That conviction will not have been drained by Juventus's inevitable second-half revival which plucked what may yet prove to be a crucial away goal from the dregs. Few had anticipated anything but Liverpool's willing triers, with so much talent absent, spluttering aground upon consummate Serie A defence. Instead the Italians have been shown to be fallible, their soft underbelly exposed, to ensure that Rafael Benítez's side travel to Turin next week retaining real hope of progress.
They will presumably meet opponents better primed to cope, but they will draw encouragement from their rampant successes here. Rarely can Lilian Thuram and Fabio Cannavaro have appeared so flustered as when the hosts, spurred on supremely by the effervescent Steven Gerrard, tore through them in the ferocious early stages last night. World-class defenders were reduced to quivering wrecks, heaving to contain the home side's pace through centre and on the flanks, as Liverpool built a lead which threatened to settle the tie beyond doubt.
Benítez drew confidence in the aftermath from the anxieties which will still be unnerving Juve ranks, in spite of their late riposte. There has been a vibrancy to the Spaniard's side in this competition which defies their occasionally anaemic Premiership form. Once the pre-match ceremonies of remembrance had been concluded, it was in Liverpool that urgency swelled most.
Perhaps the Italians were suffering, as Fabio Capello suggested, from not having played since March 19, though that did not justify the chaos in their defence. This was a near-impermeable rearguard which had conceded only twice in eight matches among Europe's elite, yet it was swept aside by Gerrard's energy. He crunched in to dispossess Emerson in the opening seconds, leaving the Brazilian dazed on the turf. His team followed the captain's lead within 10 minutes.
Gerrard's corner, flicked on by a mixture of Luis García and Gianluca Zambrotta, looped invitingly towards Sami Hyypia just outside the six-yard box. The Finn was loitering unnoticed, though few could have foreseen the magnificence of the centre-half's volley, which careered low inside the far post to put his side ahead.
Other chances had been cre ated and passed up by the time García, fed by Anthony le Tallec on his first senior start in 14 months, turned to lash a brilliant volley from 25 yards over Gianluigi Buffon. It was an audacious, wondrously executed goal.
Juventus rarely creak to this extent, though they eventually benefited from Liverpool's inability to maintain such breathtaking momentum. As Gerrard's influence waned and García ran out of puff on the flank, so the Italians' poise steadily returned. By the interval they had eked out enough encouragement to force them on, Alessandro Del Piero seeing a perfectly good headed goal disallowed for offside and Zlatan Ibrahimovic battering a left-foot shot against a post.
That, coupled with a bellowed admonishment from Capello at half-time, ensured the hosts' dominance was partly eroded. The substitute Gianluca Pessotto stifled Gerrard, Pavel Nedved drifting infield more eagerly as Liverpool retreated into defence, and Juventus monopolised possession. Even so, they rarely threatened to find reward, Jamie Carragher scuttling effectively across the back line to clean up, and it took an error eventually to undermine Liverpool's progress.
Scott Carson had learned of his inclusion late in the day, with Jerzy Dudek still troubled by a hamstring strain, and had conjured a marvellous save to deny Del Piero late in the first half after a mesmeric exchange of passes with Nedved. Yet, when Liverpool failed to clear a corner, Zambrotta crossed deep and Cannavaro's downward header bounced agonisingly over the teenage goalkeeper's weak attempt to block.
There were words of consolation from Carson's team-mates at the end but he departed dismayed. Embarrassing handling errors have provided an unnerving subplot to Liverpool's performances all season, though they have recovered from them before.
Rekindle defensive sureness next week and the bookies' halving of Liverpool's odds on winning this competition will ring even less ridiculous.