The Reds only managed a 1-1 draw at the Galgenwaard Stadium against the Dutch side in the Europa League.
“It was a good point. We knew it was going to be a tough game. The occasions when they created some chances were largely of our own making. They were the result of unfortunate individual errors. I thought the shape of the team and the way we approached the game – I can have nothing but praise for my team,” said Hodgson.
“We created some good chances ourselves also. It wasn’t a dull 0-0, there was activity at both ends of the field.
“Utrecht did well. They were as determined and committed as we expected them to be, so we had to be at our best defensively and we were.
“We saw some very determined chasing down from the Dutch forwards, their crossing and attacking the ball from crossing was good and it was easy to see why Utrecht have got a very good home record.
“So it’s a good point to take back to Liverpool. Four points out of two games. It’s the first time we haven’t won one of these games but to be honest it would have been unfortunate for them if we’d won the game tonight. They would have felt hard done by. For me, a draw was a more than satisfactory result.
“I think the group is going to be very tight. The other game finished in a draw. We’re top with four, then Utrecht and Napoli with two points and Steaua Bucharest with one point. It’s already quite close and I think it will be close right until the end with the way this group is panning out.”
