Liverpool suffer Villa stalemate

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — Rafael Benitez was left in no doubt as to the depth of ill-feeling he has caused at Aston Villa this summer with his failed attempts to lure Gareth Barry to Liverpool as his perfect start to the new campaign ended in a 0-0 stalemate at Villa Park on Sunday.

The Liverpool manager was public enemy number one to the vast majority of the 41,000 crowd and also had to suffer the added anguish of losing key striker Fernando Torres to a hamstring injury that could keep last season's top scorer out of action for two to three weeks.

But Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa were unable to capitalise on the delicious irony of facing Benitez on the eve of the transfer window closing and generate a victory that would have been intensely sweet and end a miserable record...