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Charlie Adam scored from the spot on his first start for Liverpool as Kenny Dalglish's side won another high-scoring friendly 6-3.

Having beaten Guangdong 4-3 in China three days ago, there were nine more goals in an entertaining clash against a Malaysian XI.

Adam, a £6.75 million signing from Blackpool, was named in midfield alongside Jay Spearing, Raul Meireles and Conor Coady, with Andy Carroll in front of Joe Cole in attack.

Adam was a lively presence in the opening exchanges and after 25 minutes played in Carroll, who went down in the area and earned the penalty.

Adam had to take the spot-kick twice but sent the keeper the wrong way to make it 1-0.

Mohammad Safiq Rahim equalised with a fine free-kick five minutes from half-time.

Liverpool made 11 substitutions at the break and after 68 minutes David Ngog scored following some poor defending.

The Frenchman added a second moments later with a thunderbolt finish.

Maxi Rodriguez made it 4-1 in the 76th minute before Mohammad Safi scored twice in as many minutes to put the hosts back in contention.

Maxi then scored a second of his own in the last minute of the 90 as the All-Stars chased the equaliser. And Dirk Kuyt netted the sixth when bursting through to slam home.

Aston Villa duo Stewart Downing and Ashley Young have been on Liverpool's radar for some time and manager Kenny Dalglish witnessed first-hand their qualities as his side slipped to the defeat which ended their Europa League hopes.

With Tottenham only drawing the Reds could have leapt into fifth place and secured European qualification with a victory but they rarely troubled their hosts on an afternoon when Villa's two wingers provided the main attacking thrust.

Downing produced the one moment of quality with a deft touch and brilliant finish to decide the match in the first half as Dalglish's players appeared to run out of steam after a season which for some of them began in July in the Europa League.

It means Liverpool have failed to qualify for Europe for the first time since 1999, although many will see that as a blessing as it will give Dalglish a chance to concentrate on strengthening his squad and making a challenge to get back in the Champions League next season.

Dalglish appeared to already have one eye on the future by naming a bench which, the 31-year-old Christian Poulsen apart, had an average age of just over 19.

He also gave Joe Cole a chance to impress with his first start for two months but the England international failed to take it and he faces an uncertain future after just one season at Anfield in which he has failed to deliver.

Injured Reds captain Steven Gerrard was sat among the travelling supporters but he will have been less than impressed by a first half which was almost entirely devoid of quality or incident.

In fact, Downing's 33rd-minute goal aside it was difficult to single out anything else worthy of a mention.

Virtually substitute Marc Albrighton's first involvement having replaced Fabian Delph was to provide the right-wing cross which sailed over the defence to the unmarked Downing who took a touch before smashing a narrow-angle shot past Jose Reina via the underside of the crossbar.

Either side of that the story of the half was of niggling fouls, injuries and scrappy play.

Liverpool lost Jay Spearing barely 10 minutes into the game having been fouled moments earlier by Nigel Reo-Coker, who was booked, and was replaced by Jonjo Shelvey.

Jamie Carragher temporarily had to leave the field to have stitches in a head wound after a clash with Lucas Leiva, who came closest to scoring for the Reds with a shot from a Raul Meireles corner cleared off the line by Ashley Young.

Cole had a chance to atone for an anonymous opening 45 minutes when Lucas' lofted ball picked him out in the penalty area but he ballooned a shot well over.

The England international's disappointing afternoon was eventually ended in the 67th minute when he was replaced by David Ngog.

Just prior to that Raul Meireles should have done better when Luis Suarez's cut-back took out the sliding Kyle Walker and James Collins but former Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Friedel clawed out his shot.

Collins, substitute Gabriel Agbonlahor and Stiliyan Petrov all had chances to put the result beyond doubt as the hosts finished the stronger, with only Fabio Aurelio and Luis Suarez coming anywhere close for Liverpool.

Ashley Young's withdrawal minutes from the end saw the player, entering the last year of his contract, applaud all four sides of the ground in what looked like a farewell.

But even the prospect of losing one of their major stars could not dampen the delight of the home crowd, who could not decide whether they were happier at a first Villa Park win over the Reds since February 1998 or the demise of city rivals Birmingham.

