Blackburn	0 - 0	Liverpool
	Half Time ( 0 - 0 )	Booked Carragher 58

With two in-form sides meeting, sitting next to each other in the Premier League, it was inevitable it would be a close encounter.

Both teams had chances to score but neither could find the back of the net, partly through bad luck and partly through poor finishing.

Blackburn went into the game on the back of seven straight victories, with Benni McCarthy their main man and top scorer.

Mohamed Sissoko, Yossi Benayoun and Ryan Babel were given starts for Liverpool with most eyes on Gerrard who’d scored in his last three games. Benitez may also have one eye on their forthcoming Champions League fixture against Besiktas which is a must-win game if the Reds are to stay in the competition.

Rovers had the better chances in the first-half and were only denied the lead by the woodwork, as the home side dominated the first 45 minutes.

David Bentley beat the challenge of a defender and was unlucky to see his shot come back off Jose Reina’s post as it looked as though the home side would draw first blood.

But Liverpool also looked threatening coming forward and Babel cut in from the left but saw his shot only sting Brad Freidel’s gloves as the keeper parried the ball to safety, with it fortunately going straight to one of his team mates.

Then as Rover pushed forward again, Carragher’s header out went straight to Dunn and after making some space for himself on the edge of the box, he was unlucky to see his shot beat Reina but came back off crossbar.

Blackburn ended the first-half the stronger side but they just couldn’t capitalise on their good play. Liverpool, too, created some chances but they certainly weren’t as good as the home side.

The Reds dominated the game after the break and created plenty of opportunities to put the game out of reach, yet still didn’t manage to come as close as Blackburn’s first-half opportunities or even put one shot past Friedel.

Most chances involved Dirk Kuyt and he broke down the left but dithered on the ball and it was eventually a simple save for Friedel as the Dutchman was caught in two minds between crossing for an unmarked Gerrard running into the box or taking the shot himself.

Blackburn had a penalty appeal turned down when Ryan Nelsen’s shot hit Jamie Carragher’s hand. But referee Martin Atkinson waved away appeals, much to the disgust of some of the home players.

Roque Santa Cruz had a free header from a corner but put it over the bar as Liverpool should’ve grabbed the headlines at the other end.

With natural goalscorer Fernando Torres sorely missing, Benitez introduced Harry Kewell and Peter Crouch as the second-half wore on but neither could inspire their side to victory despite coming close.

Crouch had a header off the line thanks to Bentley, between Gerrard’s two efforts he had well saved by Friedel. Then Kewell won a header in the air and Kuyt picked up the loose ball but blasted off-target after deciding to take an extra touch rather than hit it first time. And an effort by the Dutch striker late on went narrowly wide, more due to bad misfortune this time rather than his indecisiveness.

Ultimately, the Reds managed to ride their luck in the first-half but and then wasted their opportunities after the break as the game ended goalless. The draw means that Liverpool remain unbeaten so far this campaign but stay in seventh place, six points off the pace at the top of the table.

Blackburn sit two places above them and a point ahead as one of the Premier League’s dark horses again shows that the gap between the Big Four and some of the other sides maybe isn’t as large as people like to make out, especially when three of the Big Four have failed to beat Rovers so far this season.


Blackburn: Friedel, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Emerton, Bentley, Dunn (Kerimoglu 56), Pedersen, Santa Cruz, McCarthy (Derbyshire 89).

Subs Not Used: Brown, Khizanishvili, Treacy.

Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Benayoun (Crouch 72), Sissoko, Mascherano, Babel (Kewell 63), Gerrard, Kuyt.

Subs Not Used: Martin, Arbeloa, Lucas.

Att: 30,033

Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

By Ben Hughes