ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Aston Villa 0 Liverpool 0: MARTIN O'NEILL continues to frustrate Rafael Benitez, although this stalemate should not cause the Liverpool manager as much discomfort as his arduous pursuit of Gareth Barry.
Liverpool lost their 100 per cent record in the Premier League, and missed out on the chance to go top, but with Fernando Torres joining Steven Gerrard on the injury list, Benitez had little reason to bemoan the outcome. The same cannot be said for O'Neill, who was left to reflect on a missed opportunity.
The Villa manager had seen his side enjoy much the better of the opening half and, had John Carew found more composure in front of goal, his team might easily have been celebrating their first victory over Liverpool in 15 attempts. Instead the Norwegian's profligacy granted Liverpool a reprieve, albeit one that Benitez's disjointed side were unable to capitalise on, with Robbie Keane squandering the kind of chance in the 73rd minute that he used to despatch with ease in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt.
Little is coming easily to the Republic of Ireland striker at the moment and his claim that Nigel Reo-Coker had knocked him off balance as he sought to beat Brad Friedel after tearing through the middle carried more than a vestige of desperation.
Benitez also responded with disbelief at the time, throwing his arms in the air in despair when the referee, Martin Atkinson, failed to point to the penalty spot. After reviewing the footage the Spaniard admitted there were no grounds for complaint.
Liverpool, in truth, deserved no more than a point, their lack of ambition during a soporific first half suggesting Benitez had come to protect an unbeaten start rather than take on Villa.
The presence of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, impressive in his first outing for Liverpool since returning from the Olympics, added credence to that theory, with the visitors apparently content to contain O'Neill's side.
That approach placed the onus on Villa to break Liverpool down but there was a lack of craft and guile among the home team.
Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young were particularly disappointing, with the latter, so often the source of Villa's more enterprising moments, struggling to capture the form that brought a call-up to the England squad last season as Liverpool worked hard to restrict his space and time on the ball.
Barry, in contrast, was much more convincing, despite the spotlight of scrutiny. Economical in possession and committed in the tackle, he eclipsed Alonso, the man he was expected to replace at Anfield, in centre midfield.
Barry also executed the best pass of the game, a superb first-time ball in the 35th minute that released Young. Carew, who had started the move when he roamed into the left channel, continued his run into the area but the striker's end product did not match his approach work, a tame side-footed shot from around eight yards allowing Jose Reina to save with his legs.
It was a moment that appeared to rouse Liverpool from their torpor, with Dirk Kuyt drilling against the side-netting and David Ngog, Torres's replacement, clipping the roof of the net with a vicious shot moments later.
Although Torres's absence had been expected to blunt Liverpool's threat, it was notable that Benitez's side played with more freedom when the Spaniard departed.
Accommodating Keane still appears to present a problem for Benitez, however. The forward was often on the periphery here as he flirted between a wide left role and that of a second striker. He was anything but effective and will reflect ruefully on his failure to beat Friedel after Martin Laursen's poor header invited Mascherano to bisect with a pass the Villa defence.
It was a rare sight of goal for Liverpool, with the only other moment of consternation in the Villa defence, in which Curtis Davies enhanced his burgeoning reputation with another solid display, coming when Andrea Dossena's whipped cross caused Friedel to backpedal frantically and tip over.
It was the Villa goalkeeper's only genuine save, which said everything about Liverpool's cautious tactics. Gerrard's midfield drive was badly missed while a lack of natural width - Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt are not wingers - also remains a problem.
Benitez , nonetheless, can take comfort from the fact that a free-scoring Villa side were restricted to few meaningful attempts on goal.
There was no shortage of possession from the home team but, with Liverpool getting all 11 players behind the ball at times, a more incisive build-up was required.
Chances came and went in the closing stages, when James Milner, making his debut after his move from Newcastle United, had a snap-shot saved and Laursen, towering above the Liverpool defence, headed wide from a Young free-kick two minutes later.
There was still time for Villa to threaten once more but Jamie Carragher, who was typically combative alongside Martin Skrtel in central defence, cleared off the line in the 89th minute from Barry's cross.
It was that sort of afternoon as Villa Park witnessed its first home draw in 16 months. Sadly, the result rarely looked in any doubt.
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