A complete lack of sustained pressure in the Standard final third ensured supporters grew as impatient as Gareth Barry for Liverpool to make their move, and the depressing inevitability of a second successive goalless draw against a team who were considered more sub-Standard when the draw was made, slowly dawned on them.

With Aston Villa and Manchester United imminent, you wonder how long Rafael Benitez and his players can get away with this. The prospect of returning players alongside a couple of new ones at least points to future positives.

And, of course, the final outcome that seals a place in today’s group stage draw, engineered by the introduction of that rare commodity – width, courtesy of Ryan Babel and his fine cross that Dirk Kuyt steered in.

In the end, it was a good job that late winner finally arrived.

Because progress had to be made.

Not being in the main draw for the Champions League is simply not an option for Liverpool.

Similar to the philosophy some Olympians hold of “gold is for winners, anything else for losers.” (Not that Javier Mascherano would have dared tell Beijing silver medallist David Price that during their pre-match parade last night).

But it’s not just the golden riches and rewards on offer that matters at Anfield – in fact, as Rafael Benitez suggested in the build-up to last night’s second leg, he’d take silver any day.

Whether the cash-careful owners see it that way is highly unlikely, but that is what the European Cup is all about for Liverpool. Had the adventure ended before it had even begun last night, where would it have left them?

Free to concentrate on the Premier League? Well, surely professional footballers should be able to do that in the remaining 36 games anyway. And there’s no guarantee the extra excitement and anticipation of a Champions League run is a massive distraction anyway. Indeed, it should add extra fuel to the journey.

You don’t get Istanbul nights on the way to wining titles. And no six-pointers with Chelsea could ever match the fearsome tension of the three epic semi-finals the two clubs have played out in the competition in the past four years.

Encounters that define eras, shape destinies. There’s no Liverpool supporter that would happily accept waiting another year for such moments – last night gives them the hope more memorable nail-biters are imminent.

Especially as Liverpool aren’t looking remotely close to cruising through any matches any time soon.