Meanwhile Dalglish, heading into his first summer transfer window, has plenty to ponder after back-to-back defeats to end the season.

Big decisions need to be taken on some big names as he looks to revitalise his playing staff.

He may well have seen the future at Villa Park.

Tottenham seized the advantage in the race for the final Europa League spot as Liverpool's first match since the appointment of Kenny Dalglish as permanent manager ended in a 2-0 defeat.

But referee Howard Webb could have been accused of having a helping hand in deciding the outcome with a series of questionable decisions which culminated in the award of a very favourable penalty for the visitors' second.

Rafael van der Vaart's volley had given Harry Redknapp's side an early lead only for Liverpool to wrest back control of the game until 11 minutes after the interval when Webb controversially pointed to the spot and Luka Modric converted.

Spurs moved a point ahead of their rivals into fifth place as they inflicted a first home defeat for Dalglish, who signed a three-year contract on Thursday, since he replaced Roy Hodgson in early January.

That formidable home record - 20 points from eight matches prior to this encounter - counted for little as the visitors took the early initiative on their way to their first Anfield victory since 1993.

Injury robbed Dalglish of midfielder Raul Meireles, which meant he had to break up the recent successful partnership of Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt and bring in fit-again club record signing Andy Carroll.

It undoubtedly had a detrimental effect as the £35 million England international lacks the mobility and energy of Kuyt in a front two and denied the Reds the high pressing game they have employed of late.

Spurs enjoyed their extra time on the ball and put it to good use in the early stages, dominating possession. Van der Vaart fired well wide early on but the next time he did not disappoint with his ninth-minute shooting opportunity.

When Modric's right-wing corner skimmed off the head of Martin Skrtel he brought the ball under control with his first touch and with his second volleyed it over the crowd - helped by a deflection off Glen Johnson - past Jose Reina's left hand and into the far corner of the net.

In recent weeks everything had gone right for the Reds, unbeaten in five with 17 goals scored, but the opposite was true on this occasion.

Tottenham's closing down and tight marking prevented the hosts producing the flowing pass-and-move football which has returned under Dalglish. The only stroke of fortune they enjoyed was the leniency of Webb, who chose to only book Suarez for his petulant kick at Michael Dawson while he was on the floor having been angered by the defender's apparent dive to win a free-kick.

Having been brilliant in front of goal in the last month the knack appeared to have deserted Liverpool as Carroll slashed wildly at Maxi Rodriguez's pass and failed to connect properly while midfielder Jay Spearing bundled a shot wide with his weaker left foot.

The same should not have been expected of Carroll though, who wastefully headed over from six yards from Skrtel's cross.

Suarez was closer with a free-kick which flashed just wide on the stroke of half-time but the Reds needed a change as distinctive as Dalglish swapping his tracksuit for jacket and tie at the interval .

Van der Vaart lasted just five minutes into the second half before limping off to be replaced by Jermain Defoe.

Anger at Webb's officiating reached a peak in the 55th minute when he penalised John Flanagan for a foul on Pienaar when the offence appeared to be both outside the penalty area and in favour of the home side.

Modric struck home the spot-kick to give Tottenham a two-goal cushion they barely deserved.

Liverpool surged forward, enraged at the perceived injustice, and Suarez fired over from Flanagan's low cross while substitute Jonjo Shelvey was narrowly off target with a long-range effort.

Chasing the game Dalglish sent on David Ngog for Rodriguez, giving his side every opportunity to score with four strikers on the pitch.

Carroll's ineffectual display meant he was lucky to still be on when he managed his first shot on target in the 87th minute but Carlo Cudicini held it comfortably and the target man immediately replaced by Joe Cole.

Having missed out on the Champions League the Europa League may be of some consolation for Tottenham, if they can better Liverpool's result next week.

There has been an argument put forward that both sides would prefer to miss out on Europe's second-tier competition to concentrate on their league form next season.

Having tasted his first home defeat, and only the fourth of his second spell in charge, Dalglish is unlikely to be in agreement.

Liverpool's fully deserved 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Anfield may not ultimately prevent their arch-rivals surpassing the Reds' 18 league titles at the end of the season.

