Liverpool 2, Hull City 2: Improve home form or say goodbye to title

Dec 15 2008 by Ben Thornley, Daily Post

WHATEVER title odds Rafael Benitez was ready to quote for his side last week one thing remains a sure bet. If Liverpool’s home form doesn’t rapidly improve, the Anfield outfit won’t be anywhere near the summit of the Premier League come May.

If it was hard to comprehend that this abject Liverpool side found themselves on top of the table on Saturday night, it was more difficult still to believe Benitez’s explanation of his puzzling tactics in the 2-2 draw – a third consecutive home stalemate – with Hull City.

This was the kind of game the Anfield manager will have had in mind when he paid £20m for Robbie Keane in the summer.

Yet the Irishman was not in his thinking on Saturday, as Benitez went with one up front – well, when Dirk Kuyt was actually up there rather than tracking back.

Named among the substitutes for the second league game in a row, Keane may have felt his humiliation was complete. It wasn’t.

With Liverpool chasing a winner after Steven Gerrard had pulled his side back onto level terms following a chaotic 10 minutes when the Tigers had stunned their hosts by taking a 2-0 advantage through Paul McShane and a Jamie Carragher own goal, he suffered further indignation.

Benitez, having already sent on Ryan Babel and Nabil El Zhar to provide trickery and width to his flanks, prepared to make his final throw of the dice. Surely Keane would be given the opportunity to restore some pride by inspiring Liverpool to a first home league victory since the start of November, when his brace began a 3-0 rout of West Bromwich Albion?

No. Instead, it was the disappointing Lucas who was ordered to strip off.

The Kop voiced their chagrin and Keane’s face displayed similar emotions. Dejected, he ended his warm-up, shuffled past his manager and took his place again on the bench.

Afterwards, Benitez would claim that he favoured the young Brazilian for his ability to provide a killer pass and felt that by sending on another striker he would have crowded an already packed penalty area.

“We needed to use wingers and an offensive midfielder,” was the stock answer provided by Benitez to every interrogator of his tactics.

It was, he insisted, a tactical decision, not a political one. Keane, though, will have received the message loud and clear.