It would be harsh to proclaim the return of Steven Gerrard to the Liverpool line-up as a false dawn, but Rafa Benitez must now know that it will take more than merely his talismanic captain to lift his side out of the rut they find themselves in. Due to the turbulent nature of this season’s Premier League, the Anfield club can still be considered in the hunt for honours, but their poor run must be of concern to the Spaniard as they were unable to raise themselves against an illustrious opponent. This has never been a problem in the past.

With Fernando Torres and the as yet unseen Alberto Aquilani out of the starting line-up, Liverpool looked rigid and bereft of ideas against a Manchester City side that have clearly been working on their organisation since the 3-3 draw against Burnley. Indeed, Mark Hughes’ side are also in a frustrating run of six consecutive draws that has seen their credentials as potential title-challengers take a massive hit.

In a first half that epitomised the post-international break hangover, Liverpool started the game brightly, probing the left-hand side where a sprightly Ryan Babel gave Pablo Zabaleta sustained and unpredictable difficulties. However, the young Dutch winger was injured after a challenge by Nigel de Jong with 15 minutes gone and replaced with Yossi Benayoun. Ten minutes earlier Daniel Agger had also been removed after a clash of heads as Liverpool’s hopeless luck persisted.

The first half finished goalless as Liverpool readjusted to their changes and City began to find their feet. The second half was a far livelier affair and set pieces were in vogue as first Martin Skrtel poked in Gerrard’s whipped free-kick, only for an entirely unmarked Emmanuel Adebayor to head home from a corner.

Mark Hughes had brought on Carlos Tevez on the hour as City pressed for an equaliser, and when Adebayor scored they found themselves in the ascendancy. Just seven minutes later Stephen Ireland finished off a fine move to give City the lead and Liverpool looked to be heading for another defeat.

However, the away side’s lead only lasted 76 seconds as a nervous Citizens defence failed to deal with a David Ngog cross-shot and Benayoun was on hand to prod home from close range.

The game would have provided little joy for either manager as a first half high on mediocrity was replaced by a second littered with errors.

For Benitez, a reassessment of their set piece strategy must surely be a priority, whilst the freedom they showed in the second half needs to become a more frequent part of their game. It would take some turnaround for a title-challenge to be resurrected, but Liverpool comfortably have the quality to secure a top four spot.

As for Manchester City, they still seem to be showing signs of a team that is not making the best use of its constituent parts. As the Ireland goal shows, they are capable of periods of top-class play, but the lack of concentration and cohesion defensively reveals an unfamiliarity that comes from a host of newcomers finding their feet. If Hughes wants to keep his job, he will have to locate the glue to bind them quickly, and it may take more than multi-millions of pounds to find it.