Hyypia answers Houllier's call

Gérard Houllier has underlined Liverpool's defiant return to basics to drag themselves out of the most damaging run of his career at at the Anfield club.

It is no surprise that the Liverpool manager hails the defensive power which earned his side a 1-0 Uefa Cup fourth round first-leg win in Auxerre against the tactically clever and skilled French title chasers on Thursday. Liverpool were going through their worst League run in 50 years before Houllier unashamedly relied on the strengths of the likes of captain Sami Hyypia and his sidekick, Stéphane Henchoz, to pull his side away from disaster.

It is not pretty and certainly not entertaining. But it works and clearly proves Houllier is unmoved by the constant clamour for Liverpool to perform with the flowing attacking style of Arsenal or Manchester United.

Houllier knows Liverpool's strengths, and they will go into tomorrow's Premiership match away to Birmingham City with one defeat in nine League games and a furious defiance and disinterest in critics who claim they are boring and negative. Hyypia, playing his 200th game for the club, will be at the hub again, but Houllier will be without Steven Gerrard and El Hadji Diouf, who are both suspended

There will be little change for the European return on Thursday or the Worthington Cup final against Manchester United next Sunday – a week that will define their season and one in which Houllier will be taking no chances.

Houllier returned from France, saying: "It was a fine European result, a hard-fought performance. Look at the other results in the Uefa Cup – we were the only team to win away from home.

"The boys turned in a tremendous performance, in terms of defence particularly, and I would rank that performance alongside those we had last time we won this Cup in places like Barcelona, Olympiakos, Roma and Porto. That's the type of display we put up against a very, very good French side.

"You always expect to be under the cosh, under pressure when you are away in Europe. We respected Auxerre's quality but we responded extremely well with a team performance. The defending was superb, have no doubt about that."