Steven Gerrard got an unwelcome dose of reality last night as Sevco scrambled to a 2-0 win over Shkupi in the first qualifying round of the Europa League.
It took a stoppage time penalty from James Tavernier to give the Ibrox side some breathing space but Tuesday’s trip to Macedonia could still be difficult.
After a summer of constant euphoria the sight of Alfredo Morelos and Josh Windass in the starting line up brought some reality to the Revolution with Shkupi matching the home side after struggling for the first 20 minutes.
All of the indicators suggest that there isn’t much money left in the transfer war-chest with Gerrard struggling to put a gloss on a turgid Ibrox display.
“I don’t think it’s any better than satisfactory,” the former Liverpool u-18 coach told The Sun. “There is still a lot of work to do and we are still in a game.
“We have to make sure we perform when we go out there but for the first competitive game, we have kept a clean sheet and won.
“I thought we should have won it more comfortably if we were a bit sharper in front of goal.
“We take 2-0, but I’m slightly disappointed we didn’t win it more comfortably.”
If Sevco survive Tuesday’s trip to Macedonia they will face the winners of the Petrocub v Osijek tie with those sides drawing 1-1 in the first leg last night.
Last season Osijek reached the Europa League play-off round, beating PSV Eindhoven 1-0 home and away before bowing out to Austria Vienna on the away goals rule.
