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Premier League, Anfield - Liverpool 0 Stoke 0.

Liverpool were held to a goalless draw by Stoke at Anfield in a bruising Premier League encounter.

The Reds have won just two league games at Anfield in 2012 and the reasons were there for all to see, with a distinct lack of cutting edge despite dominating possession, especially in the second half.

Stoke made things difficult with some heavy challenges and barely emerged from their half in the second period, but Liverpool were unable to find the form in front of goal they displayed against Norwich last weekend.

Liverpool made eight changes from the midweek Europa League defeat to Udinese, reverting to the side that won 5-2 at Carrow Road with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez coming back in.

Stoke also kept faith with the 11 men who won in the Premier League a week ago in their 2-0 home victory over Swansea.

The match was fraught from the off, with Stoke applying pressure to the Reds' passing game high up the pitch.

As early as the third minute a loose back pass from Nuri Sahin put former Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam in, with Pepe Reina making a sharp save with his legs.

Moments later Suarez was livid after Stoke centre-half Robert Huth clearly stamped on him following an aerial challenge but escaped without punishment. He exacted revenge shortly afterwards, also avoiding a booking despite clumping into the German late.

Liverpool were again exposed on 20 minutes when a risky pass out from Reina allowed Michael Kightly to lift a chip over him, but the agile Spain keeper flew back to tip over.

Time and again Brendan Rodgers's men insisted on playing the ball out from the back, but they were continually cut short by late challenges from an over-zealous Stoke.

Huth somehow avoided a booking again after a rugby-style tackle on Suarez but eventually followed Kightly into the referee's notebook for upending the Uruguayan striker as he raced away on the counter.

Gerrard saw a 'Hollywood' strike tipped wide of the near post by Asmir Begovic while Daniel Agger almost poked home a Suso dink into the box. That was as good as it got for the Reds in the first half, while Suarez was accused of kicking out after Begovic got to the ball first moments before the whistle. He seemed to be going for the ball.

The pressure on the Stoke goal at the Kop end was relentless from the restart. A superb sliding challenge from Ryan Shawcross denied a Gerrard pull-back after he exchanged passes with Suarez to attack the byline.

Glen Johnson, operating at left-back, was picked out by a pinpoint Gerrard diagonal ball but shot over the bar with the goal at his mercy, then Begovic slid out to kick clear another low ball into the danger area from deep from the home skipper.

Suarez produced the most exciting moment of the match on the hour mark as he accelerated from halfway and panicked several Stoke defenders with his mazy dribbling before slicing wide of the near post from inside the box.

After teenager Raheem Sterling placed a side-footed finish against the outside of the post when it was begging to be cracked across goal, Suarez also fired against the outside of the post - but the home fans never seemed convinced that their men would produce the goal they craved.

And when Martin Skrtel could only flick a Gerrard free kick across goal with Shawcross grounded, the goalless draw was all but confirmed.

Shawcross, former Liverpool midfielder Adam, Jonathan Walters and Dean Whitehead would all also be shown yellow cards before the end in a solid - if not particularly admirable - rearguard effort from Tony Pulis's men.

Meanwhile Suarez did not cover himself in glory with a pathetic dive in the box after minimal contact from Marc Wilson.

Liverpool are 14th in the table, two places below Stoke.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Ryan Shawcross (Stoke City) – A giant throughout and despite the booking didn't resort to some of the more unsavoury tactics employed by Stoke.