Liverpool 0-0 Tottenham

Gareth Bale missed a late chance to snatch all three points for Tottenham, despite missing their manager, in what was far from a classic at Anfield.

Spurs managed to keep Liverpool at bay and neither team really deserved the victory although the home side marginally had the better of the chances but could not find a way through a resolute Spurs defence.

Redknapp failed to make the journey north, due to court commitments, no doubt, but he would have been proud of the discipline his team showed.

SUAREZ: Return spiked with controversy

The return of Luis Suarez, who came on to rapturous applause from the Kop, saw him almost make the headlines but he fluffed his header from 6 yards with under ten minutes to go but Bale definitely had the pick of the bunch with his chance.

The Welshman was through on goal after making a bursting sprint for Pepe Reina only to fire his shot straight at the ‘keeper.

A rare sliced shot from Gareth Bale near the six yard box sent a Spurs chance begging just ten minutes after the break.

The first half was also a  particularly uneventful affair with a cat making most of the half time headlines. Yes, a moggy ran onto the pitch and caused the game to stop while various stewards, and Brad Friedel, tried to catch the poor animal who was trespassing on the pitch.

Liverpool tried two free-kick takers in the first half, first up Gerard and then Bellamy both with the same outcome; the ball went straight into the wall from a promising position.

The game was scrappy all round actually with both teams struggling to maintain any prolonged period of possession with Jay Spearing and Andy Carroll looking particularly woeful.

Man of the match, Scott Parker, said: “When you come to Anfield it’s difficult, we’ve come here and got a point and that’s the most important thing.”

Suarez’s comeback was not without controversy when he kicked Parker in the box by accident, of course. He protested his innocence but I’m not sure his eyes were on the ball. Maybe the balls more like. Parker confirmed to Andy Burton that his ‘crown jewels’ are in one piece.

The one manager who was present, Kenny Daglish, said: “We are really pleased with the way that the team kept our shape, we have played the top sides and we’ve done really well.”

Despite Liverpool having the lowest conversion rate of chances to goals in the league Daglish insisted that he had nothing to worry about and a cup final to look forward to.

He remained characteristically defiant on the Suarez subject, he said: “Fantastic for us to get him back, he should never have been out in the first place.”