Rafa Benitez was in a guarded mood as he reflected on his side's stuttering performance against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
The Reds would eventually run out 3-1 winners, but were forced to wait until the 68th minute for Xabi Alonso to break the deadlock, before later suffering a scare courtesy of Roque Santa Cruz's header four minutes from time.
It was a game that Benitez's men made hard work of, but in the wake of the win, the Spaniard was keen to stress the strong defensive qualities of the Rovers side.
"We know that it's a difficult team to play against," Benitez told Sky Sports.
"We were trying to keep possession, keep passing the ball and, okay, we didn't have too many chances, but we had clear chances.
"At the end of the day the first goal in the second half was the difference."
The Liverpool manager chose to leave Robbie Keane and Albert Riera out of the starting line-up - decisions that were greeted with baffled responses from the Anfield faithful.
But the two-time Primera Liga winning boss chose to avoid the issue, suggesting that the win was adequate proof that his side were capable of functioning without some of their big names.
"I think that the team was doing well, we scored three goals and everybody has to be really happy," he added.
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