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Marseille 0-4 Liverpool

Goals from Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel gave the Reds the victory, the first time in seven outings an English side has won in Marseille and Liverpool's biggest ever away win in the competition.

The historic thrashing means Liverpool did what was asked of them by winning their last three qualifying matches after a shocking start to this season's campaign left them with one point in three outings.

It also gives under-pressure boss Rafa Benitez a stay of execution after a disappointingly inconsistent season and various alleged run-ins with club management, although a result is still needed from the weekend's clash with Manchester United at Anfield.

Liverpool dominated the first half and should have been more than two goals ahead by the break, a furious start to the game seeing Gael Givet begin his nightmarish - and short - match with a late tackle on Gerrard bursting into the box that he was lucky not to see a card for.

The Liverpool captain saw his penalty acrobatically blocked by Steve Mandanda but was not even thinking about missing as he raced onto the rebound to put the Reds ahead.

Givet then somehow stayed on the pitch when, in the seconds following his side's restart, he flew into a late, dangerous, two-footed tackle on Yossi Benayoun that shockingly saw a free kick awarded and nothing more. The Marseille stopper's match was prematurely ended, however, through injury just before the break after a collision with Kuyt.

The visitors got their second goal on 12 minutes, a superb solo effort from Torres, who weaved past three defenders and slotted the ball into the bottom right after being fed by Harry Kewell, seemingly restored to a starter's role after an injury nightmare since joining the club.

Kewell was in fine form on the left, never far from the action and creating excellent chances for Kuyt and Gerrard, the former with a pinpoint cross, the latter by winning a free-kick that was sent inches wide by the England man.

The Reds had two superb chances in the minutes leading up to half time, Kewell hammering over after a Gerrard free kick was deflected into his path, and Torres somehow toe-poking over after being sent clear by Kuyt.

Benitez' men had an instant reply to the missed opportunities. Two minutes after the restart, Mandanda's poor kick was intercepted by Kewell, who swung in an immediate cross from the left that sent Kuyt free of Julien Rodriguez, who was running across and played him onside to clip the ball past the keeper.

The game was all but over, a single headed chance for Mamadou Niang deflected wide and a couple of long-range free kicks Marseille's attempted routes back into the game. And substitute Babel, on for Torres, completed the rout when he latched onto a long ball from Fabio Aurelio, beat Jacques Faty for pace, rounded Mandanda and coolly slotted the ball home in injury time.

The win means Liverpool qualify in second place from the group, which was won by Porto following their 2-0 home victory over Besiktas.

Porto 2-0 Besiktas

The elation following Besiktas' win against Liverpool two months ago was undone by the Turkish side's failure to even make the UEFA Cup following their 2-0 loss at Porto.

Goals from Lucho Gonzalez and Ricardo Quaresma gave the Portuguese group victory, the first strike coming following a defensive howler from eccentric keeper Rustu Recber, who stopped playing when he could have cleared the ball, convinced of an offside that never was.

That Gonzalez goal came two minutes before the end of a first half that Porto had dominated without creating too many real opportunities.

Lisandro had put the ball in the back of the net on 13 minutes but he was adjudged to be offside, while the same man again created time and space to fire on goal but Rustu was equal to it, the former Barcelona keeper having a mixed day, making a superb stop one second while gamely flapping at simple crosses the next.

The second half saw Besiktas come out with intent, Edouard Cisse dragging a shot well wide when found unmarked in the box after a Rodrigo Tello corner.

Rustu made a quite outstanding save from a Quaresma header on the hour but it was in vain as, two minutes later, the same man was played clean through and made no mistake with the low finish into the bottom right.

Porto's win forced Liverpool into second place and allows the 2004 winners to avoid the group winners in the next round.

Reda Maher / Eurosport