Wigan Athletic 1 Liverpool 1:RAFAEL BENITEZ may or may not be cracking up, as opposition supporters now routinely allege, but much more of this and mentioning Liverpool's title hopes will attract the attention of men in white coats.
Thanks to carelessly conceding a penalty eight minutes from time, Liverpool were held to a fourth successive draw. Incredibly, they have not won in the 20 days since Benitez’s unexpected denunciation of Alex Ferguson.
In the same space of time Manchester United have won six times in three competitions and returned a maximum 12 league points.
Liverpool were on course for a win here, through a first-half goal from Yossi Benayoun, yet just when Wigan were getting desperate, Jason Koumas was upended by Lucas Leiva in the penalty area and the hitherto unimpressive Mido marked his debut with a goal from the spot.
Benitez was as good as his word and Robbie Keane was restored to the squad, though the striker only made the bench, with Steven Gerrard pushed forward as support for Fernando Torres. Little was seen of Torres for the first 10, scrappy minutes, yet with virtually his first significant touch he reminded Wigan of the danger he poses.
Climbing above Emmerson Boyce to meet Gerrard’s cross from the left, he struck a post with a downward header that Mike Pollitt was still fumbling to reach as it rebounded along an unprotected goal line.
Missing the influential Antonio Valencia and the departed Wilson Palacios, the Wigan midfield reverted to their old habit of giving illustrious opponents too much respect.
Up front, Mido would not have had communication problems with his Egyptian partner, Amr Zaki, though there were times when he could have done with a telescope to find the rest of his team.
A well-timed tackle from Paul Scharner prevented Ryan Babel advancing on goal after Lucas’s pass had threatened to play him through, then five minutes before the interval a rasping Babel shot almost caught Pollitt by surprise, bouncing out of his arms but away to safety. Wigan’s best chance in the half fell to Boyce, when a half-cleared corner was quickly returned. Three or four other players could have attempted the header, and after missing by some distance Boyce probably wished he had let one of them.
Torres and Gerrard appeared to be having an off day, with neither player reading the other’s runs; four minutes before the break Wigan were undone by a player they should have known about. Benayoun scored the winner against Wigan last season and also hit the target on his last visit with West Ham, so his goal represented a sort of hat-trick.
It was also a well-played advantage by Phil Dowd, after Maynor Figueroa’s foul on Gerrard. Benayoun fastened on to Javier Mascherano’s through ball and found the net from an almost impossible angle. The ball almost went dead as he rounded Pollitt’s challenge, yet from a position virtually on the line he somehow clipped it between the posts.
Gerrard almost made it two with the last kick of the half, sending a free-kick inches over from 25 yards, and though the Liverpool captain moved aside at the start of the second half to let Fabio Aurelio have a go the full back’s effort was held by Pollitt. The free-kick had come about when, somewhat belatedly, Figueroa earned a booking for a block on Benayoun.
The second half descended into an at times unruly shambles, though Liverpool kept the ball for longer periods and Benayoun dribbled his way elegantly into the penalty area, only to smack his shot straight at Scharner.
Zaki remained Wigan’s best hope for an equaliser, but though he made the right run to meet Ryan Taylor’s corner at the near post, he put his header wide.
Liverpool seemed to signal they would settle for a single-goal victory when they withdrew Torres after 72 minutes, only for Leiva’s moment of madness to alter the expected outcome. Mido scored confidently enough, and though Keane was sent on for the final six minutes it was to chase a lost cause. He replaced Gerrard.
Wigan made an attacking substitution of their own, introducing Hugo Rodallega just before the end, for the Colombian to hit the bar with a stoppage-time free-kick. Victory would scarcely have been deserved.
Guardian Service
WIGAN ATHLETIC:Pollitt, Melchiot, Boyce, Scharner, Figueroa, De Ridder (Koumas 63), Brown, Cattermole, Taylor (Camara 80), Zaki (Rodallega 77), Mido. Subs not used: Kapo, Kingson, Edman, Watson. Booked: Figueroa.
LIVERPOOL:Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Aurelio, Benayoun (Kuyt 75), Leiva Lucas, Mascherano, Babel, Gerrard (Keane 84), Torres (Riera 72). Subs not used: Cavalieri, Dossena, Agger, Alonso.
Referee:Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
