Saturday 24 September 2005 12:45 FA Barclays Premier League
"Birmingham City"	2 - 2	"Liverpool"
	(0-0)
GOAL
Warnock 71 og, Pandiani 74		Garcia 66, Cisse 85 p.
1  Maik Taylor   3  Jamie Clapham   4  Kenny Cunningham   5  Matthew Upson  29  Mario Melchiot  21  Julian Gray  22  Damien Johnson  15  Neil Kilkenny   7  Jermaine Pennant   9  Mikael Forssell  16  Emile Heskey  Subs:  18  Nico Vaesen   2  Martin Taylor  26  Oliver Tebily  11  Stan Lazaridis   8  Walter Pandiani		25  Jose Reina  17  Jose Miguel Rey  28  Stephen Warnock  23  Jamie Carragher   4  Sami Hyypia  14  Xabi Alonso   8  Steven Gerrard (c)  16  Dietmar Hamann  30  Boudewijn Zenden  15  Peter Crouch  24  Florent Sinama-Pongolle  Subs:  20  Scott Carson   6  John Arne Riise   3  Steve Finnan  10  Luis Garcia   9  Djibril Cisse
SUBSTITUTIONS
Forssell (Pandiani 73)  Heskey (Tebily 90)		Sinama-Pongolle (Garcia 60)  Zenden (Cisse 68)  Hamann (Riise 79)
OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS
Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)
Booked: Clapham 43,  Cunningham 67  Sent Off: Kilkenny 84		Booked: Sinama-Pongolle 34, Garcia 64, Warnock 70
VENUE		MANAGERS
St Andrews (capacity 30,009) Attendance: 27,773		Steve Bruce (Birmingham C) Rafael Benitez (Liverpool)

  Price:

  Notes:

  - Stephen Warnock scored an own goal on 72

  REDS FRUSTRATED AS IT ENDS 2-2

  Liverpool will leave St Andrews frustrated today after second half goals from Luis Garcia and Djibril Cisse were cancelled out by Birmingham.

  All thoughts of a goal drought were dismissed as Garcia and Cisse gave the Reds the goals that their superiority had deserved, but they conceded their first goals of the Premiership season and must settle for a point.

  The first half of this match was lit up only by Steven Gerrard's drive against a post. And Birmingham came close when Heskey forced Reina to save, but it was the second half that had all the action as the game reached a conclusion that looked unlikely at half time.

  The Reds emerged for the second half clearly intent on finding the goals to record their first win on the road this season, but they were again, atleast initially, frustrated by a solid Birmingham defence.

  It was clear that Rafa's men were in need of some inspiration if they were to find a goal and it was Stehpen Warnock who showed the way to goal when his incisive 62nd minute run ended with Taylor saving well at his near post.

  That proved to be the spur Liverpool needed and just 5 minutes later they scored their first goal from open play this season. It was all so simple in the end as Gerrard's through pass found Luis Garcia running in on goal and he finished coolly as Taylor came out.

  Liverpool's joy was short lived though because Birmingham swiftly went down the other end and equalised.

  Birmingham had barely threatened and had rarely looked like scoring so perhaps it was fitting that their goal would come from a Liverpool player. The unfortunate man was Stephen Warnock as Gray's cross from the right deflected off him and beat Reina.

  Liverpool's misfortune gave Birmingham a massive lift and from not even looking like scoring before, they were soon ahead.

  And it was another crossed ball that was Liverpool's undoing as Heskey's header rebounded off Reina and gave Pandiani, just on as a substitute, the opportunity to stab the ball into the empty net.

    Liverpool found themselves in a situation they should never have been in and they launcheda series of attacks in an attempt to ensure their dominance was not rewarded.

  It was some justification that they drew themselves level when Kilkenny used a hand to effect a goal line clearance. Kilkenny was duely sent off for his misdemeanour and Djibril Cisse stepped up to drill home the penalty and make it 2-2.

  Cisse was on as a 68th minute substitute and his cross to Crouch just minutes later almost completed a remarkable comeback. It looked for all the world that Crouch would score as the ball drifted towards him, but he headed wide and we would have to settle for a point.

  So it's another away game without defeat for the Reds, but they will leave St Andrews again frustrated that they have nothing more than a point to show for their dominance.

