Share

Kuyt saves Liverpool blushes

London - Liverpool suffered another blow to their Premier League title hopes as a scrappy 1-1 home draw with Manchester City on Sunday left leaders Manchester United seven points clear.

Former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy's heavily deflected shot after 51 minutes looked as if it would condemn Rafael Benitez's side to a first home league defeat of the season before Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt's late equaliser.

Liverpool, who face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, have now drawn six home matches in the league this season and their chances of a first league title since 1990 appear to be fading fast.

With 12 games remaining they are in second place with 55 points to United's 62 after the champions clocked up a 10th consecutive league victory at home to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. Third-placed Chelsea have 52 points.

West Bromwich Albion remain bottom of the table after going down 2-0 at Fulham while Newcastle United, also in need of points, host Everton later on Sunday.

With talisman Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso both missing in midfield because of injury, Liverpool created next to nothing against a City side with only one away league win all season.

Albert Riera wasted Liverpool's only real chance in the opening half when he dragged a shot wide and seven minutes after the break Anfield was silenced by Welsh striker Bellamy who Benitez felt was surplus to requirements in 2007.

Brazilian striker Robinho was involved in the move that finally saw the ball reach Bellamy whose shot flew into the net off Alvaro Arbeloa.

Kuyt equalised after 78 minutes when he stabbed in Fernando Torres's scuffed attempt. Liverpool could have snatched an unlikely victory through Yossi Benayoun.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
64% - 49 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
36% - 28 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE