Liverpool cruise after early shock

FBK Kaunas 1 Liverpool 3

Liverpool needed the shock of an early Lithuanian goal before they stamped their class on this Champions League second qualifying round first leg.

Giedrius Barevicius snatched a dramatic opener for Kaunas which shocked the European champions.

But Djibril Cisse equalised, Jamie Carragher headed Liverpool ahead before the break, before captain Steven Gerrard rammed home the third goal from the penalty spo in the 54th minute after being fouled in the box.

Before kick-off Baros walked slowly, all alone, across the pitch and sat on the bench set aside for the unused reserves, a solitary figure knowing surely now that his Liverpool days are nearly over.

Aston Villa will soon intensify their interest and there may be a route to Spain with Deportivo, with Benitez still fancying a swap for defender Jorge Andrade.

Kaunas started like a team who had been playing solidly for four months in their domestic league, sharp and organised and with pace up front.

After a day of thunderstorms and pounding rain, the pitch was slippery as well as being bumpy, and Liverpool needed to stamp their class on the contest early.

In the 11th minute Xabi Alonso’s long, angled ball sent Djibril Cisse away and the Frenchman’s stabbed pass aimed at Crouch was touched from the big striker’s feet by the dive of Eduardas Kurskis.

Five minutes later Gerrard, Darren Potter and Cisse combined to set up Crouch again, but the high ball into the box was difficult to control and the shot sailed high over.

Kaunas needed to be given no encouragement, but they got it on 21 minutes when the ball was fired in from the right by Artusas Rimkevicius and Giedrius Barevicius appeared at the near post to bundle the ball past Jose Reina – to the delight of the majority of the 8,300 crowd.

But that joy was short-lived as Liverpool sparked into life with two goals in four minutes.

The first came on 27 minutes when Zenden’s cross was knocked down by Crouch in the box for Cisse to hook home.

Liverpool were ahead four minutes later with Jamie Carragher’s first goal in seven years. The ball swirled in from a left-wing corner and Carragher met it firmly to bullet a header past Kurskis.

Zenden got himself booked two minutes later for a nasty tackle on Mindaugas Pacevicius, Liverpool now clearly up a couple of gears and concentrating on the job in hand.

The Reds almost grabbed a third when Cisse skipped clear, but Kurskis took sufficient sting off the shot to allow one of his team-mates to scamper back and clear the ball off the goalline.

Kaunas had replaced Pacevicius with Vadim Petrenko at the break.

Cisse saw another hooked effort scuttle a foot wide from Gerrard’s determined run and cross, and another goal for Liverpool was vital to combat nerves and lively opposition.

And it was Gerrard’s driving run which produced that third after 53 minutes. His surge into the box was ended by Mindaugas Baguzis’s outstretched leg and Danish referee Knud Fisker pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Gerrard, who after his miss at Tottenham last season hinted he would not take another again, and this time the skipper drilled home the third.

Petrenko was booked for a 57th-minute foul on Alonso, and two minutes later Benitez obviously felt he could withdraw Gerrard from the fray two minutes later and send on Mohamed Sissoko for his competitive debut for Liverpool.

Luis Garcia was next into the action in place of Potter.

Kaunas had not got near to Reina’s goal for some considerable time, but Liverpool were still unable to really finish the job with a fourth.

The awkward Crouch continued to give the Lithuanians plenty of trouble, but the ball was not being delivered into the box accurately enough for him to make his dominance in the air pay off.

And when Luis Garcia cut away down the left to find Zenden unmarked on the far side of the box, the Dutchman skied a shot well wide.

Fernando Morientes took over from Crouch in the 72nd minute, with Zenden hacking another chance well wide for wasteful Liverpool soon after.

Then Zenden’s cross was controlled by Luis Garcia, but the Spanish international put his shot over the far angle.

It got worse when Cisse was put clear in the box with eight minutes left – but the striker lifted his effort wide.

Liverpool were trying to construct the perfect goal – Xabi Alonso’s chip failing to confuse Kurskis – when a clinical finish was needed.

But at the final whistle they will be satisfied with a two-goal advantage to take into next Tuesday’s second leg at Anfield.