Liverpool 0 – 0 Stoke City
It was a frustrating afternoon for Liverpool fans as the Reds drew goalless against new Premier League players Stoke City.
Despite dominating proceedings from start to finish, Liverpool were unable to convert any of the numerous chances into goals.
However, at first it looked like things were going to turn out very differently, as Steven Gerrard’s goal hit the back of the net after just three minutes. However, the linesman seemed to signal offside and the goal was doubtfully disallowed.
Five minutes later a low cross from Dirk Kuyt was finished off by Robbie Keane, with the goal at his mercy. However, the Irish hit man missed and his shot landed harmlessly on Thomas Sorensen.
Stoke had clearly come to Anfield for a point and defended in numbers for the most part. The tactic seemed to be working, with Liverpool mostly restricted to speculative efforts from range, but they did find their way behind the defense on a couple of occasions, and had it not been for some poor finishing and excellent late challenges the game would have been left. dead and buried. .
At the other end, Liverpool had very little to worry about defensively, as Rory Delap’s long ball was the sum total of Stoke’s attacking prowess, and even then the ball was handled comfortably by Pepe Reina.
When the half-time whistle blew, Stoke fans could be happy with their team’s resilient display, but with Liverpool dominating possession so much, it seemed only a matter of time before the away team ran out of steam.
The second half started much the same as the first, with Liverpool pushing forward as Stoke hurled men behind the ball. It looked as though the tie would be broken in the 52nd minute when Álvaro Arbeloa hit a perfect brace with Kuyt before creating space for himself and crossing into the box. The ball fell to Keane, who must be wondering what he has to do to score a goal at this point, and again his shot found its way safely into Sorensen’s arms.
Seconds later, Fernando Torres rose above the Stoke defense to receive a magnificent cross from Arbeloa, but the resulting header went just wide.
Arguably it was Torres who had Liverpool’s best chance to score, when the ball fell eight yards to him, but the Spaniard somehow brought the ball down when it seemed easier to score than to miss, in what summed up Liverpool’s afternoon. .
Next up was Kuyt, whose low shot was saved by a fit Sorensen. With time running out it seemed that it was not going to be Liverpool’s day.
As the final whistle approached, Liverpool hurled the men forward, and for much of the closing stages every player on the pitch except Reina was in the middle of Stoke. As hard as they tried, that elusive goal was not going to happen, and after three stoppage minutes the referee exploded to confirm a result that, while seeing Liverpool top of the league, is unlikely to have many fans smiling.