Gomel 0 Liverpool 1: Downing on target as new boss Rodgers handed Euro lift

He sat in between his coaches, barely smiling, and offering nothing more than a polite round of applause.
Though his reaction was muted reaction, for Brendan Rodgers the significance of a solitary Stewart Downing goal, 67 minutes into the first leg of a Europa League third qualifying tie should not be underestimated. At the first attempt, his career as Liverpool manager is up and running.

Up and running: Stewart Downing and Raheem Sterling of Liverpool celebrate

First strike: Stewart Downing scores for Liverpool

Match facts

GOMEL (4-2-3-1): Bushma; Matveichik, Kirilchik, Kashevski, Klimovich; Kozeka (Timoshenko 90min), Voronkov; Nowak (Lipatkin 74), Levitski (Demidovich 84), Platonov; Alumona.
Subs not used: Sakovich, Palomeque, Yevseyenko, Sheryakov.
Booked: Klimovich, Alumona.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Jones; Johnson (Kelly 46), Carragher, Skrtel, Enrique; Spearing, Gerrard, Henderson (Lucas 66); Cole (Sterling 23), Borini, Downing.
Subs not used: Gulacsi, Robinson, Adam, Shelvey.
Scorer: Downing 67.
Booked: Henderson.
Man of the match: Jamie Carragher.
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (Slovenia).
Attendance: 12,500.

On an evening when Rodgers had little to gain, it had appeared for long spells against FC Gomel in Belarus that his debut in the dugout would end inauspiciously.
Thanks to a moment of inspiration from Downing, however, the Irishman was able to breathe a sigh of relief. 
'We are nowhere near where I want us to be in relation to our fluency and charisma within the team,' said Rodgers.
'But, until you arrive at that, what is very important is that you fight for the shirt and show desire and passion.
'The team was full of that. It has been a difficult pre-season in terms of travel issues and the squad not being together but there is a lot of cohesion and fight within the group. And thankfully the game was won by an incredible strike from Stewart.'
A measure of how seriously Rodgers took this assignment came via the team he selected – nine of his starting 11 were current or former internationals and only the presence of Luis Suarez, Pepe Reina and Daniel Agger could have strengthened Liverpool further.

Tussle: Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, right, challenges Gomel's Artur Liatvinski

Heads up: Jay Spearing outjumps Alexander Aluhona

Agger's future has been the subject of some debate in recent days, with Manchester City and Barcelona being touted as potential suitors. He has been nursed through pre-season after returning late from Euro 2012 and it was deemed best for him to sit this assignment out.
'The plan was always for Daniel to stay behind,' explained Rodgers, who saw Joe Cole pull up with what he described as a "little tingle" in his hamstring. 'I have to make sure he is up to speed before he plays.'
Given the respective standings of the clubs, many would have expected Rodgers' first night at the helm to be comfortable but the reality was somewhat different, as Gomel's enthusiastic players hustled and bustled for every ball, pestering those in Red to the point of distraction.

Eye on the ball: Liverpool's Martin Skrte takes on Gomel's Alexander Aluhona

In control: Jose Enrique holds off Tomasz Novak

Fortunately for Rodgers, despite the best efforts of Gomel's direct forward Aleksander Alumona, his defence held firm. Jamie Carragher, captaining Liverpool on his 700th appearance, was typically assured, making crucial blocks whenever they were required.
If they were lucky to go into the break all-square, they needed even more good fortune to remain level on 65 minutes; when Dzmitry Platonaw was presented with a glorious chance he seemed certain to score but succeeded only in slicing wide after Sergei Kozeka rattled a post.
Moments later they paid the heaviest price. Downing did not have many options when he found himself 25 yards out but it didn't matter, as he crashed a drive past Vladimir Bushma to give Liverpool an advantage that, with a second leg at Anfield to come, they will not squander.

Under pressure: Liverpool's Stewart Downing, left, battles with Gomel's Mikalai Kashenski