Robin van Persie says Liverpool got lucky in their 1-0 victory over Ajax.
Despite missing key players, the Reds ground out a victory, with Nicolas Tagliafico's first-half own goal proving the difference between the two sides.
Yet Ajax had chances to equalise, as they hit the post and also saw a shot cleared off the line by the impressive Fabinho.
Speaking on BT Sport, former Manchester United striker Van Persie was surprised at how profligate Ajax were in the game and argued that, on another day, they would have taken one of their chances.
Yet the 37-year-old recognised that the Reds were missing quality players in the shape of Virgil van Dijk, who is set to miss most of the season, and summer signing Thiago.
Van Persie also singled out Sadio Mane and Jordan Henderson for praise thanks to their performances in the game.
He said: "Liverpool did well, they clearly missed their main players.
"Virgil at the back, of course is a big miss. Thiago - although he hasn't played a lot - he’s a world-class player.
"But Ajax had the bigger chances tonight, they played quite well, they had four or five clear chances and normally they’d actually take one of them.
"Not tonight, Liverpool have been lucky tonight."
He added: "Ajax did well, they created many chances but didn't get their goal.
"For me, in the first hour, it was a joy to watch Sadio Mane, his movement and how he holds up the ball, his link-up play, I'd pay to watch him.
"He's a fantastic player to watch.
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"When Henderson came on, you could see his leadership, he was yelling to his teammates to go on for every single duel.
"He was confident on the ball, there was a mature player there, their real captain."
