FC Utrecht 0 Liverpool 0:Liverpool fans were treated to another insipid display by their side in Holland this evening but the Reds left Utrecht with a point after a scoreless draw in their second Europa League game. A point in the Stadion Galgenwaard, where the hosts had won their previous six matches, was no disgrace but it was hardly one of those classic, gritty away performances in Europe.
Roy Hodgson’s side, who had five successive Europa League victories prior to this game, were dominated for long periods and their clean sheet owed much to goalkeeper Jose Reina and a goalline clearance from Raul Meireles.
Liverpool have now gone four matches without a victory in all competitions and Hodgson’s blueprint for reinvigorating the team after Rafael Benitez’s departure in the summer still looks very much like a work in progress. Without their captain Steven Gerrard, left behind to rest on Merseyside, the side looked devoid of ideas and even the presence of Fernando Torres for his first Europa League start of the campaign did not help.
Nevertheless, the result, and Napoli's 3-3 draw away to Steaua Bucharest, means Liverpool top the group on four points, two ahead of their hosts and the Italians, and three ahead of the Romanians.
"It was a good point because we knew it was going to be a tough game," said Hodgson afterwards. "I thought the problems we had, if we had any at all, and the occasions when they created chances were of our own making.
"We created some good chances ourselves and it wasn't a dull 0-0. There was activity at both ends of the field.
"Utrecht did well, they were determined, aggressive and committed, so we knew we had to be at our best defensively to keep them out and fortunately we did.
"I thought they crossing was very good and I think you could quite easily see today why Utrecht have such a good home record.
"It would have been unfortunate for them had we won the game tonight, I think Utrecht would have felt hard done by."
In only the fifth minute the prolific Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, scorer of 13 goals in 14 games this season, was given half a chance when Christian Poulsen gave away possession but the 21-year-old striker could only divert Dries Mertens’ left-wing cross wide of the far post.
Liverpool fashioned three or four openings — none of which could be described in any way as good — with Meireles both shooting and heading at goalkeeper Michel Vorm either side of off-target efforts from Lucas Leiva and Joe Cole.
Torres also curled a shot wide after turning and shooting from the edge of the area.
But the best first-half chances fell to Utrecht with Jan Wuytens’ volley only ruled out for Jacob Mulenga’s foul on Martin Kelly, makeshift left-back in the absence of the injured trio of Paul Konchesky, Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio.
And had it not been for Reina saving well at close range from Mertens after Dirk Kuyt, returning to his former club, was slow to react to a loose ball in the penalty area from a corner Liverpool would have been behind at half-time.
Torres had been quiet all night and, early in the second half, when the ball did drop to him in the penalty area from Glen Johnson’s cross he hacked wildly at it with his weaker left foot and ballooned a shot over.
But Liverpool were soon on the back foot again with Reina diving at the feet of Wolfswinkel to stop Mulenga’s low cross while Meireles cleared off the line from Michael Silverbauer’s header when his goalkeeper came for Mertens’ corner but missed.
Typically, considering his fortunes this season, Torres’ one chance came in the 57th minute but he was denied by a great reaction save from Vorm when Kuyt picked him out with a low, near-post cross.
To compound the Spaniard’s frustration referee Duarte Gomes awarded a goal-kick.
He was almost gifted another opportunity moments later when Mihai Nesu left his back-pass short but the striker’s first touch took the ball out of play as he attempted to round Vorm.
As the match entered its closing stages it was Utrecht who looked the most likely scorers.
Maxi Rodriguez’s first touch after replacing Cole with eight minutes to go saw him attempt an ambitious overhead kick which failed to hit the target.
Liverpool were happy with the draw but Mulenga should have snatched victory only to drive wide of Reina’s left-hand post with only the goalkeeper to beat.