It has, however, dented Sir Alex Ferguson's side's hopes of a straightforward run-in and at the same time restored some pride for the Reds after two defeats at Old Trafford already this campaign.

Dirk Kuyt grabbed the headlines with a first Liverpool hat-trick against United since Peter Beardsley's in September 1990, before Javier Hernandez headed an injury-time consolation - but there were many more who deserved the plaudits.

Tireless livewire Luis Suarez had a hand in all three goals while Lucas Leiva and Raul Meireles produced impressive midfield performances.

The afternoon was capped off with a long-awaited debut for £35million record signing Andy Carroll after more than two months on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

For United their second-choice central defensive partnership of Wes Brown and Chris Smalling, deputising for the suspended Nemanja Vidic and injured Rio Ferdinand, never looked comfortable on an afternoon when very few of visiting team reached anywhere near the exacting standards Ferguson demands.

They still remain top of the table, and it is difficult to bet against them being in that position come May, but two defeats in five days - having lost at Chelsea in midweek - leave plenty of questions to be answered.

While Carroll had claimed all the adulation prior to kick-off, when the action got going it was his fellow January arrival Suarez who had an effect where it mattered most.

The Uruguay international, a £22.7million transfer from Ajax, had one early effort prodded at Edwin van der Sar but that was merely a precursor to a piece of brilliance to set up the opener.

When he collected the ball on the left of the penalty area his route to goal was blocked by a number of opponents but his quick feet saw him weave past Rafael, Michael Carrick and Wes Brown on his way to the byline.

From there he squared the ball through Van der Sar's legs to present Kuyt with a tap-in from just inches.

Suarez could claim to have had a hand in the next one too - but the main credit had to go to Nani, who had a defensive aberration.

The Portugal international inexplicably headed the Uruguayan's cross back into his own six-yard area where Kuyt gleefully nodded in.

Liverpool's lead was fully deserved but it had been United who had come closest to scoring prior to Kuyt's 34th-minute strike.

Dimitar Berbatov, scorer of a match-winning hat-trick in their Old Trafford league encounter, volleyed Wayne Rooney's knockdown against the outside of Jose Reina's right-hand post.

The rivalry between the teams, England's dominant pairing over the last four decades, was evident in the closing stages of the first half.

Jamie Carragher, switched to right-back after Fabio Aurelio went off injured, was lucky to escape with just a booking after a reckless shin-high tackle on Nani.

However, the Portuguese, already at fault for the second goal, disgraced himself by collapsing to the floor and bursting into tears when Steven Gerrard placed a hand on his shoulder.

After the ensuing melee Nani departed on a stretcher, replaced by Javier Hernandez, and Van der Sar was cautioned.

Rafael also benefited from referee Phil Dowd's leniency after a high challenge on Lucas Leiva earned him, and Martin Skrtel for his retaliation, a booking.

The second half began with United, not unexpectedly, having their best spell and for 20 minutes it appeared a goal was imminent.

Ryan Giggs, breaking Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 606 league appearances, met Rooney's cross with a first-time shot which whistled just over the crossbar to serve as a warning that the game was far from finished.

Meireles had to clear off the line for the second time in the match to prevent Berbatov's close-range header going in while Giggs curled an 18-yard free-kick over.

More gaps were appearing in the visitors' defence, though, and when Kuyt put Meireles clean through Van der Sar came to the rescue by palming his angled shot away.

The Dutchman was at fault in the 65th minute, however, when he spilled Suarez's free-kick and his compatriot knocked in the rebound.

Carroll's long-awaited debut arrived in the 74th minute when he replaced Meireles to a rapturous reception and his first touch was a goalbound header.

Kuyt's supreme confidence saw him attempt a 25-yard volley which screamed wide while Gerrard twice hit low shots either side of each post.

Hernandez scored a late headed consolation from Giggs' cross in added time but it hardly raised a cheer among the visiting fans.

Liverpool's ambitions of staging a late charge for Champions League qualification suffered an untimely blow as bogey side Wigan ended their four-match winning run in a draw at Anfield.

A fifth successive victory would have put the Reds within four points of fourth-placed Chelsea but despite dominating two-thirds of the game they failed to press home their advantage.

