Liverpool draw little comfort

A point at Anfield would normally be regarded as a fine result, but not now and not for Mark Hughes and Manchester City, who have had more draws than the national lottery in the past few weeks, writes the Sunday Times.

Both managers had agreed beforehand that this was a "make or break" game, a match capable of propelling their teams into a sustained challenge for the top four in the Premier League. But a sixth successive league draw for City and two more points dropped at home by Liverpool did neither Hughes nor Rafa Benitez any favours.
 
Statistics are not damned lies all the time: Liverpool have won one of their past 10 matches. Victory over Debrecen in Hungary in the Champions League on Tuesday is essential, over Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday barely less so. Every week seems to be make or break for Benitez and his beleaguered team these days.
 
"We can't be happy with a draw at home," admitted Benitez. "But we have one problem, then another problem, so to come back and be pushing for the win at the end was fantastic. This team has great character."
 
It is difficult to know which manager had the most to rue after a tepid lunchtime encounter at Anfield. Benitez had used the international break to mount a spirited defence of his five years at the club but even Thierry Henry himself could not have given a disjointed home team a guiding hand.
 
Having taken the lead through Martin Skrtel's header, Liverpool were hit by two goals in seven minutes midway through the second half — by Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland — and had a swift equaliser from Yossi Benayoun to thank for retrieving a vestige of respectability. The Kop, prolonged bouts of silence punctuated by bursts of frenzy, do not know what to make of it all. Neither, truly, did Hughes.
 
"We've come to Anfield, scored two goals and got a draw, yet my players are there in the dressing room disappointed," said the City manager. "That shows how far we've come." Whether Sheikh Mansour, the billionaire owner of City, will see it the same way is open to doubt. Hughes claimed his side were tactically 'spot on' in the first half. The 44,000 or so inside Anfield might have used other adjectives: dour, dire, sterile. Pick any one. When the fourth official signalled six minutes of stoppage time, the whole ground groaned in dismay. 
 
Liverpool had some excuses. Benitez's side, already without Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson, had to be reshuffled twice within the first 20 minutes as Daniel Agger was taken off by stretcher and Ryan Babel limped away.
 
The flight to Hungary might be full of the walking wounded tomorrow morning. Steven Gerrard, back from injury, did not look fully fit and, in the continued absence of Torres, spent much of his time playing as an auxiliary centre-forward alongside the lightweight David Ngog. This left the excellent Javier Mascherano isolated, too often faced with a row of static forwards 40 yards away and a vast expanse of green in between.
 
Perhaps the exertions of international week also played a part in a first half that was enlivened only by a lengthy conversation between Jamie Carragher and Craig Bellamy, neither exactly shrinking violets on or off the field. The Liverpool man began the exchange with a late and high challenge that rightly earned a booking from Phil Dowd and prompted pantomime ire from his former teammate. The pair were still chuntering at each other as the half drew to a belated close.
 
Liverpool's best period came just after half-time when Benayoun, who replaced Babel, drifted into the space between Nigel De Jong and the City centre-backs to begin providing inventive service to his forwards. When Liverpool took the lead just after half-time, Skrtel nipping in front of Adebayor to steer home Gerrard's free kick, it seemed that they might have constructed a precious victory from the rubble. But the introduction of Carlos Tevez after 61 minutes added energy to City's attack and Liverpool's defence were soon caught cold by Adebayor from Bellamy's corner.
 
Soon after, Liverpool were behind as the best move of the match, involving Tevez and Shaun Wright-Phillips, was finished by Ireland from close range. Then, almost straight from the kick-off, the City defence went absent, a deflected cross running across Shay Given and most of the six-yard box for Benayoun to claim a gleeful equaliser.
 
"It's frustrating for us to keep getting into winning positions and throwing them away," said Hughes. "But we gave glimpses of our quality and it will only be a matter of time before we start winning again. Who knows, this might prove to be a decent result by the end of the season."
 
Hughes confirmed that Robinho will be involved in the first team this week for the first time since late August, which might give the nouveau riche of the Barclays Premier League a precious lift.
 
Liverpool must hope that Torres returns to full fitness sooner rather than later, allowing Gerrard to return to his rightful place at the heart of his team. Had Torres rather than Lucas been on the end of Gerrard's near-post corner in the last minute of stoppage time, the result might have been very much more uplifting for Benitez and for the air of resignation that has settled over Anfield this season.

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