It was Gerrard the super sub who had equalized with a penalty, saving Liverpool from the blushes of a home defeat by Birmingham City. Liverpool opened the account with a goal by Ngog in the 12th minute but was soon equalized by Christian Benitez. Later Cameron Jerome stunned the crowd with a 30 yard kick to put Birmingham City in the lead just before the break. This had happened just after Rafa Benitez substituted Albert Riera with Steven Gerrard. Liverpool went into the break one goal down and had lots of pressure as Fernando Torres was not in the squad. It was all up to Gerrard, Ngog and Benayoun to handle the pressure. Lucas and Benayoun had the Birmingham goalie Hart on his feet in the second half. There was a flurry of errors on the possession of the ball in the second half as the pressure built up more and more on the home team. Soon Liverpool was awarded a penalty, as Ngog got the better of Carsley. Gerrard completed the formality. Liverpool must be disappointed to have got a draw in home but Rafa Benitez was happy with their performance. On the other hand Alex Mcleish was extremely satisfied with Birmingham City’s performance but a win would have been a great relief and a morale booster as they are only a few points away from the relegation zone.
