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Liverpool held in Holland
13/09/2006 08:08 - (SA)
Eindhoven - PSV Eindhoven and Liverpool created few chances on Tuesday and settled for a 0-0 draw to open their Champions League campaigns.
Liverpool, the 2005 champions and widely seen as the favourites in Group C, began with captain Steven Gerrard on the substitute's bench, one of the several changes coach Rafa Benitez made to the side that lost 3-0 to Everton in an English Premiership match on Saturday.
Defenders Daniel Agger and Stephen Warnock, midfielders Jermaine Pennant and Boudewijn Zenden, and strikers Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt started for Liverpool while Sami Hyypia, Luis Garcia, Xabi Alonso and Peter Crouch sat out the match.
Midfielder Ibrahim Afellay was the first to test Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina with a fierce left-footed shot after 23 minutes, but the Spaniard parried the ball away.
Bellamy almost immediately had a chance to put Liverpool ahead after a clever dummy from Kuyt, but the Welshman was judged offside by Swiss referee Massimo Busacca.
Kuyt, jeered by PSV fans whenever he touched the ball, failed to capitalise on a 41st-minute mistake by Jan Kromkamp, blasting his shot into Mexican left-back Carlos Salcido.
Led by stand-in skipper Jamie Carragher, Liverpool's defence thwarted PSV's front pair of Arouna Kone and Jefferson Farfan.
"It was difficult against two blocks of four players," PSV coach Ronald Koeman said. "You have to be very strong in attack."
With Liverpool struggling to service Kuyt, Gerrard replaced Bellamy in the 71st minute and came closest when Gerrard hit the inside of the post with a powerful volley two minutes from time.
"We earned the point and that was probably the best we could hope for," Koeman said.
Liverpool next play Galatasaray at home on September 27 while PSV travel to Bordeaux.
- AP
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