Liverpool held by Birmingham

There is no disgrace in drawing with a Birmingham City side that have now taken points off every club in the top six at home but the harsh reality for Liverpool is that matching their rivals' results is no longer enough.

Liam Ridgewell's equaliser, after Steven Gerrard had put Liverpool in front with his 10th goal of the season, means that Rafael Benítez's side are four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City having played a game more.

That deficit leaves Liverpool with little margin for error over their five remaining Premier League matches, even allowing for the difficult run-ins that City and Tottenham Hotspur face. Three points could have been Liverpool's here but David Ngog, who came on for Fernando Torres, spurned a hat-trick of chances and Maxi Rodríguez blazed over in the closing minutes with Joe Hart prone. How Liverpool must wish they had started like they had finished.

The first half had made for painful viewing and it was not until the 35th minute that either side came close to scoring. That chance fell to Liverpool and it was only Hart's sharp reflexes that prevented Rodríguez from giving the visitors the lead. Pepe Reina started the move, the Liverpool goalkeeper's long throw releasing Dirk Kuyt on the halfway line before possession was transferred to Yossi Benayoun and then Torres. The Spaniard's right-wing cross picked out Rodríguez but his crisp side-footed volley was turned onto the bar by Hart.

Things improved after the restart with two goals in the space of nine minutes. Gerrard struck first, the Liverpool captain benefiting from an awful Glen Johnson mis-hit that dropped at his feet deep inside the Birmingham area. There was still much to do but Gerrard sold Lee Bowyer a brilliant dummy, to create a yard of space, before curling a fine shot past Hart and into the bottom corner.

Liverpool were in control but their lead proved short-lived when James McFadden swept in a deep centre from the right flank that Ridgewell, completely unmarked as the visitors defence were all sucked towards the ball, nudged over the line with his thigh. More poor Liverpool defending should have been punished in the 69th minute but Bowyer horribly scuffed Ridgewell's fine cross as the goal yawned in front of him.

Liverpool, however, finished the stronger. Ngog sent a bullet header narrowly wide of Hart's near upright before sweeping a snap-shot into the side-netting. His best opportunity arrived in injury-time but after taking Gerrard's raking pass on his chest he shot tamely at Hart.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.