Gérard Houllier returns to a muted reception from Liverpool's Kop

It was never going to be Roma revisited for Gérard Houllier on his Anfield return and, on the basis of his reception, it may be a good while yet before Phil Thompson sees his former manager placed alongside Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish and Rafael Benítez on the Kop banner that reads "Success has many fathers". Lukewarm not only described Aston Villa's commitment to attack.

There was polite applause from Liverpool supporters sat around the dugouts when the club's former manager reappeared for his first competitive game at Anfield since 2004. There was also a banner on the front of the Kop proclaiming "Gérard's Heart Beats", which may have resonated with Houllier in terms of sentiment if not taste. Only in the dying minutes, with Liverpool 3-0 up, did the Kop sing his name.

Otherwise it was a modest reception that spoke of respect for a man who restructured the club, restored discipline, pride and a place on the European stage, but whose final years scarred the legacy to an extent it is still painful to revisit them.

In mitigation, it could just have been that no one was in the mood for tributes on a night of sub-zero temperatures on Merseyside and following the news that Fernando Torres had joined Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher on the sidelines after his wife had gone into labour. Not that star absentees detracted from a comfortable Liverpool victory. Far from it.

Those who prospered under Houllier at Liverpool had been keen to offer their appreciation ahead of his return, Thompson, with his assertion that "he nearly gave his life for Liverpool, just so he could make the club great again", being chief among them. Carragher's dislocated shoulder did not prevent the Liverpool vice-captain sparking debate with an assertion that the Uefa Cup, FA Cup and League Cup treble of 2001 ranked higher than victory in the 2005 Champions League final.

"The treble is a better achievement than Istanbul. Istanbul as a one-off will never be beaten by anyone but someone wins the Champions League every year," claimed Carragher, perhaps revealing where Benítez ranks in his own affections rather than where a golden-goal victory over the 10 men of Alavés, Michael Owen's virtuoso display against Arsenal and a penalty shoot-out defeat of Birmingham City stands alongside those infamous nights against Juventus, Chelsea and Milan.

No one disputes Houllier's dedication to the Liverpool cause and the internal revolution he conducted after the joint-management ticket with Roy Evans – surely the politest sacking in Liverpool's history – was brought to an inevitable early end. The night he defied doctor's orders to return against Roma in the Champions League, five months after being told to telephone his family before undergoing emergency heart surgery lest he should not survive, remains imprinted on all present.

But the decline started soon after, the football deteriorated as the excuses increased, and Liverpool demanded better. They still do.

Benítez met that requirement and elevated Liverpool to a place they are pining for again. Without Carragher and Gerrard on display, however, it was hard to identify a lasting Houllier legacy at Anfield.

For the Villa manager's sake, it must be hoped the emphasis on youth pays dividends quickly at Villa Park.

After a passionless first half devoid of one meaningful attack, the visitors were booed off at Anfield and, with only one win in 10 league games, they languish two points above the relegation zone. Houllier may have to savour the Anfield reception on this form.