  Teams

  Birmingham City (4-4-2): Taylor, Clapham, Cunningham, Upson, Melchiot, Gray, Johnson, Kilkenny, Pennant, Forssell, Heskey. Subs - Lazaridis, Pandiani, Taylor, Tebily, Vaesen.

  Liverpool (4-4-1-1): Reina, Warnock, Carragher, Hyypia, Josemi, Zenden, Alonso, Gerrard, Hamann, Sinama Pongolle, Crouch. Subs - Carson, Cisse, Finnan, Garcia, Riise.

  Referee: S Bennett

  Conditions:

  Attendance: Unavailable

  Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Steven Gerrard

  Breakdown

11:45 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : Birmingham kick-off attacking the goal behind which the Liverpool fans are situated
1 min : Taylor is forced to make a brave save as the Reds start promisingly
6 mins : Alonso tries his luck with a low shot from 25-yards out but it lacks power and Taylor saves comfortably
9 mins : Gerrard tries to pick out Crouch with a cross from the right but the keeper is first to the ball
12 mins : Pennant is caught offside following a through ball by Heskey as the home side attempt to launch their first meaningful attack of the afternoon
14 mins : Zenden overhits a centre from the left after Liverpool broke quickly thanks to some neat inter-changing between Gerrard and Crouch
17 mins : Zenden shoots wide with a speculative effort from just outside the box
24 mins : Good defending by Carragher saves Liverpool after Forsell threatens to run clean through on goal
25 mins : Excellent stop by Reina denies Heskey from close-range
28 mins : Gerrard strikes the upright with a well-struck shot from 25-yards out
32 mins : A dipping shot from Zenden sails narrowly wide of Taylor's right-hand post
34 mins : Booking: Florent Sinama Pongolle: for running into Johnson
38 mins : Liverpool break swiftly but Pongolle opts to go it alone and eventually runs into a wall of Blue shirts
40 mins : Good cross from the left by Gray is well held by Reina
43 mins : Booking: Jamie Clapham: for a foul on Pongolle
12:33 GMT : Half Time Reached

12:50 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Liverpool get the second half underway
47 mins : Clapham crosses from the left and Forsell mis-controls on the edge of the six-yard box, much to Liverpool's relief
48 mins : Gerrard makes a determined run down the left and cuts in before unleashing a disappointing shot that fails to hit the target
55 mins : Liverpool concede possession too easily in their own half but from the resultant forward ball Heskey is fortunately flagged offside
58 mins : Another scare for the Reds as Hyypia skies a intended clearance and Reina fails to punch clear, the ball fall to Forsell however and the Birmingham striker is unable to capitalise
60 mins : Substitution: Luis Garcia for Florent Sinama Pongolle:
60 mins : Kilkenny shoots low into the arms of Reina
61 mins : Taylor is forced to save low at his near post following a brilliant forward run and shot by Warnock
64 mins : Booking: Luis Garcia: for throwing the ball away
67 mins : Booking: Kenny Cunningham: for a foul on Gerrard
67 mins : GOAL! Luis Garcia: excellent finish after a sublime through ball from Gerrard
68 mins : Substitution: Djibril Cisse for Boudewijn Zenden:
70 mins : Booking: Stephen Warnock: for a foul on Melchiot
71 mins : Own Goal! Stephen Warnock: deflects a Gray centre past Reina with his head
72 mins : Substitution: Walter Pandiani for Mikael Forssell:
73 mins : Crouch charges through the Birmingham defence and centres to Gerrard who fires narrowly wide
74 mins : GOAL! Walter Pandiani: scores on the rebound from close-range after Reina makes a fine save from Heskey
79 mins : Substitution: John Arne Riise for Dietmar Hamann:
81 mins : Clapham clears off the line to keep put Garcia's glancing header
83 mins : Kilkenny handles on the line to deny Carragher a certain goal and Liverpool are awarded a penalty
83 mins : Penalty Scored! Djibril Cisse: sends the keeper the wrong way to equalise
87 mins : Crouch goes close with a header at the far post following a great cross by Ciise
88 mins : Cisse shoots disappointingly wide following a quick counter-attack
90 mins : Clapham heads off the line for a second time, on this occasion from Crouch
90 mins : Substitution: Oliver Tebily for Emile Heskey:
13:39 GMT : Match Over

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