Final, 1-1: It looks like a case of "same old Liverpool." The Reds faced a struggling opponent at Anfield, and demanding supporters were expecting victory. When the game finished, frustration and annoyance was visible to all, as Liverpool had to settle for its sixth home draw of the season.
As the story goes, the Reds created a number of chances, but only finished one. A lax moment in the defense was punished by Adam's own-goal. The home team tied the game, continued to press for the winner, but was denied by the goalkeeper's heroics in the end. Stop me if you've heard this one before.
Gerrard's return and Andy Carroll going the distance were the new wrinkles in the story, but it meant little in the end. As the game wore on, Blackburn started to believe it could take a point from the Anfield trip, and it did so in the end.
Liverpool missed a chance to gain ground on the other teams at the top of the standings. Consecutive draws against teams at the bottom of the league will pose questions about the Reds' top-four credentials.
That's all for now and thanks for joining us. Let's discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
95th minute, 1-1: Carroll nearly won it by getting on the end of Bellamy's delivery into the area, and flicking his shot low to the near post. But Bunn got down and saved it. It was a heroic moment from the goalkeeper and something LFC fans are far too familiar with.
Then Agger flashes his header past Bunn to the far post, but Henley clears it off the line. This was a sensational end to the game and it finishes 1-1.
94th minute, 1-1: The game is approaching its end, and Liverpool looks like it will have to settle for a second consecutive draw.
87th minute, 1-1: Downing heads Bellamy's cross low and at the near post. Bunn does well to save it. The Liverpool winger has yet to score for his new team, but has come agonizingly close on two occasions in the last few minutes.
84th minute, 1-1: Gerrard pushes forward, receives a pass from Suarez and finds Downing on his right with a perfectly weighted pass into the area. Downing aims his shot low at the far post, but he doesn't hit it hard enough and Bunn gets down and makes the save.
80th minute, 1-1: Carroll meets Enrique's cross, but flashes his header just wide. He finally got a chance to do what he does best from the most dangerous position. He was able to body Hanley out of the way and make good contact with the ball at the six-yard box.
Maxi is coming off and Bellamy replaces him with 10 minutes to go.
79th minute, 1-1: Dunn somehow manages to dribble past Agger and into the LFC area. It was only his teammate, Yakubu, who impeded his progress. Dunn's shot was wide, but it was a moment of real danger.
78th minute, 1-1: Suarez rises to meet Johnson's delivery at the back post, but can't aim his header on target.
75th minute, 1-1: Hoilett is down and finally limps off. It looks like his day is finished. Vukcevic replaces him.
71st minute, 1-1: Agger surges forward and goes down in the Blackburn area after he is met by Hoilett. There was no contact and referee Mike Jones gives the Danish defender a yellow card for diving.
69th minute, 1-1: Steve Gerrard enters the game in place of Adam to a thundering applause.
67 minute, 1-1: The game has just settled down a bit. Liverpool maintains its pressure and control of the ball, but Blackburn has regained its defensive shape and composure in the last few minutes.
59th minute, 1-1: We don't know what Dalglish said to his charges at the break, but LFC has dominated possession in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Chances are he told them to keep doing what they're doing, and it would pay off for them. They did and it has.
53rd minute, 1-1: The Reds have kept up the pressure and tempo and it's paid off. Maxi scores with a header at the far post after Skrtel found him with a deftly-volleyed cross.
The little Argentine was unmarked, reacted first and rose to head home Skrtel's pass.
49th minute, 1-0 Blackburn: Liverpool is pressing forward in search of the equalizer and has a penalty appeal denied.
Maxi reversed to Suarez and supporters thought it hit the hand of a defender, but replays showed there was no hand-ball.
Halftime, 1-0 Blackburn: A shocked Liverpool trails at the break. The were by far the better team over the first 45 minutes but, as is the habit for this 2011-12 team, did not convert any of their many scoring chances.
LFC would do well to add a bit of balance to its attack. Everything has gone through Downing on the right, as he is matched against the American-born teenager Henley. Blackburn.
Blackburn showed the desire to push forward, but left the responsibility of creating and converting chances to the strike pairing of Hoilett and Yakubu.
45th minute, 1-0 Blackburn: Adam scores an own goal. Pedersen sent an inswinger toward the near post, and the LFC midfielder swung his leg at it and sliced it over Enrique's head and into the net.
The casual way in which Agger dealt with a harmless situation led to the corner. He was facing his own touch-line with Yakubu on his back, and flicked the ball into the air like he was looking to clear it with a bicylcle-kick. He was never able to complete the motion because of the pressure the Blackburn striker was applying. After two attempts, it rolled off his chest and out for a corner kick.
42nd minute, 0-0: Johnson is running gingerly after he was fouled by Hoilett whilst contesting a 44-56 ball. It looks like he'll limp into the locker room when the referee calls time on the first half. He should be fine for the second half, but it's something to watch for.
40th minute, 0-0: It's a succession of corners for Liverpool, but hosts get no reward for their pressure. They seem to be lacking a bit of sharpness of thought and execution in the final third. It's not entirely unexpected, as this game is the third in eight day's time for Suarez, Adam, Downing, Henderson.
37th minute, 0-0: After an encouraging first 30 minutes, Blackburn is starting to look like the team its record suggests it is. It has managed to desperately thwart LFC's attacks and looks wholly inept going forward.
