Liverpool Held At Anfield By Basel

Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw tonight at Anfield against Swiss side FC Basle, but Reds Boss Houllier says despite the Anfield club only picking up one point out of the opening two matches his side can still qualify.

Impressive Czech Youngster Milan Baros gave The Reds a well deserved lead after being set up from Emile Heskey and he placed the ball perfectly into the net. but The Reds were in for a shock when Jamie Carragher let in Julio Rossi and he slipped the ball through the legs of Jerzy Dudek on 44 mins to level the score and that was how it finished .

He said: "Our next two games now are vital, we can still qualify.

"This was such a frustrating night. I feel so disappointed for the players because they gave everything and tried everything. We played some great stuff and should have been four up at least at the break."

Houllier insisted Liverpool were denied a clear penalty in the final minutes when Danny Murphy's free-kick appeared to be handled.

The Frenchman said: "It was a clear penalty. It wasn't just ball to hand, it was a clear hand out from the player to stop the shot.

"We had plenty of chances. We deserved to win not just because of our chances but the quality of our football. I'm proud of our performance, we had the right frame of mind and the right approach.

"The group is still very open, and the next two games are vital. But I'm confident that the type of play we are producing will see us through."

Gross admitted his men had been fortunate to take a point after Liverpool hit the woodwork three times during an attacking onslaught.

The former Tottenham manager said: "We were a little bit lucky. They created a lot of chances but we never looked nervous and we kept our discipline. They had plenty of possession but you have to expect that at Anfield."