Brendan Rodgers' sole signing of the off-season to date, Fabio Borini, scored his first competitive goal for the club on Thursday, driving home from inside the box to beat the goalkeeper at his near post.

Their second goal of the game came just minutes before the half-time whistle, with Luis Suarez turning his man inside out before laying it on a plate for Steven Gerrard to tap home into an empty net.

In a quieter second half, Glen Johnson scored pick of the goals, adding the icing on the cake in what represented a fine return to European football for the club on home soil, as he volleyed home with a sweetly hit left-foot strike from the edge of the box.

The 4-0 aggregate victory helped Liverpool into the play-off round, just one step from the group stage.

Serie A giants Inter Milan survived a scare against Hajduk Split, losing 2-0 at the San Siro but holding on for a 3-2 aggregate win.

A 23rd-minute penalty from Ante Vukusic put the Croatian side on the front foot, before Ivan Vukovic added a second just before the hour-mark.

But Inter held on despite some nervous moments late in the encounter, sealing progression to the next round.

Marseille and Athletic Bilbao also advanced, edging past Eskisehirspor and Slaven Koprivnica respectively.

Big-spending Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala progressed at the expense of Dutch side Vitesse, completing a 4-0 aggregate win.

A second-half brace from Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto'o saw Guus Hiddink's visitors to the win, while Simon Cziommer was sent off on the hour-mark for the hosts.

Greek giants PAOK thrashed Israel's Bnei Yehuda 4-1 in the second leg, wrapping up a 6-1 aggregate victory.

Cypriot First Division runners-up APOEL Nicosia, quarter-finalists in the Champions League last season, advanced after a 1-0 second-leg win over Norway's Aalesund saw them complete a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Heerenveen were comfortable in getting past Rapid Bucharest, Twente disposed of Mlada Boleslav and Steaua Bucharest hammered Spartak Trnava 3-0 in the second leg after losing 1-0 at home a week ago.

Dundee United were thrashed 5-0 in their second leg against Dinamo Moscow, unable to stage an upset after drawing 2-2 in Scotland.

Gent slumped to a 4-0 aggregate loss to Hungarian league runners-up Videoton, while Bundesliga side Hannover eased past St Patrick's of Ireland.

Other winners included Turkey's Bursaspor, Poland's Legia Warszawa, Norway's Tromso, Czech Republic's Viktoria Plzen and Belgian side Genk.