32nd minute, 0-0: Downing (again) finds Maxi in the area with a reverse pass. Maxi gets to it first and is brought down by Bunn. The crowd wants a penalty, but the Maxi was judged to be offside on the pass. Replays showed the referee's assistant got it wrong. Maxi was even with the last defender.
The England international Downing is running at 17-year-old left back Henley every chance he gets.
30th minute, 0-0: Downing surges down the right toward the area and shoots. It takes a deflection and falls to Suarez who was in an offside position.
Suarez found Carroll who finished, but the linesman had his flag raised.
27th minute, 0-0: Carroll pounces on a loose ball and shoots from close range. Bunn is there to thwart his effort. It was the best chance of the game so far.
Adam sent a swerving cross from deep into the area. It eluded a leaping defender and fell to the LFC striker. He took one touch before shooting. The time it took to control the ball allowed Bunn to come off his line and cut down the angle.
23rd minute, 0-0: Henderson shoots high and wide after Yakubu's slip presented him with a golden opportunity outside of the area.
The young midfielder has kept his place in the team, despite Jay Spearing's availability. Liverpool will look for him to become more influential than he has been in recent weeks. He's been solid, but muted in his favored central midfield role.
19th minute, 0-0: Johnson finds Suarez in the box with a fine, one-touch pass on the right. The Uruguayan swivels and shoots wide of the near post.
With nearly 20 minutes gone, Liverpool has yet to take full control of the game. The Reds have created a few scoring chances, but Blackburn has shown some menace as well. The visitors haven't tested Reina directly, but they have found space between the LFC lines of midfield and defense.
12th minute, 0-0: Adam whips in a free kick from the left side that Bunn clears from a crowd of players. It wasn't at all convincing, but Rovers were able to deal with it in the end.
Seventh minute, 0-0: Liverpool is holding a slight advantage in the balance of play so far, but Blackburn isn't backing down in the early going. Yakubu and Hoilett are not shy about using their considerable size against Skrtel and Agger.
They combined in the LFC area, but Johnson intervened before Yakubu could unleash a shot.
Third minute, 0-0: Suarez wins a free-kick after Samba brings him down about 25 yards away from Bunn's goal. He powerfully curls the free-kick over the bar.
First minute, 0-0: The game is under way at Anfield and the supporters are in full voice, singing the song of their embattled star Luis Suarez. He faces a tough match-up against Samba.
Pregame: The big news coming out of the LFC camp is that Steve Gerrard has overcome his latest bout of infection and his name appears on the substitutes' list.
Also, Andy Carroll returns to the starting 11. Liverpool will depend on their maligned forward and this contest is a perfect opportunity to build his form and confidence.
It only takes a glimpse at Blackburn's starting lineup to realise that the last-place Rovers are in tatters. Backup goalkeeper Mark Bunn leads a patchwork defense, and it is entirely possible that he could face a barrage of shots from Liverpool.
9:30 a.m.: Here are the lineups:
Liverpool
Pepe Reina (25), goalkeeper
Glen Johnson (2), right back
Daniel Agger (5), center back
Martin Skrtel (37), center back
Jose Enrique (3), left back
Charlie Adam (26), midfielder
Stuart Downing (19), midfielder
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Maxi (11), forward
Luis Suarez (7), forward
Andy Carroll (9), forward
Substitutes
Doni (32), goalkeeper
Jamie Carragher (23), defender
Martin Kelly (34), defender
Steve Gerrard (8), midfielder
Jonjo Shelvey (33), midfielder
Dirk Kuyt (18), midfielder
Craig Bellamy (39), forward
Blackburn
Mark Bunn (13), goalkeeper
Jason Lowe (35), right back
Grant Hanley (31), center back
Christopher Samba (4), center back
Adam Henley (24), left back
Morten Gamst Pedersen (12), midfielder
David Dunn (8), midfielder
Steven N'Zonzi (15), midfielder
Mauro Formica (10), midfielder
David Hoilett (23), striker
Yakubu Aiyegbeni (24), striker
Substitutes
Jake Kean (34), goalkeeper
Simon Vukcevic (29), midfielder
Josh Morris (33), midfielder
Radosav Petrovic (14), midfielder
David Goodwillie (25), striker
Ruben Rochina (20), striker
Nick Blackman (22), striker
12:00 a.m. ET: It's Boxing Day, and with it comes a host of Premier Leauge games. Liverpool marks the festivities by hosting Blackburn at Anfield.
Although Blackburn has the league's lowest points total, and its supporters turned on embattled manager Steve Keane months ago, Liverpool will not be taking this game lightly. Wednesday's scoreless draw at Wigan showed LFC the challenge a motivated team can pose on any day.
Monday's game will be Liverpool's third in eight days. The games keep coming in the festive season, and it is here that squad depth is put to the test. Jay Spearing is available for selection after serving his three-game suspension for the Red Card he received against Fulham on Dec. 5.
Blackburn has lost three games in a row, as it faces the all-too-real prospect of relegation. If it hopes to save its season, it simply has to stop losing games. Keane and his players have done serious damage to their reputations so far this season. If they go down without a fight, the club risks undoing two decades worth good work to establish it as a Premier League mainstay.
Join us at 10 a.m. for LFC-Blackburn. We'll have all the action right here.
