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Stoke City 0-0 Liverpool
Match Reports, 20:54, January 10, 2009 ,
Stoke City produced a marvellous display to hold Liverpool to a goalless draw in front of a packed house at the Brittania Stadium.
Liverpool took immediate control of the game form the first whistle as they enjoyed almost total possession in the opening ten minutes but they failed to create a meaningful opening and eventually the hosts began to force their way into contention.
Rory Delap should have handed the Potters the lead before the break as he pounced on lacklustre defending to fire a close-range shot above Pepe Reina but only onto the underside of the bar. The Irishman had a superb match and his throws were a constant menace.
It was through one such Delap missile that Dave Kitson wasted his second clear-cut opening of the evening on 74 minutes as he escaped Sami Hyypia but inexplicably failed to keep his free header down. The former Reading man had an equally good chance just after the break when he collected an awful clearance from Reina before rounding the Spaniard but his shot, from a tight angle, was off target.
Glenn Whelan also went within inches of handing Stoke all three points as he deceived Reina with a free-kick that bent a fraction past the angle of post and bar.
Rafael Benitez introduced Fernando Torres on the hour mark but the Spanish striker saw little of the ball and Liverpool were forced to once again turn to their captain, Steven Gerrard, for inspiration. The England midfielder had made little impact until the final few minutes when he curled a free-kick onto the cross-bar, before poking beyond Thomas Sorenson in injury time only to see his effort deflect agonisingly off the outside of the post.