Liverpool and City inflict mutual damage

Liverpool’s stuttering season continued as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Manchester City that did little for either club’s hopes of finishing the season in the top four.

Martin Skrtel’s first goal for the club gave Rafa Benitez’s side a 50th-minute lead before two goals in the space of seven minutes put City in the driving seat.

Emmanuel Adebayor levelled for City before Stephen Ireland put the visitors within sight of their first win at the venue for six years.

But 13 minutes from time, substitute Yossi Benayoun rescued Benitez’s team from a home defeat.

Liverpool have now won just once in 10 outings and taken just five points from the last 18 available while City have drawn their last six league games.

Already missing Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson, Liverpool lost Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel to injury ahead of Tuesday’s must-win Champions League away game with Debrecen in Hungary.

Denmark defender Agger, who was replaced by Greece international Sotirios Kyrgiakos, was stretchered off suffering concussion and clutching a head wound which required stitches after a clash of heads with Kolo Toure in the fifth minute.

Eight minutes later Babel collided with his skipper Steven Gerrard on the edge of the City penalty area.

While Gerrard was quickly up on his feet, Babel had to go off for treatment for a jarred ankle. But the Holland international lasted just a few moments after coming back on before he was replaced by Benayoun.

Those stoppages disrupted the flow of the game after both teams had carved out chances during a bright start.

Shay Given quickly put his heartbreaking experience in Ireland’s World Cup play-off against France behind him, producing a fine stop to keep out Skrtel’s fifth minute header.

Six minutes later, City almost broke the deadlock with the hosts down to ten men following Agger’s early exit.

With the Liverpool defence in total chaos, Gareth Barry was allowed a free header which Jose Reina did well to claw away.

The rest of the first half was a dull affair. Liverpool, clearly unsettled after losing two players, struggled to penetrate a well marshalled City defence while the visitors offered very little attacking threat.

Jamie Carragher was booked for a 17th minute foul on his former Anfield team-mate Craig Bellamy but the game lacked passion.

Fortunately the second half was action-packed from the moment that Skrtel gave the patched-up hosts a 49th minute lead.

After Pablo Zabaleta had stopped David Ngog’s progress on the left, Gerrard whipped in a delightful free-kick which Skrtel volleyed in after getting in front of Adebayor.

City boss Mark Hughes responded by throwing on 25-million-pound striker Carlos Tevez in place of Barry.

And the switch worked as the Argentina substitute inspired his side’s recovery which started with Adebayor’s 69th-minute equaliser.

Liverpool paid the price for sitting back on their lead as Bellamy won a corner which he whipped in for Adebayor to send a powerful downward header bouncing beyond Reina and into the net.

City were dominating by this staged and deservedly took the lead through man-of-the-match Ireland, who finished off a low cross from Shaun Wright-Phillips with the outside of his boot.

It lasted just over a minute however. A cross from Ngog took a deflection and Benayoun was on hand to tap in the equaliser.