Liverpool kicked off the Champions League campaign with a 0-0 draw against PSV Eindhoven in Holland last night.


Both sides hit the woodwork during a tight and tense affair but the game never really sparked into life and the Reds will the happier of the two, particularly as the game marked their first clean sheet of the season.


Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez made a host of changes to the side hammered by Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday, choosing to relegate the likes of Sami Hyypia, Xabi Alonso, Peter Crouch and, most surprisingly, Steven Gerrard to the bench.


However, the absence of so many key players didn't seem to negatively affect Liverpool early on. Mohamed Sissoko dominated the middle of the park, while Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy did enough in the opening forty five minutes to suggest that, given time, they could form an extremely exciting partnership up front.


Still, despite Liverpool's bright and busy start to the game, it was PSV who went closest to scoring in the first half, when a stunning run from Arouna Kone in the ninth minute ended with the number ten striking the top of the bar with Jose Reina beaten.


But despite that scare, Liverpool were looking increasingly dominant by the time the half time whistle blew, and must have fancied their chances of going on to win the match.

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However, PSV continued to look the more likely goalscorers after the interval, and Kone really should have put the hosts 1-0 up when he was put through by Edison Mendez in the 59th minute.


Mendez nearly found the net seconds later with a long-range effort, and Liverpool's growing sense of insecurity prompted Benitez into action. Sissoko was replaced by Alonso, while Gerrard came on up front for Bellamy.


The changes nearly worked because, in the final minute, Gerrard took a lovely lay-off from Kuyt before crashing a sublime volley off the post.


The Liverpool captain's strike undoubtedly deserved a goal but it was hard to escape the feeling that a draw was the right result.


PSV: Gomes, Kromkamp, Alex, Reiziger, Salcido, Simons, Mendez, Afellay, Culina, Farfan, Kone.


Subs: Moens, Vayrynen, Kluivert, Da Costa, Aissati, Addo, Lamey.


Liverpool: Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Pennant, Sissoko, Zenden, Warnock, Bellamy, Kuyt.


Subs: Dudek, Hyypia, Gerrard, Luis Garcia, Gonzalez, Alonso, Crouch.