THE build-up may have centred on previous controversy, but Liverpool found Atletico Madrid sufficiently accommodating hosts last night.

Rafael Benitez’s team took another step towards the knockout stages of the Champions League with a merited draw at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

Robbie Keane’s early strike had appeared enough to maintain Liverpool’s 100% record in Group D and ensure a happy homecoming for their manager until Simao Sibrosa equalised seven minutes from time.

The Portuguese winger netted for Benfica three seasons ago to help dump Liverpool out of the Champions League, but this strike is unlikely to have as damaging an effect on the Anfield outfit’s European aspirations this season.

When the group draw was made, the visit to Madrid appeared the most difficult match for Benitez’s side. And, after this point, victory in the return in a fortnight will almost certainly assure qualification.

Only a sensible change of heart by UEFA ensured last night’s game went ahead in Madrid as scheduled after the governing body elected to defer the two-match home ban imposed on Atletico following the trouble against Marseille earlier this month.

Atletico’s support made their displeasure known at European football’s rulers by jeering and whistling throughout the pre-match Champions League anthem at a chilly, windswept Vicente Calderon.

Having been guilty in recent weeks of gifting their opposition a head start, Liverpool had clearly learned their lesson by striking the opening blow early on with Keane’s well-crafted strike.

It was the forward’s second goal in successive Champions League outings, suggesting that while he struggles to find his sights in the Premier League, there’s no problem in Europe.

A concern, though, was the Republic of Ireland international exiting prematurely with a groin injury, the last thing Benitez would have wanted with Fernando Torres almost certainly out of Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Chelsea.

That fixture clearly influenced the manager’s second-half substitutions with both Steven Gerrard and the impressive Xabi Alonso replaced.

And those changes helped Atletico back into a game Liverpool had until then dominated and, with better finishing, should have closed out before the home team’s revival in the final half-hour.

A hamstring injury denied Torres an emotional return to the Vicente Calderon, where the supporters still hold the homegrown striker dear to their hearts.

Instead, there were reunions for Luis Garcia and Florent Sinama-Pongolle, the Atletico duo who each played key roles in Liverpool’s triumphant run to Istanbul in 2005. The pair, though, were ineffective last night and ultimately substituted.

While Torres wasn’t present in the stadium, Liverpool co-owner George Gillett was, taking in only his second game this year.