Liverpool vs. Hull City: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League Game
On a day when Luis Suarez made his first start for Barcelona, his replacement at Liverpool once again came up empty.
Liverpool drew 0-0 with Hull City at Anfield, but it wasn't for a lack of opportunities in front of goal for the hosts.
At the center of the attacking focus was Mario Balotelli, who had quite a few chances to put the Reds ahead throughout the match.
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Balotelli had a golden chance to open the scoring in the 64th minute, but he whiffed on his header in front of goal.
The chance was created by Emre Can, who sent in a corner kick to the center of the penalty area, where the Italian forward should have scored.
Ten minutes after the miscue by Balotelli, there was another chance. Balotelli waited a few seconds on the left edge of the box to pass to Dejan Lovren, but the defender could only imitate his teammate's previous whiff with his feet.
The ball had dropped to the feet of the summer acquisition after Eldin Jakupovic punched away a free-kick from Steven Gerrard.
Liverpool fans were desperate for a penalty to be given in the 81st minute, as Jordan Henderson fell down right on the edge of the penalty area.
Despite shouts from everyone in red at Anfield, referee Neil Swarbrick made the right decision, as the Liverpool midfielder clearly went to ground on his own power with Mohamed Diame inching closer to him.
Another late shout for a penalty came from Liverpool in the 88th minute. However, it was clear that Balotelli was already on his way down before he made contact with the defender.
Gerrard almost willed the Reds to victory in the 91st minute, but his shot bounced agonizingly wide to the right as the Kop watched on, waiting to explode in celebration.
Second-half substitute Philippe Coutinho was denied a minute later, as Jakupovic made a leaping save to keep the Brazilian off the scoresheet.
The Hull City goalkeeper was once again called into action right before the full-time whistle, as he denied Balotelli near the left post to help earn a deserved point for the Tigers.
The visitors did not put too much pressure on the Liverpool net throughout the second half, but they did have two shots on target—both of which were collected easily by Simon Mignolet.
The first half did not feature much excitement, as both sides attempted to create moves in the final third.
Liverpool put a shot on goal early in the first half, but they could not muster a goal (thanks to a save by Jakupovic on a shot from Balotelli in the 13th minute).
Three minutes before the first save by the Hull City goalkeeper, Ahmed Elmohamady headed a Dejan Lovren shot off the line.
Elmohamady raced back to the right post to nod away Lovren's header, which came off a corner sent in by Gerrard.
Hull's best chance came in the 42nd minute when Jake Livermore fired a shot at Mignolet, following a run down the wing by Hatem Ben Arfa.
The draw pushed Liverpool down to sixth place in the league table on 14 points, while the fifth draw of the season for Steve Bruce's side moved them up to ninth, for now, on 11 points.
Brendan Rodgers faces a dilemma with regard to Balotelli. The forward's barren run in the league for the Reds is now at seven games, and the calls have been loud for the manager to pull him from the line of fire. However, Balotelli did not play too badly against Hull; it was a goal that was missing.
Liverpool face Swansea in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday. That may be the time for Rodgers to bench the Italian and freshen him up for the trip to Newcastle next Saturday.
Key Player Grades
Mario Balotelli, Forward, Liverpool: C
Balotelli had countless opportunities to finish off a goal, but he failed on every occasion to put Liverpool ahead.
This performance from the Italian forward continued his poor streak of form since coming back to the English Premier League.
Eldin Jakupovic, Goalkeeper, Hull City: A+
Jakupovic was fantastic between the pipes for the visiting Tigers for the entire 90 minutes, making plenty of big saves in the second half.
His two denials of Coutinho and Balotelli in stoppage time were crucial for Bruce's side to earn a point they fully deserved.
Steven Gerrard, Midfielder, Liverpool: B
The Liverpool captain played plenty of good balls into his teammates on free-kicks and corners, but the finishing touch escaped the Reds.
His solo effort in the second-half stoppage time almost elevated the Reds into the win column, but he ultimately came up short—much to the chagrin of the Anfield faithful.
Post-Match Reaction
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
