The Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was pleased to get his first chance to play a full game against Fiorentina alongside new £20m signing Alberto Aquilani, and he has high hopes that the Italian will be a good replacement for Xabi Alonso, who left Anfield for Real Madrid in the summer.

“It was nice for Aquilani to get out there and get his first start,” Gerrard said. “He can dictate the tempo of a game. He’s a clever player, a good passer. I don’t want to tempt fate but he’s very similar to Xabi.”

Aquilani himself was extremely happy to get his first full game for seven months, and thinks he can only improve for the experience.

“I started for the first time in seven or eight months in the first XI — that’s very hard,” he said.

“After that length of time it’s difficult to be fit but I’m happy because I’m playing and that means I’m getting there.

“My ankle is better, it’s improved, so while the result was not good from a personal point of view it’s been good, physically.

“I can play better but it was important to start and to run because after seven months I need to play, play, play because I’m in a new team.

“There are very good players and they can help me.

“The game was important for the confidence when playing with Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and the other players.”

With Mascherano back playing his usual top class game, and with a fit Gerrard and Fernando Torres, Aquilani could finally integrate himself into a top class team again.