Soccer / After speedy recovery, Benayoun rescues Reds

Yossi Benayoun came off the bench to score the equalizer yesterday as Liverpool drew 2-2 with Premiership big spender Manchester City at Anfield. The Israeli midfielder made an early return from a hamstring injury after traveling to Serbia for unorthodox treatment involving the use of, among other things, horse placenta.

Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel added to the Reds' injury woes. Agger collapsed with a gashed forehead in the fifth minute after clashing with Kolo Toure in the goalmouth, as City keeper Shay Given made the save of the match to prevent Liverpool taking the early lead.

The Danish defender, who was carried off on a stretcher, had concussion and needed stitches to the wound. Babel followed him off with an apparent ankle injury and was replaced by Benayoun.

A win, in what under-pressure Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez had described as a potentially make-or-break match for his side's domestic ambitions, would have sent either club temporarily fourth.

Instead, City chalked up a sixth consecutive draw, one short of the Premier League record, while Liverpool had to come from behind to salvage a point and stay seventh.

Defender Martin Skrtel brought the match to life in the 50th minute with his first goal for Liverpool, the Slovakian defender escaping Emmanuel Adebayor to get the final touch to a free kick whipped in by Steven Gerrard.

Emmanuel Adebayor made up for it by heading in the equalizer from a corner kick 18 minutes later. Two goals in the space of 74 seconds then rounded off the afternoon's entertainment, with Stephen Ireland slotting home to put City ahead in the 76th before Benayoun stabbed in a 77th-minute equalizer.

In yesterday's other Premiership action, Chelsea trounced Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 to stay five points clear of champion Manchester United atop the league table. United kept pace with the leader by beating Everton 3-0 at home to move to second, after Arsenal's 14-match unbeaten run ended with a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.

Sunderland had Darren Bent to thank after his 71st minute goal stunned Arsene Wenger's high-scoring Arsenal. "We stifled them in the middle of the park," said Sunderland manager Steve Bruce. "It's okay to have a game plan but you've still got to go out and do it and they [Sunderland's players] stuck to their task."

Wenger, without injured Dutch striker Robin van Persie, said: "It is a big setback. You do not prepare yourself to drop points in a situation like that. It's frustrating."