Kenny Dalglish cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as poor finishing and the woodwork conspired to deny a victory that the overall performance deserved.
Dalglish had sprung a surprise with his line up, including Craig Bellamy in the starting eleven. The opening quarter of an hour saw the attacking onslaught that fans were hoping for. Steven Gerrard’s physical presence and quick probing passing was instrumental in pushing the team forward and Norwich were unable to get a foothold in the game. Unfortunately the pressure brought only near misses from Skrtel and Suarez. Liverpool received a warning that Norwich were not going to collapse when Steve Morison brought a fine save from Reina after a long passage of possession for the visitors. It was a feature of Paul Lambert’s side that they remained composed throughout the game, even when under sustained periods of pressure, and continued to keep the ball down and play their way out of trouble. Liverpool shrugged off this short period of parity to return to the attack and were rewarded with a goal from Bellamy on the stroke of halftime, ironically partly the result of a lucky rebound and fortuitous deflection.
The timing of the goal raised hopes that the second half would bring the rout that many had wished for at kick off. Instead Lambert’s side proved their resilience by attacking from the restart with Pilkington testing Reina with a powerful shot from the edge of the box. Once again Liverpool responded positively and Suarez saw his shot deflected onto the woodwork again. The introduction of Grant Holt changed the dynamic of the game as he beat Johnson, Carragher and Reina to a cross to power home a header four minutes after coming on. The failure of all three Liverpool players to really attack the ball compounded Enrique’s halfhearted attempt at preventing the ball into the box in the first place. Norwich could easily have taken the lead five minutes later if it were not for Reina making some amends for the goal with an instinctive save from Holts cross goal header. At this point the game could have gone either way before the Reds rallied for one final push with Carroll’s header going agonizingly wide before John Ruddy topped off his day with a fantastic save from Suarez’s goal bound volley in the 94th minute.
So for the second week running a draw at home felt more like a defeat, certainly like a missed opportunity. It was also a game that highlighted the strength of the premier league and the pressure under which managers operate. With almost a quarter of the season gone the progress made by Liverpool is being questioned in the context of the money spent, particularly on Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson (who’s influence on this game was negligible compared to his performance against United). However, with a touch more luck against Stoke and a moments less inspiration from De Gea and Ruddy 15 points would be 21 and all talk would be of a potential title challenge. Such are the margins. On a weekend when results elsewhere showed that this is going to be another unpredictable season it could be that we just have to fasten our seatbelts and enjoy a roller coaster ride.