Liverpool regained their pride with what was eventually a convincing 2-0 UEFA Cup third round first leg victory over Levski Sofia on a night which began with the future of manager Gerard Houllier under the spotlight.
But after Levski had presented a formidable first half barrier, Liverpool claimed the advantage with goals from Steven Gerrard and Harry Kewell.
Both arrived in the space of four second-half minutes and were stunning strikes from the edge of the area.
A warm moment in the freezing temperatures came near the end when the Kop sang Houllier's name, showing they at least had sympathy for the Frenchman's plight.
The Liverpool manager was thrilled with the display, saying: "It was a good win. We got a clean sheet which is very important when you play in a competition with two legs and you are playing the first game at home.
"The first game is the most important because it puts you in a position to qualify. We had a very professional job to do and we did it well.
"I want to congratulate all the players; it's not easy to beat a team who put 10 men behind the ball. It is a matter of patience and movement and you have to take your chance from long range. I told them the chance would come and it came."