Raul Meireles impressed once again, extending his remarkable goalscoring spree to five in his last six matches, but at the other end Jose Reina's goal was breached for the first time in 463 minutes when Steve Gohouri prodded home from close range.

However, another positive note for Reds boss Kenny Dalglish was January signing Luis Suarez, on his first start since joining from Ajax.

He showed why the Merseysiders parted with £22.8million with a display full of energy, invention and determination.

Had the Uruguay international enjoyed more fortune his side would have won the game, having had a shot to make it 2-0 rebound off a post before the interval and a second-half free-kick cannon back off the crossbar.

Wigan, to give them credit, enjoyed a good spell after the interval which culminated in their goal and ensured Liverpool's record against them now stands at just two victories in their last seven meetings.

Suarez was into the action early, having a fourth-minute shout for a penalty turned down after a quick counter-attack from a corner and combining well down the right with Dirk Kuyt, who himself had a shot from the edge of the penalty area which had Ali Al Habsi grasping to hang on at the second attempt.

But the Wigan goalkeeper could do nothing about Liverpool's opener in the 24th minute as Meireles continued his scoring run.

Fabio Aurelio's cross from the left byline was partially deflected by the head of Gohouri but only as far as the Portugal international 16 yards out and he smashed home a right-foot volley .

Three minutes later Suarez almost doubled the lead with a manoeuvre reminiscent of the now-departed Fernando Torres.

He wriggled his way into the left edge of the penalty area before opening his body to shoot right-footed past Al Habsi only to see the ball rebound off the far post.

The Uruguayan was a willing outlet for Liverpool and Gohouri was booked on the half-hour for clattering into the back of him.

Wigan were in danger of being overwhelmed as Meireles continued to find space in and around their penalty area, blazing over from range on one occasion.

The closest the Latics came to producing a response was when winger Charles N'Zogbia fired in a low free-kick which Reina claimed easily late in the first half.

Meireles was replaced by David Ngog four minutes into the second half, with the Portugal midfielder heading straight down the tunnel to receive treatment.

But Suarez showed no signs of fading in only his second match since December 8 and Antolin Alcaraz had to resort to a foul to prevent him racing into the penalty area, for which he was booked.

But Liverpool's inability to seize complete control of the game and score a second gave the visitors hope and the threat of an equaliser turned into a reality in the 65th minute.

N'Zogbia curled an inswinging left-footed cross from the right which found its way to Gohouri who stabbed home from two yards out at the far post.

There was a suspicion of offside but it was only relevant if Alcaraz had got the slightest of touches on the way through and it was impossible to tell.

That was the first goal Reina had conceded in five matches and it threatened to undermine all Liverpool's previous hard work in putting together a run of four successive victories.

Suarez continued to impress and when Caldwell fouled him on the edge of the area in the 77th minute he picked himself up to curl a shot over the wall but onto the crossbar.

The Uruguayan, seemingly almost single-handedly at times, tried desperately to find the winner but found Latics captain Caldwell in particularly resolute form.

Aurelio fired a shot just over, which was followed by Martin Skrtel's header in added time as the hosts failed to find a way through.

The result put a check, for now, on lofty ambitions to break back into the top four but despite dropping points Dalglish will still harbour hopes they can still pose a challenge later in the season. Unfortunately for Wigan, they remain in the bottom three.

Liverpool blew one of their best chances of winning a trophy this season after suffering an embarrassing penalty shoot-out Carling Cup defeat against League Two side Northampton at Anfield.

Having taken a ninth-minute lead through Milan Jovanovic, his first goal since joining the club from Standard Liege in the summer, the hosts should have wrapped up the third-round tie.

But Billy McKay and Michael Jacobs turned things around, and although David Ngog snatched a late equaliser the Cobblers went through on spot-kicks.

For the first time in five years Liverpool have not got past the third round, denying them a chance in a competition they were thinking about winning.

Those chances were increased by the exits of the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham but an under-strength team failed to deliver.

It would have not been so bad had the Cobblers come to Anfield and given a particularly stirring performance but they were only really energised by McKay's goal, growing in confidence as their opponents' gradually receded.

Worringly for manager Roy Hodgson, Northampton goalkeeper Chris Dunn was hardly tested.

