Kenny Dalglish hailed the endeavours of his players after Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Sparta Prague - and admitted it was special to take charge of his first European encounter at Anfield.
A late header from Dirk Kuyt was enough to see off the stubborn resistance of the side from the Czech Republic following a tense second-leg in L4 and the Scot was quick to praise his team's never-say-die attitude as they booked their place in the last 16 of the Europa League.
Dalglish told his post-match press conference: "It's my first European night here as a manager - period. I've never done it before but it was quite enjoyable.
"It's a fantastic football club. I was a lucky man to come back here in unfortunate circumstances.
"I'm only here because of the good work done before me by the players and by Roy (Hodgson). It's a great honour to be here in charge of the club, but an even bigger one to be here on a European night - and also winning."
He added: "It was a difficult game. We knew from the first game that they are a strong physical side. We knew they were going to be physically fit, if not match fit.
"I think the boys deserve great credit for their determination and effort in getting a result. It was superb the way they took pride in themselves and the club. That was rewarded at the end with the goal. We are delighted to go through but the game was more less what we expected.
"They made it very difficult for us tonight. In the first half we had a few scares and in the second half there was a header that went right across the face of goal.
"It was a difficult game for us over both legs but I think we deserved to win."
Dalglish opted to hand Joe Cole his first start for the Reds since the trip to Blackburn on January 5 and the midfielder almost capped it with a second goal deep into stoppage time.
The boss admitted he had not intended to give the No.10 the full 90 minutes but saw his hand forced as a result of injuries to Martin Kelly and Daniel Agger.
"It was a surprise," he joked when asked about Cole racing through, only to fire wide.
"Obviously we picked up one or two knocks in the match. Martin Kelly felt a wee twinge at the top of his leg so he had to come off at half-time. Then Daniel Agger had to come off and Soto split his eye.
"Maybe Joe wouldn't have been on for that length of time but he had to be."
Kelly's withdrawal at the interval saw Jamie Carragher come on to make what was his 137th appearance in European competition - a British record.
Asked about Carra's achievement, Dalglish said: "It sums up his contribution to the football club. He's been a magnificent servant for the club. He's been here since about 12 years of age, so for him to walk away tonight with that honour speaks volumes for him and also for the successful the club has had.
"I wouldn't say right-back is his favourite position. We were trying to give him a wee break tonight but the injuries changed our mind. We brought him on and he slotted in with no problem.
"We'd much rather have him with us than against us. He's a great credit to himself, the club and professional footballers in general."
The boss was also quizzed about the absence of Glen Johnson and whether Steven Gerrard would be fit for the weekend clash with West Ham.
He added: "Glen just felt his achilles a wee bit so we left him out. It shouldn't be too bad. We'll just have to see. Steven is very close but we don't know if he will be ready for Sunday. We will at least have Luis Suarez back."
Author: Paul Hassall at Anfield
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