Liverpool vs. Bolton Wanderers: Winners and Losers from FA Cup Game
Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers will contest an FA Cup replay following Saturday's scoreless fourth round draw.
Although the Reds peppered the Trotters' goal with plenty of shots, they were repeatedly denied both by goalkeeper Adam Bogdan and their own inability to finish.
The highlight of the match might well have been former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey's return to Anfield as part of the Bolton lineup, and in the 56th minute he was given a rousing ovation from both sets of fans when he made way for Conor Wilkinson.
Still, one or two performances still caught the eye on Merseyside, as well as several that were rather less impressive.
Following are the individual winners and losers from the encounter.
Loser: Joe Allen, Who Was Dire in the Liverpool Midfield
At one point late in the first half, Joe Allen had completed fewer than two-thirds of his attempted passes, as per WhoScored.
And while his rate of distribution grew to a slightly more respectable 81 percent, he still gave the ball away far too easily in the centre of the park.
It was noticeable, and hardly coincidental, that Liverpool's buildup play became smoother and more incisive upon his exit in favour of Lucas Leiva midway through the second half.
Winner: Matt Mills, Who Rebuffed Countless Liverpool Attacks
Matt Mills was the first player to go into the book on Saturday after his foul on Liverpool's Raheem Sterling.
But the Bolton Wanderers defender wasn't put off by the early caution; indeed, he seemed to more readily impose himself on the match after picking up his yellow card.
In the 26th minute, he did exceptionally well to block off Sterling and shepherd the ball out for a goal-kick, and just after the half-hour mark, he again blocked the Reds attacker's route to goal.
In the 37th minute, he cleanly won possession off Philippe Coutinho, and while he should have been presented a second yellow for a 51st-minute foul on Lazar Markovic, he nevertheless escaped sanction and continued to stifle wave after wave of Liverpool buildup play.
Loser: Kevin Friend, Whose Refereeing Performance Was Poor
Referee Kevin Friend got at least two important decisions wrong on Saturday, and both happened to go against Liverpool.
In the 51st minute, he should have booked Matt Mills a second time after the Bolton Wanderers defender clipped the streaking Lazar Markovic from behind. Had he done so, the guests would have played much of the second half a man down.
Then, in the 73rd minute, he denied the Reds a clear penalty when Jordan Henderson was barged to ground by Jay Spearing.
"That's a penalty for me," tweeted ESPN FC's Dale Johnson. "As clearly stated in the laws of the game whether or not a player is getting to the ball is completely irrelevant."
Loser: Eidur Gudjohnsen, Who Missed Some Clear-Cut Chances for Bolton
Eidur Gudjohnsen has won titles in both England and Spain, as well as the Champions League, over the course of a distinguished and respected career in professional football.
On Saturday, however, the 36-year-old couldn't quite take his chances when they were presented to him, and he'll no doubt be ruing his effectiveness in front of goal ahead of an FA Cup replay against Liverpool.
Gudjohnsen didn't steer a shot on target at Anfield, according to WhoScored, and too often failed to test Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet altogether.
In the 65th minute, he had a chance to open the scoring just yards from the Reds' goal but proceeded to sky his effort.
Winner: Adam Bogdan, Who Was Sensational in Goal
That Bolton Wanderers are still in the FA Cup is largely down to Adam Bogdan's heroics on Saturday.
The Trotters 'keeper was nothing short of spectacular at Anfield, and barely 10 minutes seemed to pass without the 27-year-old making a spectacular save.
In the 12th minute, he set the tone for the rest of the match when he dove to his left to deny Jordan Henderson, and shortly after the restart, he beat Raheem Sterling to a long pass after rushing off his line.
Philippe Coutinho was also the victim of Bogdan's superhuman efforts, and in the 71st minute, Fabio Borini's goal-bound shot was blocked following a nice piece of buildup involving Adam Lallana.
"Outstanding stuff from Bogdan here, a string of world class saves," tweeted Goal's Peter Staunton.
Loser: Mario Balotelli, Who Wasn't Even in the Matchday Squad
As confirmed by Tony Barrett of The Times prior to kick-off, Mario Balotelli had been omitted from Liverpool's squad despite being available for selection.
"Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Thursday that Balotelli was available to face Bolton after illness but the Italian isn't in Liverpool's squad," he tweeted.
Since arriving at Anfield from AC Milan during the summer, Balotelli has started just 11 matches in all competitions for the Reds, scoring just twice.
Earlier this week, Metro reported the 24-year-old could be off to Lazio, and at this point you have to wonder just how hard Liverpool would fight to keep him.