Reds held at Anfield

Liverpool were held to a goalless stalemate by FC Utrecht in their final Europa League clash Group K.

A disappointing game saw few chances at Anfield, with Milan Jovanovic going closest in the first period but his long-range effort was pushed by Utrecht keeper Michel Vorm onto the bar.

Roy Hodgson's unbeaten side had already qualified for the last 32 and go into the hat for the draw on Friday.

Hodgson had pledged on Tuesday to play his one fit star name, Fernando Torres, but had a last-minute change of heart after being persuaded otherwise by his medical staff.

With the Reds already qualified, it led to a turgid and uninspiring night which highlighted the lack of depth in the squad.

Torres' absence robbed Liverpool of their one genuine attacking threat and, as a result, the first half was not one which will live long in the memory of those young fans who benefited from the club's generous free ticket offer.

The one piece of excitement they witnessed was when Jovanovic, who scored against Steaua Bucharest in Romania a fortnight ago, saw his eighth-minute long range effort pushed onto the bar by Vorm.

Aside from that the home side never established a rhythm, which was partly down to the fact Hodgson made 10 changes to the team which lost to Newcastle at the weekend with only Martin Skrtel, captaining the team on his 26th birthday, surviving.

The team still contained the likes of Joe Cole, Ryan Babel, Jovanovic, Christian Poulsen and Fabio Aurelio but also included 19-year-old Nathan Eccleston, making his first start, and 18-year-old Danny Wilson on only his second appearance.

It contributed to a disjointed performance which very rarely rose above mediocre.

Utrecht, for their part, arrived at Anfield knowing they could not qualify for the last 32 but even with that freedom they too could not muster a display to excite their 4,000-strong travelling contingent.

And they suffered a blow just before half-time when top scorer Ricky van Wolfswinkel left the pitch on a stretcher and was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone after falling awkwardly.

Hodgson made a change at the interval but it was not the one the crowd were wanting, with Sotirios Kyrgiakos replacing Skrtel.

Babel was first to threaten 10 minutes after the restart when his run to the edge of the penalty area saw him fire wide of Michel Vorm's right-hand post.

Eccleston then departed to allow another promising youngster, Dani Pacheco, to enter the fray.

But Babel was looking Liverpool's most likely goalscorer and he came within inches of connecting with Kelly's low cross into the six-yard box.

Hodgson's final substitution had more than a touch of sentimentality about it, giving Dirk Kuyt a run-out for the final 18 minutes against his former club when he replaced Jovanovic.

It posed the question quite why Torres was included in the match squad at all.

Late on Cole saw a low shot charged down by Keller after Aurelio's cross had been blocked as the disappointing clash ended goalless.

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