Kenny’s understudies fluff their lines

If ever there was an ideal fixture to mark the appointment of Roy Hodgson as England manager then this was it.

The club that hired him and fired him last season, and regards him as a failure, was beaten by the club that still reminisces about the remarkable few months that saw seemingly-inevitable relegation avoided and a European final reached.

Of course, Kenny Dalglish, Hodgson’s Anfield successor, will be able to shrug off this setback without much trouble as it was always going to be the fixture that had to be fulfilled before Saturday’s FA Cup final.