Aston Villa - 0 Liverpool - 2: "Are you fighting it?" shouted Graham Taylor from the Villa Park press box. Peter Crouch, warming down in front of his former manager, responded with a thumbs up. A few stretches later Crouch made his way up through the empty main stand. "Thanks for all the nice things you've said about me in the media," he said to Taylor. "It was good of you. I appreciate it."
It was a gesture that is typical of Crouch, who exuded the same honesty 20 minutes earlier on the pitch when he arched his back and looked upwards in disbelief after Olof Mellberg intervened to deny him his first Liverpool goal.
Xabi Alonso duly crashed home the loose ball but Crouch, who had come off the substitutes' bench to alter the course of this match, was still seeking answers from high above when the Spaniard set off on his celebration.
Crouch has now failed to score in 14 appearances for Liverpool, a record that is threatening to overshadow the contribution he makes in creating chances for others.
And although Rafael Benitez continues to play down the forward's goal drought, Crouch's body language reveals how desperate he is to get off the mark. Here would have been an apt moment for that to happen, given David O'Leary rarely fielded him during his time at Villa, but Benitez was more than happy to settle for a couple of assists from the lanky striker.
The first of those prompted a furious reaction from O'Leary, who accused Steve Bennett of costing Villa the game when he pointed to the spot after Crouch tumbled to the floor under a challenge from Liam Ridgewell. It was an incident which, more than anything, illustrated just how difficult Crouch is to play against.
"Peter will be a nuisance, end of story," said O'Leary. "His strength as a forward is exactly that. He has a nice touch but, basically, he's a nuisance. Others will benefit from that nuisance value."
Villa certainly did not and a game that looked like providing the home side with a much-needed point turned on the penalty converted by Steven Gerrard with five minutes remaining.
Gerrard, though, was in no mood to pass up an opportunity to give Liverpool a victory which puts to rest several unwanted records.
Before Saturday they had not only failed to win on their travels in the Premiership this season but had also gone nine months without back-to-back league victories.
Furthermore this was the first time they had won away from home immediately after a European match for two years, not that this was a Champions League performance.
Guardian Service
