Lifeless Liverpool end season with a whimper

Liverpool’s season of failure was summed up at the KC Stadium at Sunday, where Rafa Benitez’s side were held to a goalless draw by relegated Hull that means they end the season in seventh place.

The visitors looked lethargic from start to finish and struggled to create any clear-cut chances, although Daniel Aggar blazed over the top with the home goal at the mercy and Alberto Aquilani struck the crossbar on the stroke of half time.

This promised to have a hollow feeling to it considering Hull had already been relegated and Liverpool had failed in their quest to finish in the top four.

There was still a great deal of pride at stake, however, especially for the visitors. The last thing Benitez needed to suffer was the ignominy of finishing the season on a losing note to a side destined for the Championship.

The Spaniard named his strongest side available, with Dirk Kuyt leading the line on his own once again in the absence of the injured Fernando Torres.

There was a rare start on the right flank for Nabil El Zhar while Hull’s interim manager, Iain Dowie, decided to hand some more first team experience to teenagers Mark Cullen, Tom Cairney and Will Atkinson in a youthful looking line-up.

Dowie is keen to get the job on a permanent basis and knew a home win would boost his chances, if not fail to make a difference to the club’s league status.

Yet it was Liverpool who made the early running without appearing to get out of first gear. Cairney almost scored a bizarre own goal from 20 yards in the fifth minute but was relieved to see his interception slice inches wide of Matt Duke’s goal.

El Zhar demanded a smart, fingertip save from Duke with a powerful drive on 19 minutes and moments later George Boateng was in the right place at the right time to clear Kuyt’s backward header from underneath his own crossbar as Benitez’s men went in search of that early breakthrough.

Hull stood firm, however, even though their defending was desperate at times. Kevin Kilbane’s attempted headed clearance fell straight to Alberto Aquilani on 28 minutes but the Italian’s instant shot flew just wide of Duke’s left hand post.

The home side were living off scraps and struggling to create genuine chances, which seemed to reflect the story of their entire season. It took Dowie’s men half-an-hour to must an effort on goal and even then Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink headed straight at Pepe Reina.

Better chances soon followed when Cairney’s shot deflected into the path of Cullen but he was unable to get the ball out from underneath his feet at the crucial moment and seconds later the youngster, who scored his first Premier League goal at Wigan last weekend, headed wide from point blank range to waste a wonderful cross from Atkinson.

Cullen’s woeful miss was emulated at the opposite end on the stroke of half time by Agger.

Aquilani’s initial shot came back off the crossbar but fell invitingly to the defender, who managed to blaze his volley over the top despite having the Hull goal at his mercy as the visitors’ frustration mounted.

Aquilani shot wide on 56 minutes as Hull continued to hold firm and Liverpool began to fade, while Bernard Mendy let fly with a rasping drive at the other end which forced Reina into a smart save to maintain a clean sheet.