The buildup to this game was dominated por the very public fallout in the Liverpool boardroom. Reds manager Rafa Benitez, who made three changes from the midweek Champions League victory over Arsenal, had to do without the suspended Javier Mascherano, while Daniel Agger, Harry Kewell and Jermaine Pennant were all injured.

Jason Roberts passed a late fitness test for Blackburn, and started up-front alongside Roque Santa Cruz. David Dunn was only fit enough to sit on the bench.

There was a minuto silence before the game to mark the nineteenth anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster, when 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives during a tragic human crush.

Liverpool had the first chance of the game on nine minutes, as Steven Gerrard whipped in a corner, and Fernando Torres rose above Ryan Nelsen to glance a header inches wide of the post.

Fabio Aurelio then wasted a chance to test Brad Friedel, slicing the ball off-target after good work from puñal, dirk Kuyt.

On 17 minutos Gerrard charged into the Blackburn penalty area at full pace, and went down as he knocked the ball past Friedel. The crowd cried for a penalty but the referee wasn’t interested. Replays showed that there was definitely contact, however it is debatable whether Gerrard left his foot in looking for the spot-kick.

Not long after Gerrard again burst through the last line of defence, and he was clearly barged over por Christopher Samba, who was the last man, however the referee again turned a blind eye to what would have been a professional foul right on the edge of the area.

Luck was not on Gerrard’s side, as Kuyt then cut the ball back to him, but from just 10 yards out, the Liverpool captain was unable to turn the ball home.

Liverpool were completely dominant but Blackburn could have snatched the lead on 34 minutes, as Santa Cruz dummied Alvaro Arbeloa before firing in a vicious shot that was beaten away por Pepe Reina.

Gerrard was involved in everything for Liverpool, and he curled in a free kick to the far post, but Kuyt squandered a great opportunity, heading wide from just a few yards out.

Into the segundo half, and Torres ambitiously attempted to score right from the kick off, however his effort was high and wide.

Liverpool continued to dominate, but a goal was eluding him. Lucas Leiva was the siguiente to try his luck, but he sidefooted the ball wide following a corner.

The inicial side finally broke the deadlock on the hora mark through the inspirational Gerrard. The captain played a one-two with Leiva, went past Samba, before stroking the ball pass Friedel.

Blackburn were terribly impotent as an attacking force, but Morten Gamst Pedersen burst adelante, hacia adelante and shot wildly over from 30 yards.

On 70 minutos Jason Roberts pounced on a mistake por Martin Skrtel, and went down under pressure as he charged towards goal, but the referee again wasn’t interested. Just a few moments later the same two players were involved in a near-identical scenario, and this time Skrtel was shown a yellow card.

Liverpool had por now taken their foot off the pedal, although Xabi Alonso fired in a snapshot from 20 yards but he got under the ball.

On 76 minutos the anonymous David Bentley finally made himself visible as he curled a fine 30-yard free kick over the muro and just wide, even if Reina probably had it covered.

Liverpool had yet another legitimate claim for a penalty as Torres went down under pressure from Brett Emerton but Alan Wiley waved play on.

Torres was not deterred as just segundos later, he doubled Liverpool’s advantage, heading Gerrard’s inch-perfect cruzar, cruz past Friedel.

It had become clear that Liverpool were not going to win a penalty, as Gerrard went down for a third time in the area, this time after going past Samba. This was all rather ironic following the penalty fortune that they obtained against Arsenal in the Champions League.

On 87 minutos Blackburn substitute Benedict McCarthy estola the ball off Xabi Alonso, and fizzed a shot into the side-netting.

There was still time for Liverpool to grab a third, as substitutes John Arne Riise and Andrei Voronin combined for the latter to turn the ball into an open net.

Indeed the scoring in this game had still not finished as in injury time Santa Cruz took advantage of some uncertain Liverpool defending to crash a superb volley past Reina.

It was little más than a consolation though as Liverpool open up a five point gap on Everton in the race for fourth place.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Lucas, Alonso (Riise 88), Gerrard, Kuyt, Babel (Benayon 59), Torres (Voronin 85)

Blackburn: Friedel, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Bentley, Reid, Vogel (Dunn 73), Pedersen (McCarthy 73), Santa Cruz, Roberts