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David Ngog’s agent insists the striker is no diver after he won a controversial penalty against Birmingham.

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Ngog is no cheat – Agent

• Spanish midfielder says Liverpool must scale mental barrier
• ‘We need everybody helping each other to be stronger’

Albert Riera has spoken of Liverpool’s torment at their failure to arrest a run of one win in nine matches and fears they will have to overcome a mental barrier to revive their faltering campaign.

The Spanish midfielder is braced for another month on the sidelines after aggravating a hamstring injury on his return to the side for Monday’s 2-2 draw with Birmingham City at Anfield. After the game, dominated by the fallout from David Ngog’s dive for the penalty that earned Liverpool a point, their manager, Rafael Benítez, made the surprise admission that his side’s performance was “not as anxious as I was expecting”.

It is a problem he may have to address for Liverpool’s next fixture against Champions League rivals Manchester City, however, with Riera conceding recent events have taken a toll on the players’ confidence.

“We need everybody not just on the pitch but off it, too, helping each other to be stronger because now our problem could be mental, because we – and I don’t like saying this – are untidy,” the Liverpool midfielder said. “I don’t like to use this word but it’s true we are not used to being in this position. Against Birmingham you could see we were trying to do everything. We were playing wide, between the lines, always going forward, defending with two centre-backs only, full-backs going forward, and we were trying to do all we could to win the game, but the other team scored with one free-kick and one shot from a long way out. It’s really unlucky because we had a lot of opportunities to kill the game before as well.”

Liverpool host City at Anfield on 21 November and trail Mark Hughes’s team by one place and one point, albeit having played one game more. Their concerns, Riera believes, stem not only from an extensive injury list – with Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun already doubtful for the City game – but the inability to turn an otherwise dominant display against Birmingham into victory.

“In this moment we are trying to play like always but you can see it’s not working,” Riera said. “We have plenty of possession, plenty of opportunities, and we are trying to do all you need for winning the game. It’s true that we have to manage conceding goals from free-kicks but if you see the game, it’s clear we should have won it. But this year, we are really unlucky. I don’t like saying that either, because it’s not only bad luck in football, but it’s true we are trying to change this position and it’s not working. We have to be calm, we have two weeks without games and we have to be stronger after.”

The return of Steven Gerrard, as a substitute, and Glen Johnson against Alex McLeish’s side provided welcome respite from Liverpool’s injury problems, although the England right-back shared Riera’s unease at the latest poor result. “The record sounds awful and it is awful for a club like Liverpool,” said Johnson. “But things like this happen in football. You stick together and keep fighting.”

The England internationals’ comebacks, however, were offset by the hamstring injuries sustained by Riera and Benayoun, who will be absent for several weeks if Benítez’s initial diagnosis of hamstring tears is confirmed, while Daniel Agger was again hindered by a back problem that kept him out for the first two months of the season. The defender has pulled out of Denmark’s friendlies against South Korea and the United States. Last night Johnson withdrew from England’s squad with a recurrence of a calf injury but the damage is believed to be slight. Benítez also confirmed Torres would undergo intensive physiotherapy on his hernia rather than surgery, and it could be three weeks before the leading striker is available.

Riera said of his injury: “It is the same as before, the same feeling, so we will see in the scan but if it’s like the other one it will be three or four weeks. It’s not good to have an injury after the same injury so maybe it could be a little bit longer. You feel frustrated after leaving the team in this condition because we need everyone at the moment. We are in a difficult moment but I think we still have plenty of time and we have to be calm.”

LiverpoolPremier LeagueAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk

An occasion that had begun with angry Liverpool fans staging a protest march against their clubs owners ended with a precious victory for Liverpool, as Fernando Torres and David Ngog scored the second-half goals that brought an end to a run of four consecutive defeats.

Torres shook off Rio Ferdinand to send a fierce drive into the roof of the net in the 65th minute, rewarding a confident period of play from the home side as they shook off their recent slump. And in a breathless finale, which saw first Nemanja Vidic and then Javier Mascherano sent off, David Ngog scored on the break in the final minute of injury time to bring relief and euphoria to most of Anfield.

Victory lifts some of the pressure on Rafael Benítez, who was again without his captain Steven Gerrard due to his groin problem while Wayne Rooney recovered from a calf injury to line up for the opposition. Torres and Glen Johnson were also back for Liverpool after they missed the Champions League defeat by Lyon on Tuesday.

United had Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick back in their starting line-up while Michael Owen, returning to his former club, was on the bench.

The visiting fans made the most of Liverpool’s recent misfortune. Beach balls, Eric Cantona masks and insulting banners were smuggled into the away section. Some beach balls ended up on the pitch, stewards hurriedly clearing them away, and there were even some from the Kop end, brought in by the Spirit of Shankly group members –who had organised the protests against co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett – just to deflate their rivals’ joke.

More beach balls arrived when Fabio Aurelio tried to take a corner in front of the visiting fans, Torres seeing his header swept away.

Evra was booked after 15 minutes for his second trip on Torres in as many minutes, and from the free-kick Aurelio sent in a curled shot that Edwin van der Sar clawed away. It went straight to Dirk Kuyt, whose follow-up was also saved. Then Lucas robbed Paul Scholes and gave Kuyt another chance, this one guided wide of the far post.

Rooney, who had seen one effort disallowed for offside, rose to meet an Antonio Valencia cross after 20 minutes but his header was held low to his right by Jose Reina. Torres was receiving some tough treatment, and Vidic was fortunate to escape a booking for a fierce challenge from behind.

United had better possession though and threatened with pace and slick movement, but it was Van der Sar again after 36 minutes who needed to dive to his right to keep out an Aurelio header from Yossi Benayoun’s cross.

Kuyt should have scored early in the second period when he was played in by Glen Johnson, but he chose to pass rather than blast an angled effort, and the chance was lost. United ’s threat on the break lingered, however, and it needed a block from Johnson on the far post to keep out a Rooney header from Giggs’ free-kick.

However, Liverpool’s confidence was growing and they took the lead after 65 minutes. Benayoun’s pass sent Torres beyond Ferdinand, onside only by inches. The Spain striker held off the England centre-back and lashed a shot into the roof of the net, beating Van der Sar at his near post.

Tempers began to fray and the tackling became more full-blooded and the eventual sendings off did not come as an enormous surprise, Vidic being dismissed for a second booking in the last minute. Liverpool’s numerical advantage did not last long, however, as Mascherano soon followed for a reckless challenge on Van der Sar.

A frantic injury-time period then reached a stirring conclusion when Liverpool broke and Ngog was released by Kuyt with only Van der Sar to beat and tucked the ball into the corner

Premier LeagueLiverpoolManchester UnitedKevin McCarraguardian.co.uk