Gerard Houllier provided the perfect inspiration for Liverpool on one of the great nights of European football at Anfield.

There have been some memorable occasions on Liverpool's ground down the years, but this will stand alongside the best of them.

Liverpool had to beat Roma, the Italian champions, by two clear goals to be certain to go through to the quarter-finals, and they did so with aplomb, and without Michael Owen.

The England striker's injury-enforced absence was more than made up for by Houllier making his first appearance at an Anfield game after five months recuperating from heart surgery.

Houllier - looking thin and pale but cheerful - was given a rapturous welcome, his name sung to the heavens by the Kop and his players responded exactly as the Frenchman would have wished.

Jari Litmanen, with an early penalty, set Liverpool on their way and Emile Heskey crowned a performance of poise and power - in which he utterly dominated Argentina's international centre-half Walter Samuel - with a cracking header.

Roma were many people's favourites to at least make the final in May, but from the start Liverpool looked in control.

In the sixth minute Vladimir Smicer gave Roma a real scare, breaking into space in the middle of the pitch and firing in a powerful curling shot that Francesco Antonioli only kept out at a stretch.

From the ensuing corner, however, Roma were panicked into conceding a penalty, Litmanen scored, and Liverpool had the start they had dreamt of.

Assuncao was the culprit for Roma, the Brazilian clipping Danny Murphy's heels after a hectic goalmouth scramble more in keeping with park football than a match between two of Europe's top teams.

Litmanen dispatched the spot-kick calmly, and Liverpool were somewhat unfortunate not to have the two-goal lead after Heskey turned Samuel and was fouled by the Argentinian 25 yards out.

John Arne Riise rolled the free-kick to Steven Gerrard who - with Sven-Goran Eriksson watching - struck a shot of such venom that Antonioli was glad to see it bounce off his chest.

A yard either side and he would have been beaten.

Liverpool's dominance of the first 20 minutes was all-consuming, and Riise sent a rocket-propelled shot arcing not far past the top corner.

Roma, at last, started to show signs they had survived Liverpool's first rush of blood and the rest of the second half deteriorated into cat and mouse.

Batistuta struck a free-kick into the wall, and Roma's best move of the first half saw Totti free Emerson down the right and he bent over a lovely cross which seemed destined for the unmarked Batistuta but out of nowhere Stephane Henchoz's blond head appeared to flick the ball to safety.

At the other end, Carragher crossed to the far post where Heskey won a good header, but the England striker's effort was too high.

Assuncao was way off target with a hopeful 35-yard free-kick, Vincent Candela headed weakly into Jerzy Dudek's arms from a promising position, then Emerson skied a shot into the Kop.

Roma brought Vicenzo Montella and Marco Delvecchio on as substitutes at the break, but they failed to change the course of the game.

Samuel fouled Heskey again outside the area, but Riise's free-kick lacked quality.

Heskey then took on Samuel for pace and left the Argentinian standing, and was only stopped by Aldair coming across to concede a corner.

Totti came mighty close to equalising when he connected first-time with Assuncao's low centre and would probably have scored had the ball not deflected wide off a defender.

Riise's left foot, always a dangerous weapon in Liverpool's armoury, provided the home side with a good chance.

The Norwegian forced Antonioli to parry his fiercely-driven low shot before in the 65th minute, Heskey scored the goal Liverpool had been desperate for.

Murphy hit a free-kick from a deep position on the left and Heskey rose high above his marker to bury a perfect header into the net.

Emerson threatened to put a dampener on the atmosphere when he connected with a pass from Delvecchio, but it soared over the bar.

There could have been more goals for Liverpool when Murphy's 30-yard free-kick appeared to connect with a hand above the Roma wall, but Norwegian referee Rune Pedersen took no action.

Teams

Liverpool: Dudek, Xavier, Henchoz, Hyypia, Carragher, Smicer (McAllister 90), Gerrard, Murphy, Riise, Litmanen (Biscan 88), Heskey.

Subs Not Used: Arphexad, Baros, Barmby, Diomede, Wright.

Booked: Xavier.

Goals: Litmanen 7 pen, Heskey 64.

Roma: Antonioli, Panucci, Samuel, Aldair, Tommasi, Emerson, Assuncao (Cassano 68), Lima (Montella 45), Candela, Totti, Batistuta (Delvecchio 45).

Subs Not Used: Pelizzoli, Zago, Zebina, Guigou.

Booked: Tommasi, Samuel.

Att: 41,794

Ref: R Pedersen (Norway).