And the jury was still out after an encounter in which Liverpool enjoyed the greater possession but were too often reliant on a flash of magic from Torres to unpick a resolute Wigan rearguard.

Their first chance came in the 12th minute, Mario Melchiot clearing off the line after Harry Kewell flicked on Fabio Aurelio’s near-post corner from the left.

Torres had the ball in the net a minute later, but had already been correctly flagged offside as he raced on to Kewell’s through ball. The striker, though, had greater reason to be unhappy when penalised for fouling Paul Scharner before teeing up a shot.

The Spaniard twice turned provider midway through the half as Liverpool began to work Kirkland.

Breaking free of his holding midfield role, Mascherano progressed, exchanged passes with Torres on the edge of the box and side-footed a shot the Wigan goalkeeper grabbed at the second attempt.

An astute pass from Torres then gave an unmarked Gerrard a sight of goal inside the penalty area, but the skipper couldn’t gain enough purchase on his volley and shot weakly at Kirkland.

There were ambitious shouts for a penalty when Torres bounced off Scharner later in the half, before the striker headed Alonso’s free-kick narrowly over the bar.

Bruce’s sides have sought to frustrate and niggle at Anfield in previous visits, and this was no different.

And as the disquiet among the home crowd intensified, Wigan grew in confidence, although their only genuine threat before the interval came when Liverpool failed to clear their lines properly and Michael Brown thrashed a 25-yard shot that swerved wide of Pepe Reina’s right-hand post.

However, Liverpool went ahead four minutes after the restart with a goal of true quality out of keeping with the rest of the game.

Steve Finnan fed Torres, who played it wide to Gerrard. Finnan, sprinting into box, screamed for a return pass from his skipper before squaring for Torres, who had also continued his run forward, to side-foot past Kirkland.

Liverpool almost doubled their advantage on 61 minutes when a blistering 25-yard Gerrard free-kick was too hot for Kirkland and, with the ball bouncing goalward, Bramble cleared as Mascherano raced in to pounce.

Scharner then nicked the ball of the toes of Torres as the striker shaped to shoot after bamboozling Bramble, and Gerrard drew a save from Kirkland at his near post.

Kewell struck a shot over, but the longer the score remained at 1-0, the greater the fear was Liverpool would be punished for their underwhelming display.

So it proved, as Wigan equalised with a goal out of nothing on 80 minutes.

A deep free-kick by Denny Landzaat should have been dealt with by the home defence but, after Gerrard made a weak attempt to clear, the ball fell on the edge of the area for Bramble to fire expertly out of Reina’s reach.

Kirkland made a double save to deny Gerrard as a dazed Liverpool desperately sought a winner. But the Bruce bogey goes on for Benitez.