It was, though, somewhat inevitable. After all, the referee’s two previous games involving Liverpool this season saw Carragher and Degen contentiously dismissed in defeat at Fulham and then Javier Mascherano sent off, much to Benitez’s ire, during the loss at Portsmouth.

Lucas deserved better for an impressive display alongside the similarly effective Mascherano in central midfield, providing welcome support for the attack and convincingly stepping up to the plate in the absence of Gerrard.

However, it was an afternoon of toil for Torres’s replacement, David Ngog. The young Frenchman, forced to travel a steep learning curve this season, operates better in tandem with another striker and, despite occasional help from a deep-lying Dirk Kuyt, struggled to make an impact while ploughing a lone furrow.

With Torres sidelined for the next six weeks, it is no surprise Benitez is tracking Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones to add more physical presence to the forward line. Such strength was required from Liverpool’s defence, primed for the expected aerial bombardment from Stoke. With Daniel Agger injured, Carragher moved to right-back with Sotirios Kyrgiakos and Martin Skrtel partnered at centre-back.

Skrtel continued his return to form with a steady display, but was outshone by Kyrgiakos. Strong in the air, the Greek’s no-nonsense approach was ready-made for this kind of encounter, and he didn’t disappoint while even finding time to pose a threat at the other end.

Kyrgiakos it was who put Benitez’s side ahead on 57 minutes, prodding the ball over the line after Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen had patted Fabio Aurelio’s inswinging free-kick against the Liverpool centre-back.

It was a scruffy goal befitting of the game. And for all the talk of Liverpool’s renewed fight, the quality of their football still leaves much to be desired, admittedly not helped by so many first-choice absentees.

Stoke, though, were even worse, never threatening from open play and seemingly getting nowhere from a succession of set-pieces with Pepe Reina astutely commanding his penalty area.

But just when it appeared Liverpool had done enough, Higginbotham headed Matthew Etherington’s deep corner back across goal where Robert Huth prodded the ball over the line.

Even then, with Maxi Rodriguez on for his debut and Alberto Aquilani thrown into the fray, Liverpool almost snatched victory when Dirk Kuyt sent a diving header crashing against the inside of the post from Aurelio’s brilliant left-wing cross amid strong penalty claims of a push on the incoming Lucas.

That dramatic finale did leave many to ponder why Liverpool hadn’t grasped the initiative in such compelling fashion earlier in the game, missing a chance to rebuild confidence and quell talk of a crisis, albeit temporarily.

If they had, perhaps celebration and not sympathy would have been the overriding emotion from their suffering supporters.