In a thoroughly underwhelming display, Liverpool faltered in a match that had must-win implications. Patience turned into predictability as Stoke City was allowed to escape with a point in a 0-0 draw at Anfield.
Liverpool more than had enough chances to punish the visitors but could not break through. Yet with Stoke fighting to stay in the league, Liverpool with an eye on arriving in Rome without any more injuries, and refereeing that now just borders on farce resulted in a frustrating afternoon on Merseyside.
While Paul Lambert has yet to lose at Anfield, Stoke’s tactics were far from surprising. The Potters planned to get stuck in physically and try to frustrate the home side at every opportunity. The longer the contest went scoreless the more content Stoke was to allow Liverpool possession while staying compact in front of their goal. Yet any hope of a smash-and-grab win hung on two mildly dangerous chances. Instead, foul and fortify ruled the day.
It is fair to say that Liverpool was not good enough on the day. Squeezed between Champions League semi-final ties and a dangerously increasing injury list, Liverpool were always going to try and manage this match. Despite a reasonably strong starting eleven, they played within themselves and avoided any real risk. After a strong start, play slowly dissipated into a distressing affair. They also found luck decidedly lacking.
To be clear, Andre Marriner is not the reason the Reds failed to get a result but he was a constant obstacle, often figuratively but occasional even physically. He allowed Stoke to get away with nearly every attempt to disrupt and darken the play. His dismissal of clear fouls all over the pitch, but particularly in the final third, bordered on the absurd. Mo Salah, especially, was clutched and grabbed repeatedly by Erik Pieters, often right in front of the referee, with no consequence. Late on, the Dutch defender clearly reached to deflect a cross with his arm and Marriner dismissively pointed to the corner flag. The state of Premier League officiating, at the minute, is abysmal.
Here are four findings from the match.
