Wily Hicks joins the Anfield chorus line at Liverpool against Chelsea

In an instant, any misgivings the Liverpool manager might have harboured about Moscow ambitions being derailed by crowd hostility towards visiting co-owner Tom Hicks were well and truly banished.

Slightly more than an instant, if truth be known. For a good five minutes, chorus after chorus of You'll Never Walk Alone rang round the ground and the tone was set for another evening when trying to relay a message even to the seat next door proved an exercise in futility.

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Benitez backed Liverpool's vociferous followers to save anti-American sentiments for another day and lend their lung power to the task in hand. They did not disappoint him. The feedback from fans' websites has confirmed the impression that they have not been taken in by Hicks' transparent attempts to win them over. Fair play to the wily old Texan, though, he does try.

Police cautioned against his first Anfield visit since December and added that, should he choose to risk advised to sit out of harm's way. Both warnings were ignored as he breezed in through the main entrance — accompanied only by son Tom Jnr, rather than a security posse — and took a front row seat 10 minutes before kick-off.

It was an opportunity to discover the true level of animosity towards the 62-year-old. Unfortunately, his grand entrance coincided with Chelsea's team being read out, and it was impossible to be sure who was the subject of a cascade of boos.

Hicks remained undaunted. As the Kop broke into their extended rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone he rose, held his red and white scarf aloft and joined in every line. Been on the Google search engine, Tom?

His actions were also matched by positive words, according to Benitez who said: "I've spoken with Mr Hicks. We spoke about meeting together, the owners and everyone. I can't say when — it's a secret. It will be a positive meeting. The idea is to meet with everyone, including George Gillett. After, if we have something important to say, we will say it."

When it comes to causing unwanted ructions, though, Hicks' estranged partner Gillett can hardly be considered blameless.

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After taking Hicks to task over an outburst perceived as ill-timed so close to Liverpool's biggest game of the season, what did Gillett do to restore harmony? Only invited the other participants in a three-way power battle, Dubai International Capital, to trail along as guests.

Illness prevented George from attending, but his son Foster did the honours, while former Liverpool chairman David Moores and embattled chief executive Rick Parry forsook their usual front-row vantage point to keep a safe distance away from Hicks, three rows behind him.

Demand for tickets in the directors' box for the boardroom bunfight was such that Sven Goran Eriksson and Alex McLeish, England and Scotland managers of the recent past, had to settle for seats at the front of the press area.

As he looked down at the battery of cameras, Manchester City boss Eriksson might have mused that life under Thaksin Shinawatra wasn't so bad after all.

The noise generated on another European night at Anfield was electrifying. There were suggestions three years ago that Chelsea's players may have been affected by the din but they coped well enough third time round.

Hicks applauded his troops off at the end but the scarf had gone as he headed towards the guest lounge. Ah well, it was good while it lasted.