Thank heavens for DaMarcus Beasley. Had the Manchester City winger not hit the bar with a cultured late effort, this tepid clash between northern titans would have passed by without meaningful incident. In the event, the American’s shot bounced to safety, the spoils were shared and both teams trudged off with dogged City surely assured of a rematch next season and soporific Liverpool further cemented in the Premiership’s third position. Hard-fought it may have been, entertaining it most certainly was not.

As much to their own surprise as anyone’s, City kicked off as the Premiership’s form team (bar Chelsea) and just about safe from a disastrous relegation that seemed increasingly likely after they lost five successive league games after the turn of the year and manager Stuart Pearce had the sickly pallor of a dead man walking. However, having attended to the short term, even the ever-optimistic Pearce admitted he was “far from satisfied in the long term” and a measly total of 10 home league goals and none since Georgios Samaras’s penalty on New Year’s Day told its own underachieving tale.

Liverpool arrived in third place, with next season’s Champions League berth looking secure if not quite certain, irrespective of how far they go this year. Even so, manager Rafael Benitez took no chances in both selection and game-plan. Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Steve Finnan, Javier Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt were deemed too important to be risked in the midweek formality against PSV Eind-hoven, but they returned yesterday.

Moreover, Benitez deployed Kuyt as a lone striker, with Gerrard just behind the Dutchman, and looked to John Arne Riise and Jermaine Pennant to provide width and adventure.

The theory seemed logical enough, but the game soon descended into languid torpor. Gerrard was a lost soul, bypassed by the untidiness around him. Meanwhile, Pennant and Riise were ill-served by their midfield hordes and, tellingly, when the visitors finally created a chance in the 26th minute, Xabi Alonso, that master of the long-distance punt, shot from inside his own half. Moments later, encapsulating a grim first period, Riise’s drive from inside the penalty area drifted out for a throw-in.

Their resurrection coinciding with the arrivals of Michael Ball and Emile Mpenza, the return of Sun Jihai and the promotion of Andreas Isaksson, City have certainly conquered the fear that bedevilled them during their bad run and they have taken their restless crowd with them, although this Lancashire derby did not sell out. Even so, they still struggled to create meaningful opportunities, although Mpenza flashed a 20th-minute flying header wide and Beasley’s 20-yard volley whistled fractionally over Jose Reina’s bar.

The game’s gentle pace lulled City into slumber. When Pennant took a low 33rd-minute corner from the left, it eluded everyone in the six-yard box and reached Carragher at the back post. Alas for him and for the contest, he sidefooted into the sidenetting and half-time came and went with both goalkeepers having enjoyed an undisturbed afternoon in the sunshine.

Slowly, Liverpool, hauled themselves on top. Gerrard headed over Isaksson’s bar moments after the restart and soon the Swede was scrambling across his goal as a more accurate Riise drive whistled past his post. When outstanding interplay between Kuyt and Pennant set the winger free on the byline, he was foiled by Nedum Onuoha’s interception. These, though, were slender pickings from an afternoon so topsy-turvey Alonso was booked for an impetuous hack at Joey Barton.

Pinned back in their own half, Darius Vassell was forced to retreat to stymie Arvalo Arbeloa’s cultured overlaps until Stephen Ireland was introduced to shore up City’s right-hand side, while Barton, strangely subdued despite a booking for a terrible lunge on Gerrard, was ably quelled by Mascherano, whose quiet efficiency ensured City would never successfully break through the centre of Liverpool’s midfield.

Still, though, Liverpool did not force Isaksson into action and moments after Beasley’s curler hit the bar, Benitez introduced Peter Crouch, switched to a 4-4-2 formation, but still they neglected to create a chance worthy of the name.

Star man: Javier Mascherano (Liverpool)

Player Ratings:Manchester City: Isaksson 6, Onuoha 6, Dunne 6, Distin 6, Ball 6, Sun 6, Johnson 5, Barton 5, Beasley 6, Vassell 5 (Corradi 82min), Mpenza 6 (Ireland 63min)

Liverpool: Reina 6, Finnan 6, Carragher 6, Agger 7, Arbeloa 7, Pennant 6 (Crouch 75min), Mascherano 7 (Zenden 84min), Alonso 6, Riise 6 (Gonzalez 65min), Gerrard 5, Kuyt 6

Referee: U Rennie

Attendance: 45,883

Yellow cards:Man City: Barton

Liverpool: Finnan, Alonso