THEY may have left the field to the strains of the Culture Club, but there was little cultured about Liverpool’s performance last night.

A goal from the returning Steven Gerrard was enough to defeat Marseille and guarantee progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League with a game to spare.

But it was a far from appropriate choice of musical accompaniment as Liverpool stumbled into the last 16 in unconvincing fashion.

Certainly, this was far from the ideal manner in which Rafael Benitez would have wanted to celebrate an historic evening, with sight of Fernando Torres limping away from the ground further deflating a subdued Anfield.

Benitez last night surpassed Bill Shankly’s club record by taking charge of his 66th game in Europe, with this narrow victory meaning the Spaniard equalled the landmark of Bob Paisley with a 39th triumph in Continental competition.

By his own admission, Benitez has some way to go before even being considered among such exalted company in the Anfield annals.

And Liverpool will have to do much better than this if they are to harbour any real intentions of a third Champions League final appearance in five years.

Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 win over PSV Eindhoven means work remains to be done in Holland in a fortnight for Liverpool to secure first place in the group ahead of the Spaniards.

The Anfield angst that blighted the weekend’s goalless draw with Fulham had led Jamie Carragher to plead for calm among anxious fans.

Yet Liverpool tested the patience of their restrained support once again last night with a fitful performance that ensured a plucky Marseille were never out of the game until the final whistle.

The visitors are the only French side to have avoided defeat at Anfield having already earned a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Cup in 2004 and won 1-0 during last season’s group stage.

Erik Gerets’s men gave Liverpool a real scare in the September meeting between the sides and will again feel aggrieved not to have taken advantage of a worryingly error-strewn display from Benitez’s side.

Far from wilting in the wake of Gerrard’s opener midway through the first half, Marseille grew in confidence as Liverpool lost their early momentum, with only a fine save from Pepe Reina denying Hatem Ben Arfa a deserved equaliser and ensuring a first clean sheet in the group stage.

As against Fulham, the home team generally lacked spark and imagination and appeared jaded. Time for some rotation, Rafa?

Torres and Gerrard – who scored twice in that 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome – were paired together for the first time since the Spaniard scored twice in the dramatic 3-2 win at Manchester City on October 5.

And the latter’s goal, his eighth of the campaign, means the duo has now contributed 11 goals in the 11 games in which they have both appeared this season.