Fair play to Rafael Benitez for conceding that Liverpool got lucky over the penalty that never was.
Some might argue that the under-siege Reds’ boss was overdue a stroke of fortune, although Birmingham will obviously feel hard done by.
The Blues pushed Liverpool all the way, and the wonder strike by Cameron Jerome was the highlight of the night.
Benitez admitted his Reds were fortunate, and admitted the David Ngog-Lee Carsley incident was a turning point.
He said: "We scored with a penalty that probably wasn't a penalty, but we deserved to win the game. It was clear, it was not a penalty, even if that works against us.
"There have been many times this season that we have not been awarded penalties we should have had. I have asked Ngog and he said that maybe it wasn't a penalty, either."
Benitez, who now has Yossi Benayoun and Albert Riera suffering from hamstring injuries, revealed that Fernando Torres "did not feel confident to play."
Rafa is still refusing to give up on his side's Premier League title hopes, despite only six wins in their opening 12 games of the season. They are already 11 points shy of leaders Chelsea.
But injury problems abound for Benitez, who turned to Steven Gerrard in desperation last night even though his skipper is not 100 per cent fit.
Fernando Torres is an even bigger worry, and Benitez said: "Torres was not confident, we have now started a three-week course of treatment and we will have to see how he reacts. We are not considering an operation yet."
He added: "We also have a problem with Riera, Agger with his back and Yossi Benayoun but Steve was good. He was available, not 100 per cent fit, but at least he has the quality and the passion that we needed.
“I think we have to be realistic and then think about the next game, that's it. We cannot be talking about the title when we have to win some games in a row.
"The main thing is for us to win these games, still trying to create chances, showing character until the last minute and win. That's it."
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