Finally some good news for Liverpool, Hicks refinancing plans fail to materialize

Liverpool look no closer to resolving their ownership issues after the Blackstone investment group ruled out financially backing co-owner Tom Hicks with a full buy out.

Hicks had been linked in a Sunday newspaper to be close to arranging a £280million deal to take partner George Gillett's stake in the Merseyside club and take full charge for the next two years.

It is understood that the Blackstone group held talks with Hicks several weeks ago to allow him to pay off the £237million debt that was owed to the Royal Bank of Scotland in mid-October.

However, it would appear that they have opted against any deal to leave Hicks, who placed the club up for sale alongside Gillett in April this year, no closer to arranging a sale.

The decision is likely to come as a relief to many of the club's supporters, who have lodged fierce protests over their American owners, with the Texan in particular, about the way they have run the club since buying it in 2007.

Liverpool have seen several degrees of interest fall by the wayside in recent months, with Chinese businessman Kenny Huang'sconsortium and one run by Syrian tycoon Yahya Kirdi both ruling out takeovers.

With Martin Broughton installed as a new chairman and go-between for negotiations between potential buyers, a deal to sell the club was thought to be under increasing importance to the future of the club.

However, with no takeover happening in time for the end of the August transfer window, manager Roy Hodgson has had little finances to play with.

Hicks in particular is still desperate to maximise a profit and sell the club for around £600million, but it is thought that he has been advised that a figure rising above £400million is an unlikely prospect.

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Liverpool defeated by bitter rivals

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.

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Reina earns valuable point for Liverpool

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.

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