LEADING LIVERPOOL to water is one thing, persuading them to drink heartily, another. Although there was much trite talk afterwards about the danger of premature judgment - fatal, we were told - only the naive and the ill informed would deny that from a Liverpool perspective, there was a significant corner waiting to be turned at Anfield yesterday.

But the chance was passed up and with it not only an opportunity to move back to the top of the English Premiership, but, quite possibly, the opportunity to wrest the League title away from Manchester United. That the victory which lifted Coventry City from the bottom of the table to a position outside of the relegation berths was wholly undeserved and highly fortuitous is of little consequence.

Of course, these thing happen in football, but they are tending to happen more and more often to Liverpool. "I am bitterly disappointed - how do you explain something like that," said Liverpool manager Roy Evans. "It's a bit embarrassing really because we were so superior. That puts us back to square one; it is still all to play for. We should have had the game and the points in the bag long, long before they scored the winning goal,"he added.

As Evans was to point out, Liverpool were at their best early on when their football carried so much authority and was so rhythmically enticing that Coventry did well to emerge from the rigours of the opening exchanges still clinging to parity. True, they did so by cracked and shredding fingernails, but this was always going to be a day for heroic resistance and to have hinted at arrogant ambition so prematurely would have represented grand folly.

"The better team didn't win today," said Coventry manager Gordon Strachan. "We were fortunate and we know it. But, what we have done now, is given ourselves a realistic chance of avoiding relegation."

Certainly, Coventry were diligent enough yesterday even if the more cynical may feel inclined to suggest that Anfield does tend to wrench worthy performances from the least worthy of opponents.

With Gary McAllister's belligerence for once overshadowing his subtlety and Dion Dublin providing the central defensive framework upon which was draped a most stubborn resistance, Coventry dug in their heels and held firm.

Liverpool's football actually lost its swagger around the turn of the year and until such time as Steve McManaman once again begins to turn water into wine, they will probably be more functional than fluid.

An early goal for Liverpool would have changed dramatically the afternoon's complexion, but the wise men in blue shirts were anticipating a stampede and had planned accordingly.

Consequently, Liverpool spent the opening half trying to establish if there was a Plan B. Apparently not. Liverpool rapped upon the door for what seemed like an eternity, but when there was an answer it was provided either by Dublin's boot or by Steve Ogrizovic's grasping fingers.

McMananian, Robbie Fowler and Stan Collymore - they were queuing up to miss at one point - all fluffed well rehearsed lines at crucial moments and as the afternoon began to slip away, there was anxiety in the Merseyside air. Justifiably so, as it transpired.

Not until the 53rd minute did the game yield a flash of genuine improvisation, but mercifully, it was sufficient to fashion a breakthrough. John Barnes's lobbed pass over the Coventry backline was quite delicious, falling directly in front of Fowler who allowed the ball to bounce once before volleying beyond Ogrizovic.

Surely, that was it. Even if Coventry were to be stirred by a sense of guilt or embarrassment there seemed no way back. And then the roof caved in on Liverpool.

After 6 minutes McAllister drilled over his side's first corner of the game. Dublin touched on and Noel Whelan - criminally unattended - picked his spot with a precise header.

Three minutes of injury time had been added when the real damage was done, Dublin nudging in another McAllister corner after Liverpool goalkeeper David James had made an absolute non sense of collecting at his near post.

A wretched weekend for Liverpool, a glorious one for Arsenal and not such a bad one after all for Manchester United.