On the 45th anniversary of Anfield anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' topping the charts, Rafael Benitez might have hoped his Liverpool team would have something special on their side as they lined up to face Fulham on Saturday, writes Claire Harmer.

With captain Steven Gerrard out injured and Xabi Alonso dropped to the bench following his exertions for Spain in midweek, Liverpool were left lacking at times, with strikers Robbie Keane and Fernando Torres finding service in short supply.

While the visitors edged the first half, the Reds dominated in the second, helped in part by the introduction of Alonso. But neither side could find the breakthrough, and with both 'keepers making outstanding saves, the match ended 0-0.

Things could have been worse for Barclays Premier League title hopefuls Liverpool, had both Chelsea and Manchester United's respective matches not also finished goalless.

Speaking afterwards, Benitez revealed he saw the match as an 'opportunity lost,' as a win could have seen the Reds go two points clear at the league's summit.

"It was a bad day, we did not have enough energy from the beginning and we did not pass the ball well enough," said Benitez.

"Fulham did well. They had plenty of possession and were in control of the first half.

"Playing badly, we had three good opportunities. In the second half we started really well, with more energy and determination. Okay we could have scored, and we didn't which is a pity, and we feel frustrated.

"And then when we got back into the dressing room we discovered that Chelsea had drawn and Arsenal had lost. So we are disappointed.

"Those results would have been good for us had we won this one, it was an opportunity lost. I would assume Chelsea feel the same way about our result and Arsenal's defeat."

He added: "We had a situation when maybe five players were well below their best. The players who had been away with their countries looked tired.

"I know the crowd were calling for Xabi Alonso to come on but he had played 90 minutes for Spain and we needed fresh legs.

"When he did come on Fulham pressurised him straight away. In don't think one man makes that much difference in such circumstances, when so many other players are off-form you cannot expect one player to change things."

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, was pleased with the performance of his side, at a ground where they normally find points hard to come by.

"We have eventually seen through a decent away performance. So often this season we have been 0-0 with 10 minutes to go and conceded a goal, which has meant we've gone home with nothing at all and very deflated," he said.

"This time we produced a very good performance and got a point against a strong Liverpool team who are potential champions of the country. We've got to be very satisfied with our performance and with the result it gave us.

"In the first half we might have even shaded the possession. We knew that when you play here, Liverpool have a great record and they've won almost all of their recent games.

"We knew they would throw the kitchen sink at us and that is what happened. They've got a bench where you know they have players they can bring on as good as the ones going off.

"Mark Schwarzer made two very good saves, but we also had players who had been away on international duty doing well.

"It was ironic the three players who had the longest trips, Brede Hangeland to the Ukraine, John Pantsil to Ghana and Mark Schwarzer to Bahrain, playing for their countries, were the ones who played the best today.

"If they can do that well after playing internationals abroad, then they are quite welcome to go away every week!"