The Liverpool boss, as he has done in the Europa League, handed the responsibility to a number of fringe players after opting to rest all those who started in the defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

If he was looking for a reward he did not get one as the team laboured in failing to dispatch opponents 69 league places below them.

The signs were there before the start as the Cobblers had already beaten higher-placed opposition in League One Brighton and Championship side Reading.

Their league form, however, was worse than Liverpool's with only one win in their last eight games and that was indicative of the way they started as the home side dominated.

Prior to the match there had been much fuss about nothing when centre-back Daniel Agger had felt the need to publicly clarify comments he made on Sunday, which were misrepresented as him saying he would not play Hodgson's long-ball game.

Not that he needed to prove a point but he did with a perfectly-judged defence-splitting pass through the inside-left channel which Serbia international Jovanovic collected and fired past Chris Dunn and into the far corner of the net.

Despite dominating possession, Liverpool's rearranged defence gave their opponents too much time on the edge of the penalty area.

Twice Jacobs was allowed to turn and shoot but on both occasions he failed to hit the target, although his curling effort from the left angle of the box briefly had debutant Brad Jones worried as it arced towards the far corner.

Ryan Gilligan also blazed wide from 12 yards after Wilson failed to clear a free-kick.

The second half began similarly until McKay struck in the 56th minute. Kevin Thornton out-jumped Sotirios Kyrgiakos to head Liam Davis' hanging cross into the path of the striker and he blasted home from close range.

In an instant the match appeared to turn on its head as Northampton then became the team in the ascendancy as Liverpool toiled.

Only in the last five minutes of normal time did they push for the winner but the visitors' defence held out to force extra-time.

There was a feeling an upset was on the cards and a second Northampton goal duly came in the 98th minute.

Wilson, a central defender playing at left-back, was too easily beaten by substitute Courtney Herbert.

Jones parried the cross, Martin Kelly stopped Thornton's half-hit shot, but Liverpool could do nothing about Jacobs' follow-up.

Kyrgiakos headed wide and Kelly fired into the side-netting before Ngog hauled Liverpool level with a headed goal from substitute Jonjo Shelvey's corner.

Even then both sides could have snatched a win at the death but Kelly cleared off the line from Nathaniel Wedderburn's shot and Davis deflected over a header from Kyrgiakos.

Northampton's Steve Guinan and Liverpool's Ngog missed the first spot-kicks but when 19-year-old substitute Nathan Eccleston hit the crossbar with Liverpool's fourth effort Abdul Osman stepped up to send the Cobblers into the last 16.

The result will only increase the scrutiny on Hodgson, whose side have had a disappointing start to the Barclays Premier League and are currently 16th.

Sir Alex Ferguson was indebted to the "genius" of Dimitar Berbatov after the Bulgarian's brilliant hat-trick floored Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Every single member of the United side had need to thank Berbatov at the end after they had tossed away a two-goal advantage against Merseyside opposition for the second weekend running, only for the former Tottenham man to net the winner six minutes from time.

In some very perceptive programme notes, Ferguson suggested to lose a winning position once was bad luck, twice is downright careless.

Now Liverpool can be added to Fulham and Everton as teams United have thrown winning positions away against this season.

They were only spared the sight of Ferguson's fury because of Berbatov, whose header denied Liverpool, who had levelled through Steven Gerrard's double.

The other part of Ferguson's pre-match missive was the declaration that "you must have faith and we are being rewarded this season for our confidence in a player who has a touch of genius about him".

Genius was an apt word to describe Berbatov's contribution, in particular the astonishing overhead kick that had put United two ahead midway through the second-half of a slow burner of a game that eventually turned into a classic.

Ferguson is not the only one in these parts who still feel this is the biggest fixture of the Premier League calendar.

Chelsea, Arsenal and even Blackburn may have won the title since Liverpool last did so in 1990. But with their 18 league championships and five European Cups, they remain the most successful English side, even if United have now joined them on the domestic front.

The atmosphere was crackling at kick-off, although the early action failed to match it.

United did create one excellent opportunity, which Nani wasted when he fired wide after Wayne Rooney's shot had bounced kindly for him after striking Gerrard.

