Liverpool 1 Aston Villa 1:EVEN IN this season of Gary Speed's suicide, Fabrice Muamba's collapse and Stilian Petrov's announcement that he is suffering from leukaemia, there is nothing quite as emotive as the minute when Anfield falls silent for Hillsborough.
As he stood amid the stillness, Alex McLeish had every reason to imagine he would be beaten. The last time he had come to Anfield, with Birmingham City, they lost 5-0.
By any logical method of accounting, Aston Villa ought to have been swept away. Liverpool had 21 shots to Villa’s five, 11 corners to three and struck the frame of the goal a further four times to take this season’s tally to 28.
Dalglish looked as if he could stand it no more.
Liverpool were eighth, not far from where he found them when he was appointed manager in January 2011, and tomorrow they travel to Blackburn, where Roy Hodgson’s Anfield regime was ended by a 3-1 defeat.
It was while Hodgson was clinging to power that Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli began negotiations that would lead to Luis Suarez’s arrival at Anfield, with Dalglish describing him as a “wee, smiley guy”.
There have been fewer smiles lately for Dalglish, especially after after Suarez’s latest booking – for diving – left him incandescent.
Referee Michael Oliver also turned down two penalty appeals either side of half-time, the first when Suarez went down after contact from Alan Hutton, and then when Eric Lichaj appeared to handle as Dirk Kuyt tried to go past him.
Chances fell to Kuyt who could have scored twice in the first half; denied once by a Shay Given goal-line and then ballooning over from four yards.
After the break Suarez’s header was denied by a combination of a post and Given’s reflexes in repelling the rebound before substitute Craig Bellamy hit the upright.
Suarez eventually nodded in an 82nd-minute equaliser to Chris Herd’s 10th-minute opener when Daniel Agger, back after six weeks out with a cracked rib, headed Steven Gerrard’s cross against the crossbar.
Even then Andy Carroll headed straight at Given, who also kept out Gerrard’s drive from distance.
McLeish knows what can happen to a club after they win the League Cup. Birmingham were 14th when they snatched the trophy from Arsenal at Wembley in 2011. They finished up being relegated after picking up nine points from 12 games. Liverpool have taken four in seven which, as the Scot knows, is relegation form.
The match marked a debut for Brazilian goalkeeper Doni, a summer signing from Roma, who deputised for Jose Reina while he serves a three-match suspension.
Guardian Service
