Riera was a major disappointment on the left flank and the only surprise was that Benitez left him on until early in the second half.

Blackburn were on a high following their Carling Cup victory over Chelsea and they welcomed back manager Sam Allardyce following heart surgery.

It was the perfect contest for Allardyce to ease his way back in with excitement painfully thin on the ground.

Gerrard had a shot deflected behind early on but it was 36 minutes before either keeper had a save to make.

Robinson’s long punt downfield was met by Samba but his header was straight at Pepe Reina.

Liverpool defended stoutly amid an aerial bombardment from the hosts who grabbed every opportunity they got to pump the ball into the visitors’ penalty box.

But going forward there was little invention and Benitez’s side ran out of ideas in the final third.

Before the break Lucas’ pass set Gerrard clear on the left side of the penalty box but Samba was across quickly to deny the captain.

The game improved after the break but in truth it could hardly have got any worse.

Liverpool enjoyed a major let-off when Steven Nzonzi put Franco Di Santo through. The striker, who is on loan from Chelsea, dallied and allowed Javier Mascherano time to get back and dispossess him.

It took the introduction of rookie frontman Ngog to finally get Liverpool going. Robinson had to keep out Gerrard’s 25-yarder and he also had another effort deflected over.

The skipper was at the heart of everything and just before the hour mark he had pleas for a spot-kick waved away after he tumbled over Nzonzi’s challenge in the box following good work from Lucas.

With the tempo finally raised, the game opened up and with 20 minutes to go Liverpool were just inches away from breaking the deadlock.

Johnson embarked on one of his lung-bursting forward runs and raced into the box before picking out Ngog.

The Frenchman looked destined to score but a cruel bobble meant he miscued his shot which cannoned back off the bar.

The rebound kindly dropped into the path of Kuyt but his goal-bound effort was forced behind by Samba.

However, this was no hard luck story with Blackburn giving as good as they got in the closing stages.

Benni McCarthy fired wastefully wide when well placed and Vince Grella also went close as they hit Liverpool on the counter-attack.

Daniel Agger stung Robinson’s palms from long range and Kuyt’s blistering strike just cleared the bar, but it was Rovers who looked the more likely to steal the points.

Substitute Nikola Kalinic blazed one chance over and in stoppage time David Hoilett’s pass left Kalinic with just Reina to beat.

The Liverpool keeper raced out to meet him and the Croatian international’s composure deserted him as he tentatively prodded wide.

When Gerrard hangs up his boots, it’s fair to assume the day he made his 500th appearance won’t get more than a passing mention.

This was an instantly forgettable contest and a dent to Liverpool’s hopes of a top four finish.

Gerrard has come a long way since the day he first faced Blackburn 11 years ago but for Liverpool the title remains as far off as it did back in 1998.