Liverpool and Norwich City played out a 1-1 draw in their Premier League clash at Anfield this afternoon.
Neither side could find a breakthrough in the first half, but the introduction of Danny Ings at the break yielded a goal for the home side when he found the net in the 48th minute.
However, the Canaries battled back and equalised through Russell Martin, which was enough to secure the point for Alex Neil's men.
Here, Sports Mole analyses the game to see if the outcome was a fair result.
Match statistics
LIVERPOOL
Shots: 23
On target: 7
Possession: 59%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 4
NORWICH
Shots: 7
On target: 2
Possession: 41%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
Yes, the outcome at Anfield was a fair result. Liverpool did not do enough to secure the win as their finishing was lacklustre, while Norwich put in a solid away performance to take a point from Anfield. The Reds took a while to get into their stride and were not clinical enough in and around the box in the first period, despite the presence of Daniel Sturridge.
Liverpool's main threat came from defensive mistakes from the Canaries rather than their own potent attacking play. However, in the second half they upped the ante and Ings's arrival sparked them into the life when he found the back of the net.
Norwich's response was impressive as they took the game to the Reds and got a deserved equaliser, capitalising on a mistake from Simon Mignolet. Both teams had chances to win the match, but neither side's finishing was on point, so the draw was the deserved outcome.
Liverpool's performance
The Reds' display was underwhelming against a newly-promoted side. These are the sort of teams that Liverpool have to be beating to regain their place in the Champions League, but Brendan Rodgers's men were not good enough were it mattered most to clinch the three points. Liverpool lacked an attacking threat from midfield as Philippe Coutinho struggled to get going in the first half, while most of the play came down the left through Alberto Moreno, who was the Reds' best player over the course of the afternoon.
In the second, the introduction of Ings sparked the home side into life as he collected Lucas Leiva's ball over the top and displayed his finishing skills with a low effort through John Ruddy. Liverpool's frailties at the back arose again when Mignolet committed an error to allow Martin to stroke home the equaliser, although the Canaries had upped the ante to get back into the match before the goal.
Rodgers's men had chances to win the game through Coutinho, but his range was off over the course of the game as he curled an effort wide before missing a golden one-on-one opportunity when he was denied by Ruddy. A decent showing by the Reds, but not good enough for their lofty ambitions.
Norwich's performance
Neil will be delighted with the way his side performed and would have surely taken a point before the match. He set up his side to play on the counter and used a five-man midfield to great effect to quell the attacking prowess of Coutinho and James Milner. Cameron Jerome did a fine job of leading the line by himself as he was able to hold the ball and bring his teammates into the game when he could.
Norwich grew in confidence as the game progressed and played their best football after falling behind, eventually getting a deserved leveller through a great strike from Martin. The Canaries had the chance to take the lead, but Matt Jarvis was well denied by Mignolet, which could have made their afternoon even better. Defensively, the visitors made a few errors that on another day could have cost them, but the lack of clinical edge shown by Liverpool was their saving grace. A solid point for Norwich to continue their good start to the campaign.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Alberto Moreno: Although his side were not clinical in the final third, that was not the fault of the Spaniard as he provided ample opportunities for his side down the left. Moreno lifted several dangerous crosses into the box and had an effort of his own well saved by Ruddy. Defensively he was stout against the threat of Nathan Redmond, in an accomplished performance to stave off the threat of Joe Gomez for the starting berth.
Biggest gaffe
Martin could have cost his side with an error in the first half when he needlessly gave the ball away in his own half, and Moreno fed the run of Sturridge who should have punished the defender for his error.
Referee performance
Anthony Taylor had a good afternoon at Anfield. He was not fooled by the penalty appeals of Milner and Sturridge in the first half. He also gave just yellow cards to Milner and Alex Tettey for challenges over the course of the fixture.
What next?
Liverpool: The Reds host Carlisle in the third round of the Capital One Cup.
Norwich: The Canaries play West Bromwich Albion in the third round of the League Cup at Carrow Road.
Simon Sinclair
