Brad Rial picks out the key talking points from Hull City's 0-0 draw at Liverpool. Tom Huddlestone returns to form, Jakupovic silences his critics and who won the battle of mavericks?
Huddlestone reaches the heights of Diame in midfield
Tom Huddlestone has had an indifferent start to the season but today he was one of City's standout performers.
He looked sharp and slick when in possession of the ball and stamped his authority on the contest from the get-go.
He demanded the ball, dictated the tempo and looked every inch the lynchpin he was for much of last season.
On form, there aren't many better midfielders to watch so its great to see him get his mojo back. It was comfortably his best performance of the season.
Alongside him, Mohamed Diame continues to destroy everything and everyone that dare stand in his way. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Senegalese put in yet another commanding display and was City's biggest goal threat.
With his marauding runs and silky footwork, Diame is turning into a powerhouse of a midfielder. It begs the question, why has it taken this long for him to blossom into such an attacking force?
He has all of the qualities required to succeed in an advanced role. He is powerful, can pick a pass and, as he has demonstrated so ruthlessly since joining the club, can finish. He must regret not asking to be played further forward earlier on in his career.
Jakupovic the hero
After being shipped out on loan to Leyton Orient last season, Eldin Jakupovic could've been forgiven for thinking his days at the KC Stadium were numbered.
But today, on one of football's biggest stages – the Kop End at Anfield – he pulled off a save that will surely live to define his City career.
With just seconds remaining, Mario Balotelli had the chance to secure all three points for the Reds. With the goal gaping, Anfield held its collective breath and waited for the net to ripple.
Jakupovic had other plans. He flung himself at the feet of the Italian striker and made sure City earned a second point in as many weeks against Champions League opposition.
The Swiss goalkeeper put in an assured overall performance and eased any nerves City fans may have had heading into the contest.
In front of him, the back three of James Chester, Alex Bruce and Curtis Davies excelled. Davies put in a particularly towering performance.
The City skipper so often found himself in the right place at the right time and was constantly putting out fires before they'd even been lit.
Alongside him, Chester and Bruce were their usual reliable selves. Chester executed a perfectly timed challenge on Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard in the dying minutes and Bruce slotted in seamlessly in Michael Dawson's absence.
The formation certainly played its part in another excellent defensive performance.
It was City's third league clean sheet of the season and the 3-5-2 has been deployed in each of those games. It is a formation that fits the players at the club and Bruce's men look an altogether more assured outfit when playing it.
Ben Arfa vs Balotelli: Battle of the entertainers
They were the players making the headlines before the game, but neither was able to stamp his authority on this match.
Balotelli – who is still to score a league goal for Liverpool – had a couple of decent chances but was largely contained by a resolute City defence.
He saw half-hearted claims for a penalty fall on deaf ears after 86 minutes before his big moment came in the dying embers of the match.
For his fortunes to start to turn, the £16m man needs to be putting these sorts of chances away – not that City will be complaining of course.
Balotelli is box-office and will always dominate the back (and sometimes the front) pages, but at present he is being made an easy scapegoat for Liverpool's woes. The Reds have much more glaring deficiencies, namely their leaky defence, which City couldn't quite take advantage of.
Meanwhile, City's own maverick, Hatem Ben Arfa, had an ordinary game. The Frenchman often found himself in good areas of the pitch but still looks rusty.
Simple passes were frequently misplaced and his decision-making in the final third was questionable. Yet when he receives the ball, supporters edge forward in their seats, hoping he can produce something out of nothing.
Steve Bruce has rightly praised Ben Arfa's application, however, and it's worth remembering that both of his league starts have come away against two of the division's top sides. Against weaker opposition, where he is allowed more time and space, he will surely come into his own.
