Aston Villa 0, Liverpool 0 (D,Post)

Mar 19 2007 by Nick Smith at Villa Park

Attempts to change things for the second half were gamely taken on by the public address announcer who – as so many do these days – decided to appoint himself a cheerleader.

‘Come on, cheer the Villa to victory,’ he pleaded as the players sheepishly emerged from the tunnel.

But nobody could be bothered.

It remained as pedestrian and pointless as before until the introduction of one player who did his chances of breaking into Benitez’s Champions League elite no harm whatsoever.

Jeered from the moment he stepped off the bench to replace Bellamy, former Birmingham winger Pennant repaid the home fans by almost adding to the late anxiety they were already suffering courtesy of Charlton sweeping to victory over Newcastle.

Pennant’s looping cross beat Sorensen and was almost chested into his own net by Phil Bardsley then he helped force Villa’s Danish goalkeeper into his only serious save of the game, as another fine delivery found the head of Robbie Fowler, who forced Sorensen low down by his near post.

A goal then would have surely brought the type of three points that champions, as Liverpool found to their cost against Manchester United two weeks ago, often snatch from an undeserving performance.

Having to settle for another point towards guaranteeing another Champions League adventure next season sums up Liverpool’s agony in their quest for greater Premiership prizes.

So yesterday, ‘mum’ might have been the word but there were far more appropriate – yet unprintable – ones to sum up events at Villa Park.

ASTON VILLA: Sorensen; Bardsley, Mellberg, Cahill, Bouma; Agbonlahor, McCann, Petrov, Barry, Young (Berger 76); Carew. Subs: Taylor, Angel, Hughes, Maloney.
BOOKINGS: Petrov, Carew.

LIVERPOOL: Reina; Finnan, Agger, Carragher, Riise; Gerrard (Fowler 84), Sissoko (Alonso 59), Mascherano, Aurelio; Kuyt, Bellamy (Pennant 72). Subs: Dudek, Hyypia.
BOOKINGS: Mascherano, Bellamy, Pennant.

REFEREE: L Mason.

ATT: 42,551.

NEXT GAME: Liverpool v Arsenal, Barclays Premiership, Saturday, March 31, 3pm.