But the game was low on incident until Berbatov broke the deadlock by nodding home Ryan Giggs' corner at the near-post.

TV replays did not show Fernando Torres in a good light.

His performance at Birmingham last week was branded "diabolical" by TV pundit and former Liverpool skipper Jamie Redknapp.

Clearly needing a goal, Torres was again struggling to make an impact.

New United captain Nemanja Vidic, who has suffered more than most at the feet of a man who remains one of the world's best strikers, tidied up one opportunity that had come Torres' way via a fortunate bounce off World Cup final referee Howard Webb.

The Liverpool forward also trundled a disappointing shot way off target after managing to get a quarter of a yard in front of Vidic as the pair turned on the edge of the area.

All this was forgivable. Allowing Berbatov, who had already got in front of the former Atletico Madrid star as Giggs strode up to take the corner, just to stoop for it unchallenged, would not have impressed Roy Hodgson very much.

If defensive questions needed to be asked about that, there was nothing more to do than simply admire Berbatov's brilliance when he doubled his side's lead just before the hour.

It was almost impossible to believe it took just two touches to get Nani's right-wing cross into the net.

But it was precisely that. The first to control with his knee. The second to dispatch an overhead kick which left Pepe Reina rooted to the spot as it bounced in off the crossbar.

In any normal season, the contest would have been over.

However, there is a fallibility about United just now that clearly refuses to rectify itself no matter how harsh Ferguson's words.

The rashness with which Jonny Evans lunged in on Torres as the striker checked back inside the box gave lie to the theory United can operate effectively without Rio Ferdinand, overlooked for the captaincy and missing with a virus.

On the second occasion, John O'Shea could count himself mightily relieved Webb did not reach for the red card once he decided the Irishman had dragged Torres to the ground just outside the box.

The consequences of Webb's ruling would be felt in the eventual outcome.

With both situations though, Gerrard found the corner of United's goal with precision, racing gleefully to the ecstatic visiting fans the second time around to hail a position he could not have expected his team would be in 10 minutes previously.

It looked like United had blown it. Berbatov had other ideas and rose to meet O'Shea cross to give his side victory.

Midfielder Joe Cole scored the quickest European goal in Liverpool's illustrious history to set his under-strength side up for a 4-1 victory over Steaua Bucharest at Anfield.

The England international took just 25 seconds of their opening Europa League Group K match to find the net for his first strike since joining on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer.

Cristian Tanase equalised for the Romanians in the 13th minute but David Ngog took his tally to five in as many games in this competition and substitute Lucas Leiva scored the other for a victory which was not as easy as the scoreline suggested.

Manager Roy Hodgson risked criticism with his team selection, which had just three survivors from the weekend's goalless draw at Birmingham with neither Fernando Torres nor Steven Gerrard in the squad.

The Reds boss' decision, with a huge game at Manchester United on Sunday, was ultimately justified but for a 30-minute period either side of half-time when the match hung in the balance.

Prior to the game Hodgson had stressed Steaua, the 1986 European Cup winners, would provide a tough test but it took precisely 25 seconds for his words to be disproved.

Octavian Abduran, under pressure from Cole, left his back-pass woefully short and the midfielder nipped in to sidefoot a shot past goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu and in off the far post.

The Romanians were reeling and Sotirios Kyrgiakos had a downward header from Maxi Rodriguez's corner blocked by Eric Bicfalvi and Jay Spearing fired a long-range shot over.

But Liverpool could not press home their advantage and a defensive lapse in the 13th minute allowed Steaua to equalise.

Kyrgiakos and Kelly allowed Tanase to nip in between them to collect Bogdan Stancu's through-ball and he neatly chipped over Reina.

The goal gave the visitors the confidence they needed to start knocking the ball around as Liverpool lost their way.

Cole, released down the middle by Spearing, but with no-one in support, had to shoot from distance and that - and subsequent efforts from range from Ryan Babel and Rodriguez - failed to trouble the goalkeeper sufficiently.

It was a sign of the way things were going that when Spearing implored his team-mates to ''pick it up'' the call was heard all around a half-full Anfield, who responded with an encouraging round of applause.

Abduran's foul on Rodriguez earned him a booking and Liverpool a 25-yard free-kick just before the interval but Paul Konchesky shot well wide.

