Hodgson left eight first-team players at home - either injured or rested - but his weakened side did enough to secure a 1-1 draw in Romania in Group K. Milan Jovanovic's first-half header was cancelled out after goalkeeper Jose Reina allowed Eder Bonfim's effort to squirm from his grasp. A 3-3 draw between Utrecht and Napoli meant Liverpool cannot be caught at the top of the group with a match to spare. Hodgson admitted afterwards that he was slightly worried how his under-strength team, many lacking match practice, would cope. "I'm very happy and happy most of all that the team we had the confidence to take on this tough task of playing Steaua away and were able to produce the performance and get the result we needed," said Hodgson. "We always knew it was going to be tough because it was a bit of a last chance for Steaua to qualify so I was a little bit concerned with my team selection but the players served the club well and stuck at our task very well. "I asked a lot of them; asking that team with so many players who had not played for a long time - Joe Cole, Fabio Aurelio, Ryan Babel - and players like Danny Wilson, Dani Pacheco and Jonjo Shelvey who hardly play in the first team. "Asking them to come to Steaua and get a result against a team of their quality, that is why I was concerned. "It was a big ask for those players to stand up to some of the pressure and deal with some of the quality football and I am delighted for them and we now top the group in the final game. "It would have been nice to win the game and Pepe (Reina) is a bit down because he is disappointed he didn't keep a clean sheet." Reina held his hands up for his error on the goal, which fortunately did not cost the side, when he was distracted by the presence of Bogdan Stancu - being played onside by Danny Wilson - in front him. "I thought one of their players was offside for the goal but I've watched replays and it's my fault," said the Spain international, captaining the side in the absence of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. "It's my mistake and I have to handle that and get through. "He was definitely obstructing me, but I definitely should have reacted much better than I did. I will handle the mistake and improve." Steaua coach Marius Lacatus, who replaced Ilie Dumitrescu 10 days after the 4-1 defeat at Anfield in September, was happy with his side's performance. "We created a few chances and could have scored more," he said. "Congratulations to Liverpool and I hope we can join them in the next stage."
