Hughes left to draw on the positives

Alam Khan at Anfield

• Last Updated: November 21. 2009 10:36PM UAE / November 21. 2009 6:36PM GMT

Liverpool 2 // Manchester City 2

LIVERPOOL // A point at Liverpool might have been something Manchester City would have enjoyed with “delight” according to their manager Mark Hughes.

But that was in the past. Yet unless his side sort out their defensive failings, they will endure more frustration like this.

When Stephen Ireland finished off a nicely worked move to put City 2-1 up in the 76th minute, it should have been the time to show their top-four aspirations are for real, adding the scalp of Liverpool to that of Arsenal this season.

Barely a minute later, Hughes was shaking his head again. Another chance of three points had gone when City failed to clear their lines and David Ngog’s cross was deflected into the path of Yossi Benayoun, who bundled into an empty net.

A sixth successive league draw was the outcome and Hughes bemoaned that fact.

“I felt we could have seen the game out after getting our nose in front,” he said. “We have got an air of disappointment and that shows how far we have come from last year when we drew 1-1 here.

“We will take encouragement from the performance and it’s only a matter of time before we start winning.”

Hughes felt his side were the better team and Ireland claimed his side felt “a bit robbed”.

Rafa Benitez obviously disagreed and the result was probably fair as they seemed more intent on cancelling out each other.

Benitez referred to it as a “make-or-break game”, mindful that his side could be out of the Champions League if results don’t go their way on Tuesday.

Liverpool’s place in the top four is under threat and they had been looking to send a message to City yesterday.

But injuries again hampered Benitez. Before a ball was kicked, Glen Johnson joined Fernando Torres on the sidelines, and two more followed in the first 19 minutes. Daniel Agger suffered a head injury before Ryan Babel limped off with a twisted ankle following a robust challenge from Nigel de Jong.

Benitez must have despaired, but the introduction of Benayoun for Babel provided some much-needed creativity and, crucially, a saviour.

Liverpool fashioned the first, and best, chance of an atrocious first half in only the fifth minute. Steven Gerrard swung in a free-kick from the right which found the unmarked Martin Skrtel at the back post. He steered his header goalwards, but Shay Given stretched his left hand to claw the ball away.

The Irish keeper had been warmly applauded by the Kop at the start in sympathy for his country’s controversial exit from the World Cup.

But his disappointment was further compounded by the opening goal in the 50th minute.

Gerrard’s free-kick delivery was perfect and Skrtel got ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor to poke the ball past Given.

But the City striker made amends in the 69th minute, stealing a yard on Skrtel this time to meet a Craig Bellamy corner and direct his header past Pepe Reina for his first goal since netting against Arsenal.

Suddenly, and thankfully, the action and the entertainment levels increased.

Carlos Tevez came off the bench to engineer City’s second, working hard before finding Shaun Wright-Phillips in the box.

He cleverly turned Sotiros Kyrgiakos and picked out the unmarked Ireland to slip the ball past Reina.

But Benayoun levelled and Lucas might have won it when flashing an injury-time header wide from a Gerrard corner.

Benitez said: “I thought we could win at the end. We were pushing. After the injuries, the character the players showed was fantastic.

“We can improve and if we have our players back I think we will finish in the top four.”

akhan@thenational.ae