IF Roy Hodgson had reason to bemoan his ill fortune during the first few weeks of his Anfield tenure, perhaps last night was the moment his luck changed.

From stupid red cards, daft own goals, players refusing to turn out and takeovers that simply don’t materialise, the new Liverpool manager’s already difficult baptism certainly hasn’t been aided by the rub of the green.

Such testing times appeared set to continue as his listless team, devoid of cutting edge and many of their leading players, trailed Trabzonspor and stood perilously close to the precipice of European humiliation and an avalanche of criticism.

Then, with seven minutes left, Giray Kacar put through his own net, the precious away goal was obtained and a crisis was averted.

Phew. The sight of Jamie Carragher punching the air in a mixture of delight and relief as the ball nestled into the back of the net spoke volumes. He, like the rest of the Liverpool team, knew they had got away with this one, Dirk Kuyt’s late strike, earning victory on the night and making the scoreline seem far more comfortable than the previous 88 minutes had suggested.

So Liverpool find themselves in the hat for today’s group stage draw and avoided a first European elimination before August Bank Holiday, Hodgson extending his perfect Continental record to four wins from four games and matching the start made by Bill Shankly.

But whoever at Anfield decided the Europa League should not be a priority needs to take a long, hard look at themselves in the mirror.

After all, Liverpool have forged their reputation on European achievements and accolades. It’s why the club is world-renowned and why they attract takeover interest from all over the globe.