Liverpool grind out vital point

There is much to do in the shirt of Liverpool in the meantime and none of these Anfield players need be other than quietly satisfied with the outcome of a match that might well have been snatched away from them in the final 15 minutes.

This stadium, the venue for the 1990 World Cup Final, is an imposing and impressive workplace, with no easy pickings for visiting sides. Liverpool knew they would need to roll up their sleeves to take even the merest tit-bit back to England.

They did so impressively and, in the first 45 minutes, the 57,819 crowd could have been forgiven for inquiring which was the home side, Liverpool giving the lie to the pre-match taunts of Fabio Capello. The Roma coach had suggested there is some tedium about Liverpool's football.

Heskey ought to have stuffed those sentiments back down his throat midway through the first half when he wasted Liverpool's best chance.

A player of his stature should have hit the target with a free shot from the edge of the penalty area, but instead he shot yards wide, underlining that perhaps Liverpool were hasty parting with Robbie Fowler.

However, Phil Thompson's side did take the challenge to the Italians and had them back-pedaling, winning a series of free-kicks within 40 yards of the Roma goal in the first half-hour.

The fact that nothing came of them should be an area of concern. Steven Gerrard, in particular, consistently failed to land the ball on the intended target. Once again, Liverpool had their defence to thank for keeping their clean sheet, with Sami Hyypia demonstrating he has few peers. The Finn expends the kind of energy that you normally associate with Ethiopian marathon runners and he never fails to get forward when it is judicious to do so, while covering for his defensive team-mates admirably.

Liverpool almost drew first blood in the 15th minute when Jamie Carragher flighted a superb 40-yard crossfield ball into the path of Vladimir Smicer. He met it exquisitelybut Francesco Antonioli was positioned perfectly for the save.

Owen's attempt to take on Aldair ended in failure, but the Liverpool fans had their own belly-laugh minutes later when legendary Argentinean Gabriel Batistuta sliced a wayward shot at the corner flag.

Heskey's aberration in missing Liverpool's best chance was almost compounded minutes later when Brazilian Emerson got through in the inside-right channel. His shot lacked real venom and Jerzy Dudek easily made the save.

This was not a night when Batistuta or local hero Francesco Totti were in goalscoring form, the Italian striker shooting wide at the start of the second half from a right-wing centre from Damiano Tommasi.

Dudek then dropped a shot from substitute Assuncao to put hearts in the mouths of the 1,000 Liverpool supporters, but they were in good heart at the final whistle for this was a good result for which the team had worked hard.

Four Liverpool fans were stabbed in the leg before and after the match in Rome. Three were stabbed in the leg before the game and were treated on the spot, while another supporter was attacked in the city centre after the match and was taken to hospital by ambulance. Their injuries were not serious.

AS Roma v Liverpool - match stats