Cole was Liverpool's most inventive player, although he did not have much competition in that department, and his good work in holding the ball up early in the second half allowed Rodriguez to fire in a shot straight at Tatarusanu.

They were gifted the chance to go ahead in the 55th minute when Pantelis Kapetanos pulled back Kyrgiakos as he challenged for Rodriguez's corner.

When Ngog stepped up to take the spot-kick - the last one at Anfield was missed by Cole against Trabzonspor - there was an audible groan.

However, the young French striker shrugged off the concerns of the Kop to expertly dispatch the ball into the left-hand corner before wheeling away with a celebration which may have included a gesture towards his doubters.

It was the 21-year-old's fifth goal of the season and fourth in five European games so far.

Raul Meireles almost marked his first start since arriving from Porto last month with a goal as his 30-yard volley was kept out by Tatarusanu's low dive to his right.

Hodgson made his first change of the night when he sent Lucas Leiva on for Babel, moving Cole out to the left and pushing Meireles further forward.

The substitute has an instant impact as he picked up a weak clearance 20 yards out to drive a shot past Tatarusanu with nine minutes to go.

Hodgson was true to his word as he used the latter stages to give experience to youngsters Dani Pacheco and Nathan Eccleston, players who will have an important role to play in this competition.

Ngog fired home his second in injury time to give the scoreline a more convincing appearance.

It was a night when all the manager's decisions proved to be right.

However, making all the right calls at Old Trafford on Sunday will be a much bigger challenge.

Liverpool were indebted to a superb display from goalkeeper Pepe Reina for earning a point against Birmingham in a goalless Premier League clash at St Andrew's.

Reina produced excellent reflex saves to keep out point-blank headers from Cameron Jerome and Craig Gardner in the first-half and the home side were also left to regret spurning a hat-trick of clear-cut chances.

Birmingham were the more impressive of the two sides and on this evidence, new Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has plenty of work to do to make the Merseysiders a force to be reckoned with.

Barry Ferguson and Gardner bossed the midfield while James McFadden and Cameron Jerome linked well up front.

Reds skipper Steven Gerrard tried to spark his side into life but Fernando Torres still looks short of full sharpness with Scott Dann excellent at the back for Birmingham.

The first decent chance fell to Torres after 12 minutes after Glen Johnson made a good break down the right flank before sending in a low cross. But the Spaniard failed to make a clean contact on his attempted shot which he dragged a couple of yards wide.

Reina kept Liverpool on level terms with a superb reflex save away to his right to keep out Jerome's powerful header from Lee Bowyer's left-wing centre and, shortly after, Blues midfielder Gardner became the first player to be yellow carded for a challenge on Lucas.

Birmingham continued to look the more dangerous and Gardner dinked a shot over the bar after being teed up by Sebastian Larsson.

Reina made another outstanding save to keep out a close range header from Gardner after another dangerous cross from Larsson.

In a rare threat to the home goal Roger Johnson's tackle prevented Torres from turning and shooting from inside the box although replays suggested he may have had claims for a penalty. Johnson then missed a good chance to open the scoring when he turned a Ferguson cross over from close range.

Blues keeper Ben Foster made his first save in the opening minute of the second half in clinging onto a dipping drive from Gerrard. But City were soon back on the attack and Liam Ridgewell had a powerful header blocked from a Larsson free-kick.

Paul Konchesky got forward to good effect for the first time and his pass almost played in Milan Jovanovic but he failed to take the ball in his stride. Liverpool continued to look uncomfortable at the back and Dann missed another good chance for the home side. He found himself unmarked from a Larsson free-kick but his downward header bounced over the crossbar.

The Reds enjoyed their best spell of the game and Foster beat out a rising shot from a narrow angle by Torres after he had been found in space by Gerrard.

Another chance went begging for the home side when Jerome headed wide at the far post from Stephen Carr's cross after Konchesky had given the ball away.

Raul Meireles made his Liverpool debut after 76 minutes in place of Lucas and a minute later Konchesky limped off to be replaced by Daniel Agger.

Reina again did well in racing out of his area to chest clear as jerome chased down a long through ball, while Foster went down to keep out a late drive from Torres.