Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
Yossi Benayoun grabbed a point for Liverpool with his equaliser
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Saturday, 21, Nov 2009 02:34
By Matt Hallam.
Liverpool's title hopes faded further after Yossi Benayoun's equliaser rescued a point against Manchester City at Anfield.
After a first-half disrupted by injuries and stoppages Martin Skrtel gave Liverpool a deserved lead when he met Steven Gerrard's free-kick at the front post.
Rafael Benitez' men failed to capitalise on their authority though and allowed City back into the game with Emmanuel Adebayor equalising with a free header from a corner.
Stephen Ireland then put City into the lead after a well worked move from Tevez and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
However, Mark Hughes' team threw their lead away immediately with poor defending allowing Benayoun to tap in an equaliser.
The draw leaves both teams well off the pace of Chelsea at the top of the table and means City have drawn their last six consecutive games, a top flight record set by themselves in 1913.
Liverpool welcomed back their captain Gerrard to the starting line-up but were still without the injured Glen Johnson and Fernando Torres meaning Jamie Carragher moved to right back and David Ngog continued in attack.
Manchester City were still without Robinho, starting with Adebayor in attack whilst Craig Bellamy returned to face his former club alongside Gareth Barry, who almost joined Liverpool last summer.
Liverpool started brightly with Gerrard and Ryan Babel combining well and came close to opening the scoring after five minutes when Skrtel forced an excellent save from Shay Given with a header from a Gerard free kick.
Daniel Agger was forced off with a serious head injury though after a clash of heads with Kolo Toure and with Liverpool temporarily down to 10-men Pepe Reina had to be alert to palm away Barry's header across the box from Ireland's delicate cross.
Sotirios Kyrgiakos came on for the departed Agger before Babel picked up an ankle injury. Benayoun replaced the Dutch winger as Benitez was forced to make his second substitution after only 20 minutes.
With so many stoppages neither team had been able to impose themselves on the game. Liverpool began to threaten on the half hour though with Gerrard sending a shot wide and Dirk Kuyt hitting a half-volley from 20-yards that was deflected wide by Joleon Lescott.
City responded with the best move as the match with Wayne Bridge cutting in from the left and finding Wright-Phillips in space on the edge of the box, however he skewed his shot high and wide.
Liverpool had looked more likely to score in the first-half and took the lead early in the second when Skrtel beat Adebayor to the ball at the front post to poke in Gerrard's free-kick from the left.
City responded well to going behind and began to monopolise possession, however, they looked short of ideas in attack with Ireland struggling to pick the right pass in the final third.
Carlos Tevez' introduction gave City improved impetus in attack, but it was poor defending from Liverpool that allowed an unmarked Adebayor to head in the equaliser from Bellamy's corner.
It was Tevez' persistence that gave City the lead though as he stole the ball from Skrtel on the left before finding Wright-Phillips in the area who turned Kyrgiakos and squared for Ireland to slot the ball past Reina.
City could only hold onto their lead for 74 seconds though. Lescott failed to clear the ball from his own penalty area, presenting Ngog with the ball whose shot from the right was deflected across goal where Benayoun was waiting to tap the ball in.
Liverpool pinned City back in the closing stages but couldn't find a winner with Lucas heading the best chance wide in the final minute.