Riise cracker lightens the gloom over Crouch

To suggest this game was no classic would be the understatement of the season. The poverty of play was stultifying, neither goalkeeper making a save of consequence and none of the expensive array of strikers threatening to score. The afternoon had not begun well, and never rose above an undistinguished start. City had been enjoying one of their periodic revivals under Stuart Pearce’s management. These usually peter out, and it could be happening again. Pearce recalled Joey Barton after suspension, in search of the additional competitiveness he guaranteed in midfield. Barton scuffled with his usual gritty determination, but the more creative individuals Pearce relies upon for something more positive were not up to it.

Liverpool have now kept six clean sheets in succession. As is his wont, the formidable Jamie Carragher was Liverpool’s star man. Unfortunately, for those of the red persuasion, Crouch has rather too many clean sheets of his own. At this rate, Anfield’s ambling alp could be the first England striker to go to a World Cup without having scored all season. He was substituted 10 minutes from the end.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, who seems to admire the 6ft 7in beanpole almost as much as Sven-Göran Eriksson, persevered with him, this time in partnership with Djibril Cisse to the exclusion of Fernando Morientes, who played against Real Betis in midweek, when Crouch spurned another hatful. Cisse gave way to Harry Kewell five minutes into the second half.

City were the first to show, a penetrative passing movement culminating in a cross from the left by Kiki Musampa that warranted a better finish than Darius Vassell’s poorly directed header. That was about as good as they got.

Pearce is fashioning a spiky “up and at ’em” team, very much in his own image, and a combine harvester of a tackle by Danny Mills near the technical area had the manager leaping out to pat his former England defender on the back.

Liverpool’s first goal attempt came in the 28th minute when Sami Hyypia’s header was easily blocked. Their second was not much better, Steve Finnan delivering a free kick from the right for Crouch to head on to Cisse, whose shot straight at David James. Steven Gerrard charged forward into the penalty area, where he stepped inside Richard Dunne before curling the ball wide.

Kewell’s introduction saw Gerrard and Riise pushed forward to support Crouch from the flanks. The improvement was marginal, but just enough. City’s first shot on target arrived around the hour mark, Vassell demanding Jose Reina’s careful attention with a low 25-yarder. Within a minute Riise showed Vassell how such things should be done. Didi Hamann played the ball up to the Norwegian, who exchanged passes with Gerrard on the edge of the penalty area before crashing a characteristic piledriver past James’s left hand. City were desperate and on came Sun Jihai. Liverpool, however, are second to none at the moment when it comes to shutting out the opposition.