Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, can breathe easier once again as goals in the final five minutes from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard gave his side a 2-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League first knockout round tie an Anfield.

Liverpool go back to Milan in three weeks’ time knowing that it will take a monumental capitulation to prevent them from reaching the last eight and they should be joined by Chelsea, who drew 0-0 in a dour match with Olympiacos in Athens.

The Merseysiders, reeling from their weekend FA Cup defeat by Barnsley, started the match brightly but ultimately were helped by the sending off of Marco Materazzi, the former Everton central defender, on the half hour, for a second bookable offence.

Chances were at a premium for much of a tight match, though it took a magnificent full-length save from Julio Cesar, Inter’s Brazilian goalkeeper, to deny Fernando Torres on 57 minutes.

The breakthrough finally came five minutes from time. Steve Finnan swapped passes with Pennant on the right, the cross somehow beat a host of players in the area and fell to Kuyt at the back post, with his shot getting a fortuitous deflection off Maicon which carried the ball over the hands of the unlucky Cesar.

Gerrard doubled Liverpool’s advantage in the final minute, collecting a short pass from Finnan and unleashing a low shot from the edge of the area which went in off the inside of a post.