Dream start for Benítez

Rafael Benítez's UEFA Champions League debut as Valencia CF coach could not have gone better. The Spanish side, inspired by Pablo Aimar and Rubén Baraja, were so superior to Liverpool FC that the Reds had a black night at the Mestalla.

'Valencia were superior'
Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier returns to England after an unexpected but fair defeat, knowing they gave too much space to Valencia's midfield. Houllier excused Liverpool's performance, saying: "Tonight we have not seen the real Liverpool. Valencia were superior, having gained in confidence after winning the Spanish league last season."

Expectations confounded
Houllier opted to leave strikers Milan Baroš - who scored twice against Bolton Wanderers FC on Saturday - and Michael Owen on the bench, but the favoured forwards, Emil Heskey and El Hadji Diouf, were not as sharp as their opposite numbers. The French coach admitted he did not start with Owen, a half-time substitute, because "I expected a more physical match".

Aimar dominant
Midfield was where the game was won for Valencia. The expected duel between Aimar and Steven Gerrard never happened. Gerrard never found his form as Aimar showed his skills from the kick-off. Only Dietmar Hamann - dismissed 13 minutes from time - looked effective for Liverpool, but David Albelda and Baraja's courage were too much for him.

Delight with goal
Aimar, who opened the scoring on 20 minutes, said he was delighted with "the move that made the first goal. We are glad that people who came tonight have gone home happy."

Magical first touches
And what a move it was. Valencia attacked from the start, and fully deserved to go ahead when Aimar combined with Albelda and Baraja to score, each producing magical first touches. Heskey hit the post after this, but Valencia, with 40,000 fans behind them, kept on moving forward and Baraja secured the second on 38 minutes. 

'A great match'
Although Houlier's half-time tactical changes, introducing Owen and Bruno Cheyrou, seemed to be effective at the beginning of the second half, Valencia kept control of the game. As left-winger Vicente Rodríguez  said: "We have had a great match against the best team in our group, and we could have scored even more."

Chance gone
When Hamman was dismissed after a confrontation with substitute Mista, Liverpool's chances had disappeared. Even Benítez admitted: "After the red card for Hamann, we should have had more opportunities to increase the score."

'My players are furious'
And Houllier confessed: "I wanted to control the midfield, but Valencia were cleverer than us, I acknowledge that Valencia were far superior." It was the travelling fans he was sorry for. "My players are furious with themselves because we play for them, and we let them down tonight," said Houllier.

Unbeaten run goes on
Valencia, never beaten at the Mestalla in the Champions League, have resumed this run after their year's absence from the competition, dismissing one of Europe's finest sides. It was clear how important this win was to the home team, perhaps more than for Liverpool who still have five games to turn things around.