Skrtel: We got the outcome we wanted
Liverpool can approach the second leg of their Europa League tie against Besiktas with confidence following a 1-0 win in the opener, according to defender Martin Skrtel.
The Slovakian centre-half helped his team stem the Turkish side's repeated attempts to claim an away goal in a well-matched meeting at Anfield on Thursday night.
An advantage was then secured by the Reds in the closing stages, substitute Mario Balotelli sending a penalty into the corner after Jordon Ibe was fouled inside the area.
Manager Brendan Rodgers declared his satisfaction with the result after the final whistle, as did Skrtel. The No.37 sees reasons for optimism for the Istanbul return.
"The key was to win and the good thing is that we didn't concede as well," he told Liverpoolfc.com. "We go into the next game with a good result.
"We knew before the game that they are a good team. They are leading the league in Turkey, so we knew it wasn't going to be an easy game.
"But the main thing was the result, to get a good result before the away game - and we got it, so we are happy. We'll go there with confidence, try to get a result and get to the next round."
Skrtel also reserved praise for Ibe, who was recalled to the starting XI to tackle Besiktas after missing the FA Cup win at Crystal Palace due to ineligibility.
He added: "His first game against Everton was great and he is just continuing that performance. He played very well and hopefully he can do that in the future."