Defensive Roy Delighted With A Draw

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson admitted he was happy to gain a point in their 1-1 draw with Utrecht on Thursday. The Reds struggled throughout the game to build any pressure and create chances against the Dutch side, with star striker Fernando Torres cutting a frustrated figure up front. Hodgson's side stay top of their group following the result in what was, for the most part, an uninspiring game at the Galgenwaard Stadium, but he stated that it was a point gained rather than two dropped. "It was a good point. We knew it was going to be a tough game. The occasions when they created some chances were largely of our own making. They were the result of unfortunate individual errors. I thought the shape of the team and the way we approached the game - I can have nothing but praise for my team," said Hodgson. Good chances "We created some good chances ourselves also. It wasn't a dull 0-0, there was activity at both ends of the field. "Utrecht did well. They were as determined and committed as we expected them to be, so we had to be at our best defensively and we were. "We saw some very determined chasing down from the Dutch forwards, their crossing and attacking the ball from crossing was good and it was easy to see why Utrecht have got a very good home record. "So it's a good point to take back to Liverpool. Four points out of two games. It's the first time we haven't won one of these games but to be honest it would have been unfortunate for them if we'd won the game tonight. They would have felt hard done by. For me, a draw was a more than satisfactory result. "I think the group is going to be very tight. The other game finished in a draw. We're top with four, then Utrecht and Napoli with two points and Steaua Bucharest with one point. It's already quite close and I think it will be close right until the end with the way this group is panning out." Commenting on the performance of Torres, who saw one chance go begging after a fine save by Michel Vorm, Hodgson praised the Spaniard's work rate, despite once again coming away from the game without a goal. "There was some good combinations between him and the wide players and Dirk Kuyt. He worked very hard but he's still missing that elusive goal. "There were a couple of quite good occasions for him to score but I think he'll feel it was a good 90-minute workout for him and another step in the right direction."