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.