MIDFIELDER Jermaine Pennant can clearly see another European Cup final on the horizon.

The one bright spot in the darkness of Athens last year, he is ready to shine again if Saturday’s second half is anything to go by.

He showed no mercy for the club Liverpool bought him from when they were relegated two years ago – and they’re heading for the Championship again after Pennant created the goals that denied Birmingham a precious two points in their survival fight.

If Pennant played like that every week Fernando Torres would probably be on 50 by now instead of 30, such was the endless supply of ammunition the winger had in his armoury at St Andrews.

But for that to happen he would, of course, have to play every week – and he can’t escape the fact that he’s not in Rafael Benitez’s first-choice 11.

A combination of injury and his own inconsistency have denied Pennant the opportunity to establish himself in that elite. But given that at least one goal is absolutely necessary at Chelsea on Wednesday, the urgency and dynamism the 25 years-old injected into his play must surely give Benitez food for thought when pondering his options for the second leg.

And that, surely, is all he must have wanted from the individuals given their chance in Saturday’s starting line-up – aside from the single point they eventually clawed back to guarantee fourth place of course.

The fact that nine out of 10 outfield players were changed from last week’s first leg with Chelsea at Anfield, it’s obvious who Benitez wants to keep fresh for the season-defining return.

Only Pepe Reina and Martin Skrtel were risked and Lucas in for Mascherano was indeed the only alteration from the team in the previous league game at Fulham a week earlier.

Reina and Skrtel aside, the chances of anyone else retaining their position on Wednesday are remote, aside from John Arne Riise.

Benitez might well need an attacking left-back in the absence of Fabio Aurelio and the Norwegian took the first tentative steps towards putting last week’s own goal nightmare behind him, despite allowing James McFadden space to create City’s opener.

In fairness to Peter Crouch, he can do little more to press his claim.

He displayed an encouraging sharpness in front of goal when he scored Liverpool’s first after 63 minutes and it could come in very useful in the pursuit of a compulsory away goal on Wednesday. But Dirk Kuyt’s record in Europe should ensure he keeps all challengers at bay in his bid to play alongside Torres at Stamford Bridge, particularly as Crouch is clearly not as well suited to the wide role the Dutchman is now thriving in.

And for all Benayoun’s efforts, including the flick header from Lucas’s cross that forced Rahdi Jaidi to deflect the ball in for Liverpool’s equaliser, he still never looks as menacing as Ryan Babel in full flow.

The same can’t be said of Pennant, however, and this is where Benitez’s biggest selection headache reaches its core. Babel is often brilliant but too often unpredictable.

When he gets the ball he seems to become the only person on the stadium who doesn’t realise how good he is.

Pennant is no less frustrating in his inconsistency but two man-of-the-match performances, a goal plus a hand in the other three Liverpool have scored in his previous two games ensure he’s the man in form.

Admittedly, Fulham and Birmingham City are no Chelsea. But the latter showed admirable fight and application and produced two smart pieces of finishing from Mikael Forssell and Sebastian Larsson’s free-kick to go two up.

They lost their nerve completely after Crouch pulled one back, a prospect that Pennant and Benayoun in particular were licking their lips at. However, Pennant proved in the Champions League final against AC Milan last year that he can reduce the smartest and canniest defenders to nervous wrecks so who’s to say he can’t get to Chelsea in the same way and expose the tension of being one clean sheet away from a first Champions League final?

His displays in Birmingham, and previously at Fulham and Arsenal, might not get him his ultimate reward on Wednesday night, but in terms of planting the seeds of doubt in the manager’s mind, he successfully accomplished his own personal mission. But all this jostling for places in the games that really matter only underlines one of the biggest battles Liverpool have fought in a season of far too many – trying to make on-field events dramatic enough to eclipse the off-field saga.

Games like Saturdays make it clear why it’s ultimately been a losing one – in the Premier League at least.

The fact that Benitez can afford, with three games to go, to send out below-strength sides at this stage of the season is fine when sandwiched between Champions League semi-final second legs.

In that context it’s a policy that’s understandable but not ideal – certainly not for Birmingham City’s relegation rivals. And not for Liverpool supporters who spent half the game singing about a 30-goal striker who wasn’t there.

But when talk of ‘number 19’ surfaced once again at the start of the campaign, the plan wasn’t to be watching reserves in April.

It’s a scenario that has now become acceptable, mainly because any hope of the title disappeared in December and they’re tangled up in more European euphoria.

But what’s better? Resting Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres to prime them for the final charge over the top to Moscow? Or having to also send them out at St Andrews because three points is vital in keeping up the pressure in the title run-in?

Chelsea’s excursions in beating Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime might give Liverpool an advantage at Stamford Bridge in terms of who goes into it the fresher.

But at least the Londoners were still in the running for the Premier League on Saturday night while Liverpool merely indulged in muted celebrations at having secured another top four finish.

Not dissimilar to the previous two occasions they have gone head-to head, when other distractions haven’t really done Chelsea much good. But being tired, overworked, leggy and mentally drained is a sign of success and Liverpool failing to fight on more than one front is a symptom of the anti-climactic nature of this league campaign.

Benitez has set about addressing that by discussing summer transfer targets with the owners and even they have to agree that more quality is needed throughout the squad to ensure Premier League interest is still alive come next May.

And the manager’s argument that he doesn’t have sufficient strength in depth won’t be weakened even by Saturday’s second half performance.