There were still some moments of anxiety, notably when Cernat weaved his way into the area on the left and fired a shot fractionally wide of the far post deep into injury time.

You got the impression that, had it sneaked inside the post, Liverpool would have ventured upfield again and made it 3-2 in the seconds that remained.

It was that sort of night and no-one could begrudge Thompson his moment as, favouring a tracksuit rather than the manager's customary collar and tie, he leapt from the bench and gave the 300-strong travelling support a clenched-fist salute.

Steve McManaman scored Real Madrid's second goal as the Spanish champions became the first team to qualify for the second stage with a 2-0 win away to Anderlecht. Raul put Real in front in the 19th minute and ex-Liverpool star McManaman sealed victory 10 minutes before half time.