Aston Villa 0 Liverpool 0:Lord Mawhinney might have been criticised for proposing penalty shoot-outs at the end of drawn matches but any supporter with the misfortune to witness this match would surely have welcomed some excitement at the final whistle.

There had been precious little in the previous 90 minutes, with Aston Villa and Liverpool toiling painfully at a stadium where there was not a spare seat to be found. The 42,551 crowd deserved better. Liverpool and Villa played like two clubs whose interest in the Premiership did not stretch beyond fulfilling their fixtures. At least Villa attempted to shake off their torpor after the interval; the same could not be said for Liverpool. Rafael Benitez' side appeared alarmingly disinterested and it was not until the 89th minute that Thomas Sorensen was forced to make a serious save, the Dane flicking Robbie Fowler's header behind.

Liverpool's attacking threat had been negligible against a team whose confidence is brittle. Villa have won only twice in 17 league matches and, such was the visitors' apathy here, there must have been a sense of regret in the home dressingroom afterwards that Premiership safety was not all but secured. Instead Charlton's victory over Newcastle leaves Villa only seven points clear of the relegation zone and, given their frailties in front of goal, the much coveted 40-point mark cannot be taken for granted.

There were legitimate claims for a penalty on the stroke of half-time when Steve Finnan tripped Stilian Petrov only for the home appeals to be waved away but, that moment of consternation apart, Pepe Reina, much like Sorensen, enjoyed a comfortable afternoon.

At least Steve McClaren will be able to view this fixture with a degree of satisfaction. Steven Gerrard appeared to overstretch for a ball in the first half and was substituted with seven minutes remaining but Benitez insisted that the Liverpool captain's availability for England's coming qualifiers was not in doubt.

Dirk Kuyt ought to have scored when he headed John Arne Riise's cross over in the fourth minute but that was to be his last notable contribution. His strike partner, Craig Bellamy, after unsettling Olof Mellberg with his pace early on, was just as subdued and the midfield quartet of Gerrard, Momo Sissoko, Javier Mascherano and Fabio Aurelio appeared in competition to see who could be most profligate in possession.

Benitez admitted the point collected "was the only positive" he could take. "It wasn't a good game." he conceded, smiling.