Saturday 26 April 2008 15:00 FA Barclays Premier League
"Birmingham City"	2 - 2	"Liverpool"
	(1-0)
GOAL
Forssell 33, Larsson 57		Crouch 63, Benayoun 75
1  Maik Taylor   6  Liam Ridgewell (c)  14  David Murphy   3  Stephen Kelly  24  Radhi Jaidi  23  Olivier Kapo  12  Mehdi Nafti   7  Sebastian Larsson  26  Fabrice Muamba  16  James McFadden   9  Mikael Forssell  Subs:  13  Colin Doyle  15  Franck Queudrue  11  Gary McSheffrey  10  Cameron Jerome  19  Mauro Matias Zarate		25  Jose Reina   3  Steve Finnan   4  Sami Hyypia (c)   6  John Arne Riise  37  Martin Skrtel  47  Damien Plessis  16  Jermaine Pennant  21  Lucas Leiva  11  Yossi Benayoun  15  Peter Crouch  10  Andriy Voronin  Subs:  30  Charles Itandje  48  Emiliano Insua  23  Jamie Carragher   8  Steven Gerrard  18  Dirk Kuyt
SUBSTITUTIONS
Kapo (McSheffrey 77)  Ridgewell (Queudrue 77)  Forssell (Zarate 87)		Riise (Insua 64)
OFFICIALS & BOOKINGS
Referee: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)
Booked: Murphy 45, Nafti 67		Booked: Voronin 41
VENUE		MANAGERS
St Andrews (capacity 35,595) Attendance: 29,252		Alex McLeish (Birmingham C) Rafael Benitez (Liverpool)

  Price: J

  REDS RALLY TO RESCUE A POINT

  Liverpool are on the verge of mathematically securing fourth place in the Barclays Premier League after they came from two goals down to salvage a point against Birmingham City at St Andrews.

  A second-half goal from Peter Crouch and an OG from City defender Raidi Jaidi earned a 2-2 draw for Rafael Benitez's after Mikael Forssell and Sebastian Larsson had threatened to inflict only our fifth league defeat of the campaign.

  It means Rafael Benitez's 150th league match in charge ended without what looked like being a certain defeat and means Everton must now win at home to Aston Villa to have any chance of stopping the Reds from clinching a top four finish - and even then the Toffees must triumph in all of their remaining matches and hope to overturn Liverpool's vastly superior goal difference.

  Ahead of the match Rafael Benitez made nine changes to the side that drew with Chelsea in the Champions League in midweek, a decision that included leaving 30-goal hit-man Fernando Torres out of the 16.

  It was a move that gave Peter Crouch another chance to shine and means El Nino will have to wait at least another week if he is to equal Ruud Van Nistelrooy's record of 23, for the most goals scored by an overseas player in his debut Premier League season.

  Despite the changes and the absence of our Spanish hot-shot, Liverpool made the more assured start and after Lucas Leiva had threatened the home support with a wayward drive on five minutes, the Reds manufactured the first real chance of note.

  John Arne Riise played Andriy Voronin into space down the left flank and after a neat turn the Ukrainian forward clipped a cross to the edge of the box for Lucas, who scuffed a volleyed effort at goal that Maik Taylor saved comfortably.

  The home side responded and Mikel Forssell gave Martin Skrtel and Sami Hyypia a cameo of the threat he can pose by brilliantly juggling the ball on the edge of the box before firing in a volley that could have caused Pepe Reina a real problem had it not been straight at the Spaniard.

  It seemed to give Alex McLeish's side the belief that was sadly lacking in last week's heavy 5-1 defeat at neighbours Aston Villa and they duly dominated the remainder of what turned out to be an uninspiring first-half.

  On 27 minutes Olivier Kapo outfoxed Steve Finnan down the Liverpool right and drilled a dangerous ball across the face of goal but fortunately for the Reds no-one was there to add the finishing touch for the home side.

  However, the visitors failed to learn their lesson and six minutes later Birmingham got a goal that appeared to give their survival hopes a huge boost.

  Former Everton striker James McFadden teased Riise down the left before floating a superb ball to the far post where an unmarked Forssell was able to take a touch before coolly firing a shot past Pepe Reina from inside the six yard box.

  Liverpool struggled to reply but could have gone in level at the break had Peter Crouch's audacious turn and shot from 25-yards got past the outstretched arm of Taylor or Riise's superbly struck free-kick been three inches lower.

  The visitors came out after half-time with renewed vigour but despite some good early possession they lacked the creativity to break through the Birmingham rearguard and were punished by another breakaway goal on 55 minutes when the hosts won a free-kick just outside the Liverpool area.

  Sebastian Larsson stepped forward and struck a magnificent 25-yard effort that arced over the wall and into the top left hand corner to leave Reina with no chance.

