Benitez blast fails to lift Reds

Steven Gerrard after a missed chance.

STOKE // The first was swift, incisive and as devastating as it was utterly unexpected. The second lacked the novelty value but seemed similarly penetrative. Yet Liverpool's most dangerous attacker at the Britannia Stadium was not Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres but, once again, Rafa Benitez. As the unapologetic Liverpool manager discussed Sir Alex Ferguson again, following his outburst on Friday, his comments will be construed as a renewed assault.

"I'm more than happy to defend my club," the Spaniard said. "He [Ferguson] was talking too much about Liverpool so he has to stop. If he concentrates on football, we will concentrate on football." While others are yet to pop their head above the parapet, the Liverpool manager insists the anti-Ferguson lobby numbers more than one. He added: "A lot of people think the same. I need to change my mobile phone because it is blocked with messages!"

Yet when a match is overshadowed by both pre and post-match interviews, it is indicative of two things: the incendiary nature of the quotes and the poverty of the game. Liverpool's fifth stalemate of the season, and their second against Stoke, was uneventful; although Gerrard twice struck the woodwork in the final few minutes, City threatened more before then. While both Benitez's decision to target Ferguson and his timing can be queried, so can the omission of Torres. The striker emerged for the final half-hour and produced a deft flick-on for Gerrard to hit the post.

Indeed while Benitez accused Stoke of putting 10 men behind the ball, there were times when Dirk Kuyt was isolated as a lone striker. With the injured Xabi Alonso's craft missing and the benched Robbie Keane's guile unused, there were few chances. "In the first 20 minutes they dominated the game but after that they couldn't create chances or get in between our midfield and back four," said Stoke's debutant winger Matthew Etherington.

Such urgency as Liverpool displayed came from their manager. Relaxed and confident, Benitez scarcely looked a man cracking under pressure, unlike others who have attracted Ferguson's attention. The wisdom of his observations will only become apparent in hindsight but, after Benitez dominated the headlines and Liverpool dropped two points, it may take a 19th title for him to prove a mastery of mind games.

@Email:[e-mail]