Please cry for us, Argentina

CARLOS TEVEZ remains AWOL in Argentina and the brutal truth of an increasingly difficult period in Manchester City’s season is that if the Argentina international forward was watching the contest in his homeland, he will have seen little incentive for making a swift return.

It was the sort of uneventful afternoon when the major talking point, for City, concerned the whereabouts of their leading scorer while Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez tried to raise the interest level by claiming Yossi Benayoun had been denied a late penalty following a challenge from Vincent Kompany.

Unfortunately, for most of the neutrals on hand – and referee Peter Walton – it was hard to recall exactly when that challenge even took place.

“He told me he thought it was a penalty but he was trying to continue,” said Benitez.

“Sometimes that is good in terms of fair play, but sometimes it is bad! He knew it could have been a penalty but he was trying to continue.”

In short, the contest provided little entertainment and little help in sorting out which of the four rivals – throw Tottenham and Aston Villa into the equation – will eventually finish in the coveted fourth position and enter next season’s Champions League.

Benitez claimed the draw suited neither team particularly although it should be stated that defeat for Liverpool would have left them with a huge task to overhaul City. For Mancini, at the start of an important week that features an FA Cup replay visit to Stoke and even more testing league trip to Chelsea, defeat would have added to the pressure that is undoubtedly piling upon the Italian’s shoulders given the ludicrous level of expectations that now surrounds the world’s wealthiest football club.

Considering the importance of the game, it was probably no surprise that both teams should start so cautiously, reluctant to commit men forward, with the result that four forwards were often confronted by eight, or even more, defenders to negotiate.

Consequently, the first real goal attempt of the game did not come until the 25th minute when Steve Gerrard picked up a throw-in on the right and cut across the top of the penalty area before lifting a shot over the bar. In response, City’s first “shot” came a couple of moments later when a mis-hit Emmanuel Adebayor effort passed hopelessly across the face of goal.

It was hardly the exciting encounter that the teams’ respective positions in the table had promised although City’s new winger Adam Johnson showed some delightful touches and appeared on both wings in an attempt to carve out an opening.

In keeping with the cautious tone of the game, however, Liverpool surrounded him with two, or even three, red shirts every time he dwelled on the ball. Johnson finally found space after 38 minutes to curl a left-foot shot just beyond the far post although the half would end with Liverpool in the ascendancy.

Gerrard’s late first half corner was glanced wide by defender Martin Skrtel although the Liverpool captain spoiled what had been an impressive first half display with a caution for a crude lunge on Joleon Lescott, making Gerrard one of six Liverpool players who would eventually be cautioned.

City started the second half with greater urgency although it took until the hour mark for the game’s first save to materialise when Pepe Reina was forced to dive full length to keep out an 18-yard drive from Adebayor.

In response, 13 minutes later, Shay Given was finally called into some sort of action in the opposite goal when Gerrard appeared on the end of a tidy Liverpool passing move and produced a left-foot shot which the Irish keeper saved comfortably.

The introduction of Craig Bellamy and Fernando Torres as substitutes hinted at the possibility of more scoring opportunities over the closing stages and Skrtel was required to make a superb covering tackle on Adebayor as the City forward appeared to have given him the slip and the resulting corner saw Adebayor meet a Vincent Kompany chip with a header which flew harmlessly over the goal.

Benitez could draw some satisfaction from the run-out by Torres, and Benayoun for that matter, but not even the latter’s late supposed penalty could lift the disappointment from a game that failed to live up to all expectations.

MATCH RATING: * – A game in which the stakes were simply too high to lead to the open, adventurous game for which we had all hoped.

REFEREE: Peter Walton (Northants) 8 – Quietly effective performance, even if the lopsided tally of bookings might suggest otherwise. Every yellow card was spot on and he got key decisions right.