Benitez remains upbeat, but Hughes is disappointed as stuttering duo lose more ground on Ancelotti’s inform Blues

Rafel Benitez refused to be downbeat despite watching his Liverpool side play out a disappointing draw with Manchester City at Anfield.

Yossi Benayoun’s bundled goal spared Rafael Benitez’s blushes after the visitors had gone 2-1 ahead thanks to strikes from Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland.

But even though one point is better than nothing, it was a result that will satisfy neither side.

For Liverpool it is a scoreline that adds weight to the argument that their title challenge is already over, while City’s sixth consecutive draw illustrates that for all the cash spent they are still some way off becoming one of the Premier League ‘big four’.

However, Benitez insists he saw enough to suggest his side can still challenge for silverware.

“I’m disappointed with the result but you can’t say anything because the players were working so hard,” Benitez said.

“We had a lot of problems and conceded two goals but you could still see the character of the team. In the circumstances it was a very good performance.”

“With some players available and fit we are much better.”

At the start of the season both clubs had high hopes they could do challenge for one of the Champions League spots but, in the case of Liverpool, also an elusive Premier League title. But these performances, as much as the actual result, show that those lofty ambitions will remain unfulfilled come next May.

The draw means Liverpool have now won only once in ten matches in all competitions.

Liverpool had Steven Gerrard, Ryan Babel and Jamie Carragher returning from the side that drew with Birmingham.?

But not even that trio could inject life into Benitez’s struggling side, and? a lacklustre first half was short on anything memorable.

So it was no surprise that all the goals in a scrappy encounter came after the interval.

Martin Skrtel volleyed Liverpool into the lead five minutes into the second half, before Adebayor headed City back on to level terms, Busy midfielder Ireland gave the visitors the lead only for sub Benayoun to equalise barely a minute later. And City boss Mark Hughes admitted he was disappointed not to get the three points.

“It’s disappointing because I think we were the better team,” Hughes said. “We were in a winning position and that is the frustration at the moment.”
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LIVERPOOL: Reina, Agger (Kyrgiakos 11), Insua, Carragher, Skrtel, Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Babel (Benayoun 18, Aurelio 85), Ngog.
MAN CITY: Given, Bridge, Zabaleta, Lescott, Toure (Onuoha 46), Ireland, Wright-Phillips, Barry (Tevez 61), De Jong, Adebayor, Bellamy.

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