'Everyone thought Liverpool would be easy' - Giovanni van Bronckhorst

Is Rangers close to this level? The players are doing their job.

Steven Thompson posed the question in the aftermath of the game.

As a cure to square themselves up after a rough time of it themselves, the Scottish side as a cure was used by the Reds to beat Rangers on Tuesday. It was claimed that there was a weakness in the side. It's possible that they are 'got at'.

Outside the ground, fans murmured about how they got back up the road with a point or a win. Fans desperate to see their team kick-start a group-stage campaign may be wondering why they were so eager to get there in the first place.

We didn't find out how vulnerable the side is. The meek Rangers performance made that possible. The gulf between the two teams wasn't conveyed by the 2-0 score.

He said he didn't know there was a lot to separate them. A person who enjoyed a simpler evening than has been happening recently. The guests were well behaved.

Neil said that it was eye-opening to see how far away Rangers were from it. Questions have to be asked of players.

It was more than a 2-0. The man was outstanding. It would have been six if it wasn't for him.

It could be seven or more. The 40-year-old goalie made eight saves. There were at least one or two players who were confused.

It is necessary for a team to survive a visit to Anfield. This is a club who have made it to the final in three of the last five years. They know a little about them.

"Don't forget the opposition we are playing," a chastened Giovanni van Bronckhorst said afterwards, the Rangers manager's talk of 24 hours earlier about believing his side could take something having been discredited by reality

Borna Barisic on Liverpool loss

They're out of form, everyone says. You can see that they are able to reach the level. You need to look at the squad.

The truth is between the two. There is a big difference between the two teams. The premier league side should win a lot of games like this.

It's hard to make a convincing case that any of the players showed their best work.

Leon King carried himself with admirable composure for an 18-year-old in his ninth senior game. They showed their best levels in the run to the final.

Steven Davis and Borna Barisic both spoke after the game about how big the step up to Europe's top tier competition has been, but the intensity in this Rangers side appears to have gone down.

There was an irreverence lacking against the three teams last term. There is too much respect being shown. The players are under more scrutiny. The narrative of this campaign may have been sculpted by elite competition.

"I think we competed well and we will learn from this game," Van Bronckhorst said.

It is possible that the home crowd will encourage the Rangers players to deliver more, as they did for the first hour or so against Napoli before James Sands was sent off.

The squad is ill-equipped for the challenge they earned for themselves.

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