Source: Telegraph
Birmingham City 0 Liverpool 0: match report
Liverpool were indebted to a superb display from goalkeeper Jose Reina after a goalless draw against Birmingham City at St Andrew's. [LNB]Reina produced excellent reflex saves to keep out point-blank range headers from Cameron Jerome and Craig Gardner. [LNB]The home side were also left to regret spurning a hat-trick of clear-cut chances and were the more impressive of the two sides. [LNB]But on this evidence new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has plenty of work to do to make the Merseysiders a force to be reckoned with. [LNB]Barry Ferguson and Gardner bossed the midfield while James McFadden and Cameron Jerome linked well up front. [LNB]Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard tried to spark his side into life but Fernando Torres still looks short of full sharpness with Scott Dann excellent at the back for Birmingham. [LNB]The first decent chance fell to Torres after 12 minutes after Glen Johnson made a good break down the right flank before sending in a low cross. [LNB]But the Spaniard failed to make a clean contact on his attempted shot which he dragged a couple of yards wide. [LNB]Reina kept Liverpool on level terms with a superb reflex save away to his right to keep out Jerome's powerful header from Lee Bowyer's left-wing centre. [LNB]Birmingham midfielder Gardner became the first player to be yellow carded after 28 minutes for a challenge on Lucas. [LNB]Birmingham continued to look the more dangerous and Gardner dinked a shot over the bar after being teed up by Sebastian Larsson. [LNB]But Reina made another outstanding save to keep out a close range header from Gardner after another dangerous cross from Larsson. [LNB]In a rare threat to the home goal Roger Johnson's tackle prevented Torres from turning and shooting from inside the box although replays suggested he may have had claims for a penalty. [LNB]Roger Johnson missed a good chance when he turned a Ferguson cross over from close range. [LNB]Birmingham keeper Ben Foster made his first save in the opening minute of the second half in clinging onto a dipping drive from Gerrard. [LNB]But City were soon back on the attack and Liam Ridgewell had a powerful header blocked from a Larsson free-kick. [LNB]Paul Konchesky got forward to good effect for the first time and his pass almost played in Milan Jovanovic but he failed to take the ball in his stride. [LNB]But Liverpool continued to look uncomfortable at the back and Dann missed another good chance for the home side. [LNB]He found himself unmarked from a Larsson free-kick but his downward header bounced over the crossbar. [LNB]Liverpool enjoyed their best spell of the game and Foster beat out a rising shot from a narrow angle by Torres after he had been found in space by Gerrard. [LNB]Another chance went begging for the home side when Jerome headed wide at the far post from Stephen Carr's cross after Konchesky had given the ball away. [LNB]Raul Meireles made his Liverpool debut after 76 minutes in place of Lucas. A minute later Konchesky limped off to be replaced by Daniel Agger. [LNB]Reina again did well in racing out of his area to chest clear from Jerome. [LNB]Foster went down to keep out a late drive from Torres although he failed to make full contact.[LNB]
