No start for Torres and no goals for Benitez

For the second consecutive weekend, Benitez decided not to start with his star Spaniard. And, just like at Portsmouth eight days ago, Liverpool were held to a goalless draw.

The early-season pacesetters now trail leaders Arsenal by four points — the number Liverpool have dropped in the last two matches with Torres in the dug-out.

A touchy Benitez tried to defend his decision and, to be fair, the man has won enough trophies to have earned respect.

Even so, Liverpool fans, obsessed with winning their first league championship since 1990, will not be convinced by his argument that the best way to use Torres against a negative Birmingham City was to throw him on for the final half-hour as an impact player.

Benitez said: "We knew Birmingham would play deep and compact. Dirk Kuyt and Andriy Voronin have good game intelligence and were good for what we wanted.

"Jon Arne Riise nearly scored in the first minute and if that had gone in, the match would have been very different. Every minute you don't score it becomes harder.

"When Torres came on, Birmingham were getting tired so he could use his pace and other qualities. We tried until the end to score but we didn't have any space."

The 23-year-old Torres, who started September by scoring twice in a 6-0 romp against Derby to put Liverpool top, made an immediate impact. He went close with a spectacular overhead kick and then split the Birmingham defence with a backheel, only for Peter Crouch and Steve Gerrard to run into each other in their eagerness.

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce has not lost to Benitez in five Premier League games and his 4-1-4-1 formation frustrated the championship contenders even when his initial holding midfielder Borja Oubina was carried off with a cruciate knee injury after 12 minutes.

"My defenders have run a million miles to get this result. Two or three were cramping at the end because of the effort they put in but we got our reward," said Bruce. "I've not had a drink recently but I think I've earned a beer after this. This is a fixture I always look forward to, particularly with my connections up the road [Manchester United]."

The Kop must have feared the worst when the Liverpool teamsheet showed Kuyt and Voronin up front. Both have their attributes but neither are prolific scorers.

With Johan Djourou and the Birmingham defenders putting their bodies on the line by crunching into tackles and blocks, Liverpool could not raise their game to make chances.

Their only shot on target in the first half from Jermaine Pennant was tipped over by Maik Taylor and even a brief flurry at the start of the second period, when Taylor saved from Voronin and Mehdi Nafti cleared off the line from Gerrard, could not delay the arrival of Torres after an hour.

His introduction was greeted by the biggest cheer of the afternoon and brought a new urgency to Liverpool, particularly when he was joined for the final quarter of the game by Crouch. The Torres overhead kick from Pennant's cross might have been goal of the season had it been a touch lower and Crouch headed over from a Gerrard corner.

Benitez grumbled: "You need to win the second ball in matches like this. We are frustrated at the moment but we will keep going."

If every team in the Premier League played like Bruce's Birmingham did yesterday, stadiums would be deserted. But, understandably, he did not feel the need to apologise. "I would love to play 4-4-2 all the time but it wouldn't have made sense for us to play an open game with the players they have," he said.

In the end, Birmingham could have nicked it with a deflected free-kick by Oliver Kapo saved by Pepe Reina and a couple of late breakaways.

But the Midlanders, whose aim is Premiership survival, were delighted with a point, even if some shine was taken off by probably losing Oubina for the season, his knee buckling as he stretched to challenge Kuyt.

The match showed three weeks is a long time in football, not just for Jose Mourinho. Liverpool started September top of the pile amid excited chatter about the championship. All Rafa will hear this weekend is renewed muttering about his rotation.

LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Reina; Arbeloa, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise; Pennant (Finnan 87min), Gerrard, Mascherano, Babel (Torres 60); Kuyt, Voronin (Crouch 74). Subs (not used): Itandje, Sissoko.

BIRMINGHAM (4-1-4-1): Maik Taylor; Kelly, Ridgewell, Djourou, Queudrue; Melendez (McSheffrey 13); Larsson, Nafti, Palacios (O'Connor 68), Kapo; Jerome (Schmitz 80). Subs (not used): Kingson, Forssell. Booked: Ridgewell, McSheffrey.

Referee: L Mason (Lancashire).