  It was a two-goal cushion the home support could barely believe and few could have blamed them for thinking the points were in the bag against an under-strength Liverpool side.

  But they reckoned without the goalscoring prowess of Peter Crouch.

  The England striker had been left to feed on scraps for the majority of the match but gave the Reds a lifeline when he drilled in his 11th strike of the season just after the hour mark.

  Former Blues favourite Jermaine Pennant was the architect behind the goal, winning the ball in midfield before exchanging a one-two with Yossi Benayoun, who then laid a pass into the path of Crouch for the towering frontman to fire in from 12 yards.

  It inspired an instant improvement in the visitors' play and they could well have levelled soon after, when Voronin fired into the side netting before Benayoun guided a volley just wide form Steve Finnan's cross.

  But the Reds were not to be denied and on 75 minutes they pulled level when Pennant, who was dangerous throughout, fed Lucas down the right and when the Brazilian crossed for Benayoun the Israeli headed against the unfortunate Jaidi and the ball deflected into the net.

  It was a goal that seriously threatened Birmingham's survival hopes and in the final moments it could have been much worse, but for all Liverpool's effort they could not find the winning goal their second-half display deserved.

  Teams

  Birmingham City: Taylor, Murphy, Jaidi, Ridgewell (c), Kelly, Kapo, Muamba, Nafti, Larsson, Forssell, McFadden. Subs - Doyle, Jerome, McSheffrey, Queudrue, Zarate.

  Liverpool: Reina, Riise, Hyypia (c), Skrtel, Finnan, Benayoun, Leiva, Plessis, Pennant, Crouch, Voronin. Subs - Carragher, Gerrard, Insua, Itandje, Kuyt.

  Referee: P Walton

  Conditions: Unavailable

  Attendance: Unavailable

  Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Jermaine Pennant

  Breakdown

14:02 GMT : Match Starts
1 min : Liverpool get the game underway at St Andrews
2 mins : McFadden is almost through but the ball is too strong and Reina gathers
5 mins : Liverpool win the game's first corner which is taken by Pennant and headed clear
8 mins : Voronin gets away down the left and crosses for Lucas who scuffs his first time shot
12 mins : Pennant charges past Murphy down the right but his cross is overhit
14 mins : McFadden is caught offside as it looks like Birmingham are ready to break through the Reds' backline
23 mins : Kapo tries his luck left footed but drives his low shot well wide
25 mins : Benayoun crosses from the left but Ridgewell is able to head the ball clear
28 mins : Kapo drives a ball across the face of goal which no Birmingham player can get on the end of
32 mins : McFadden turns away from Hyypia but Riise is on hand to prevent the striker from shooting
33 mins : GOAL! Mikael Forssell: The home side take the lead as Forssell controls the ball on his chest and fires first time past Reina
39 mins : Crouch forces Taylor into his first stop of the afternoon with a well struck drive
42 mins : First Booking: Andriy Voronin:
45 mins : Pennant wins the Reds a free kick in the closing stages of the half
45 mins : First Booking: David Murphy:
45 mins : Riise goes for goal but can't hit the target
14:49 GMT : Half Time Reached

15:06 GMT : Second Half Begins
46 mins : Birmingham get the second half underway leading thanks to Forssell's strike
47 mins : Crouch gives away an early free kick to the home side
48 mins : Riise fails to make contact as he tries an acrobatic effort from inside the area
53 mins : Skrtel is penalised for a foul on McFadden, giving Birmingham a free kick in a dangerous area
54 mins : GOAL! Sebastian Larsson: Larsson doubles the lead with a brilliant curling free kick which gives Pepe Reina no chance in the Reds goal
61 mins : Birmingham win a corner and are in control of the game now. Not a good performance by us so far
62 mins : Ridgewell fails to hit the target with a free header from inside the area
63 mins : GOAL! Peter Crouch: Crouch nets his 11th of the season and brings us back into the game with a neat finish after good Pennant play
64 mins : Substitution: Emiliano Insua for John Arne Riise:
66 mins : First Booking: Mehdi Nafti:
68 mins : Voronin does well to get a shot in in the area but drives the effort just wide of goal. Good chance
72 mins : Finnan floats in a cross from the right which Benayoun volleys wide
73 mins : Much better from Liverpool with Pennant putting a series of quality crosses into the area
76 mins : Own Goal! Radhi Jaidi: Jaidi deflects Benayoun's header past his own goalkeeper
78 mins : Substitution: Cameron Jerome for Mehdi Nafti:
86 mins : Liverpool win a late corner as we look to complete the recovery
88 mins : Substitution: Mauro Zarate for Mikael Forssell:
90 mins : Three extra minutes to be played
15:54 GMT : Match Over

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