Champions League: Pool in front at the break

Boavista 0, Liverpool 1 (half-time)

Danny Murphy's fourth goal in six matches gave Liverpool the upper hand in this tense Champions League showdown.

The Anfield men were forced to defend for lengthy spells, but reached the break ahead thanks to Murphy's 17th-minute free-kick.

Liverpool had Dietmar Hamann returning from injury, along with Stephane Henchoz, while Thompson fielded three changes from that 1-1 first leg, Vladmir Smicer, Robbie Fowler and John Arne Riise all coming in.

Liverpool almost scored in the first minute with a flowing move, Fowler's perfectly-weighted pass sending Emile Heskey charging down the left.

He outran Rui Costa and sent over a cross that Fowler nodded down, Smicer turned back and Gary McAllister hooked a volley that Ricardo tipped over the crossbar.

But on five minutes Liverpool suffered a severe blow when they lost defender Sami Hyypia, who limped away with a hamstring injury.

Stephen Wright came on at right back, allowing Jamie Carragher to move to the heart of defence. McAllister had the ball in the net two minutes later when he took a pass from Hamann, but he was ruled marginally offside.

Liverpool had Heskey out wide on the left, creating a five-man midfield at times, and it was Fowler - on one of his lone sorties up front - who created the position for Liverpool to take the lead on 17 minutes.

Paulo Turra pulled Fowler down on the edge of the box after the captain had done well to control a long clearance.

And with Boavista's wall a shambles and Ricardo on the wrong side of his goal, Danny Murphy's free-kick curled home to the delight of Liverpool's all-singing, all-dancing fans behind Jerzy Dudek's goal.

Boavista's players came in for plenty of criticism for their diving antics at Anfield, but Swedish referee Karl-Erik Nilsson was having none of the same this time, several times waving play on as home players tumbled over.

The unsavoury incidents of players rushing to the referee imploring him to get out his cards also got short shrift from the official.

Boavista lost Rui Oscar, with a leg injury, on 26 minutes, replacing him with Joaquim Martelinho. Boavista were at last getting some joy with shots from Erwin Sanchez, Elpido Silva and Carlos Duda, while the little Brazilian forced a one-handed, half stop, from Dudek after Smicer had slipped over in the box.

Dudek then punched a Sanchez corner off the head of defnder Nuno Frechaut on 33 minutes.

Liverpool's lead remained intact, just, on 39 minutes when Silva hit the bar with a header from Frechaut's cross.

Dudek was clattered in the air going for a corner seconds later, and needed treatment to his ribs.