Liverpool's four-match winning run was halted by a plucky Wigan Athletic who fought back to claim a 1-1 draw.
Rodallega cancels out Torres opener
Liverpool's four-match winning run was halted by a plucky Wigan Athletic who fought back to claim a deserved 1-1 draw at the DW Stadium.
The Reds were unable to build on their weekend heroics after Sunday's 2-0 win over champions Chelsea despite Fernando Torres' third goal in four days.
The Merseysiders began Wednesday's Premier League encounter buoyed by their Anfield success and soon took the lead on seven minutes.
Captain Steven Gerrard beautifully picked out revived striker Torres, who took the ball in his stride before lashing the visitors ahead with his fifth goal of the season.
But from there onwards, it was Wigan who showed all the attacking impetus and it was fitting that Hugo Rodallega grabbed their equaliser after a lung-bursting performance in the lone front role.
His second-half strike came courtesy of Ronnie Stam's piercing cross which forced Liverpool goalkeeper Jose Reina to spill the ball centrally, allowing the Colombian to fire home unmarked.
The home side were the marginally better team but they nearly came unstuck as Gerrard struck the crossbar late on but Roberto Martinez's side earned a valuable point in their bid for survival.
Liverpool appeared to feel the exertions of beating the league leaders last time out and that will be a concern to manager Roy Hodgson, who has complained about the depth of quality in his squad, with a trip to Stoke next up on Saturday.
The draw meant Liverpool missed the chance to move into the top five - a scenario which seemed a distant prospect just a few weeks ago with the Reds mired in the relegation zone until they put together three league wins to add to a victory in Europe.
Clinical
It must also have annoyed Hodgson because, as they did against Chelsea, his side began strongly with Sunday's man of the match Lucas Leiva unleashing a 25-yard strike which Ali Al Habsi just managed to tip over.
The next time the visitors attacked the goalkeeper was given no chance by a clinical Torres.
An unusual statistic for this season is that all Liverpool's league goals, apart from their opening match against Arsenal, have either been scored or provided by Steven Gerrard and Torres.
The Reds' star duo demonstrated why their partnership is so successful in the seventh minute when Gerrard was given far too much time to carry the ball through midfield.
His perfectly-weighted 30-yard pass allowed Torres to outpace Gary Caldwell and fire across Al Habsi into the far corner of the goal.
It was the 26-year-old's first away goal since 21st March and, considering his prolific record, only the 17th in 41 matches outside Anfield.
The simplicity of that strike was contrasted by their next move, which saw Gerrard, Torres and Dirk Kuyt combine before the captain volleyed over from the Dutchman's header.
Torres was looking at his dangerous best and when Antolin Alcaraz stumbled he was clean through only for referee Peter Walton to pull play back for a non-existent foul.
Charles N'Zogbia looked Wigan's best outlet and he thought he had equalised in the 33rd minute when he seized on Lucas' weak pass and played a one-two with Rodallega to tap home but his team-mate had already been flagged offside.
A Stam pass intended for Rodallega at the near post rolled agonisingly wide of the far upright as Wigan finished the half on the up.
Ragged
Raul Meireles was replaced by Jonjo Shelvey for the start of the second half and the teenager's first contribution was to give the ball away to Rodallega but his forward pass to N'Zogbia was too strong.
The Colombian was not so wasteful in the 52nd minute when Reina could only palm Stam's low cross into his path and he gratefully fired home left-footed.
Wigan sensed their chance as Liverpool's play became increasingly ragged and Martinez sent on young forward Victor Moses for Jordi Gomez.
Kuyt's strike from Shelvey's deflected shot was half-saved by Al Habsi before it crossed the line but the Holland international had come back from an offside position and it was ruled out.
It was a brief rally as Stam again found room down the right to cross and Martin Kelly had to hack away at the far post under pressure from Tom Cleverley, who turned in a strong performance on only his second start for the club.
Gerrard's shot 10 minutes from time crashed down off the crossbar but not over the line with Al Habsi beaten as the game became end-to-end.
But it was Liverpool who were grateful for the final whistle as Mohamed Diame and N'Zogbia both forced low saves out of Reina.
The result may prove to only be a blip in Liverpool's recovery but Hodgson cannot allow his side to lose any momentum having built up so much confidence over the last three weeks.
Wigan may ultimately have been disappointed with a point, having won the corresponding fixture last season and finished so strongly, but it at least avoided a third successive league defeat.
| Wigan Athletic |
Team Statistics |
Liverpool |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
1 |
| 6 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 2 |
Shots off Target |
6 |
| 5 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 5 |
Corners |
4 |
| 10 |
Fouls |
11 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 82.1 |
Passing Success |
75.4 |
| 28 |
Tackles |
40 |
| 67.9 |
Tackles Success |
75 |
| 53.8 |
Possession |
46.2 |
| 56.3 |
Territorial Advantage |
43.7 |
|
