Europa League wrap: Liverpool stutter to victory

Liverpool will take a 1-0 lead to Anfield after a patchy display in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier with Hearts on Thursday.

Brendan Rogers start to life as Liverpool manager did not take any great strides despite the result, with the side’s passing game undone by Hearts in a hectic first half.

Midfielders Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam were crowded out whenever they got the ball while Italian signing Fabio Borini started up front for the Reds, who left Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez at home.

He combined with 17-year-old winger Raheem Sterling just before half-time but inexplicably smashed his shot into the post.

Liverpool appeared to have run out of ideas when Martin Kelly delivered the crucial cross for Borini, who again scuffed his chance before the ball cannoned into the leg of Hearts right-back Andy Webster for an own goal in the 78th minute.

Newcastle battled to a 1-1 draw with Greek side Atromitos in Athens while Italian giants Inter Milan had no trouble defeating Romanian outfit Vaslui.

Atromitos started the better and found their avenue to goal through tricky German winger Denis Epstein, who exposed debutant right back James Tavernier several times before guiding a shot into the bottom corner on 24 minutes.

Ryan Taylor replied for Newcastle shortly before half-time and the English side went on to control the second half despite failing to net a second goal.

Inter cruised in Piatra Neamt with Argentine veteran Esteban Cambiasso scoring in the first half before Rodrigo Palacio added the second after the interval.

Cashed-up Russian side Anzi Makhachkala edged last year’s quarter finalists AZ Alkmaar 1-0 with Ivorian Lachina Traore on target.

PSV made light work of Montenegran side Zeta on the road with five separate scorers in a 5-0 win, while last year’s finalists Athletic Bilbao hammered Finnish side HJK Helsinki 6-0 at home, with Aduriz and Susaeta bagging doubles.

Serie A side Lazio defeated Slovenian side Mura 2-0, with Hernanes and Miroslav Klose on target, Bordeaux could not break through in a 0-0 draw with Serbian outfit Crvena Zvezda before their return home leg.

German side Hannover scored twice in the last 10 minutes away from home to take the first leg of their tie with Slask Wroclaw 5-3, Feyenoord salvaged a 2-2 draw after trailing Sparta Prague, who had a double from Vaclav Kadlec, and Turkish side Bursaspor stunned 2010 Eredivisie champions FC Twente 3-1.

In other results, Nefci drew 1-1 with last year’s Champions League underdogs APOEL Nicosia, Tromso edged Partizan Belgrade 3-2, FC Ekranas fell 2-0 to Steaua Bucharest at home, Marseille defeated Sheriff Tiraspol 2-1 and CSKA Moscow scored a valuable 1-0 win away to AIK.

Legia Warsaw drew 1-1 with Rosenborg, Liberec and Dnipro shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw, Molde defeated Heerenveen 2-0, FC Metalist Kharkiv won 2-0 at Dinamo Bucharest, Lucerne beat Genk 2-1 and F91 Dudelange were no match for Hapoel Tel-Aviv in a 3-1 home defeat.

Trabzonspor could not break through in a goalless draw with Videoton, Young Boys comprehensively accounted for Midtjylland 3-0 on the road as did Club Brugge at Debrecen, while Portugal’s Maritimo won 1-0 at home to Georgian side Dila Gori.

Lokeren and PAOK Salonika both scored 2-1 home wins over Viktoria Plzen and Rapid Vienna respectively, Spanish side Levante beat SPL outfit Motherwell 2-0 away while Sporting Lisbon settled for a 1-1 draw with AC Horsens.