Intro:

Post-match reaction from Anfield after Hull City hold Liverpool to a goalless draw and Mario Balotelli remains without a Premier League goal in a red shirt.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (English) Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool coach:

(on striker Mario Balotelli and how criticism of him is unjustified)

"I've only been working with him for a short period of time and I gauge it first and foremost on the training field. I don't think there's any danger of that (Balotelli being rested or being taken out of the spotlight). Players, if it's not going so well, try and have a day when they don't train or don't work... he puts himself into training every single day. You know, he's out there in the... wanting to be better, wanting to improve, he recovers... of course, goalscorers, they will tell you that's where they get their energy and confidence from, the ball hitting the back of the net and it's not quite happening for him in terms of that, but all I will ask is that they do their best and I think you've seen today's reaction. He worked very hard, he knows he needs to run and work and press here and you could see that from him today and it was just... a bit of... he was just unlucky, the way that he didn't get the goal, but for him, he'll be disappointed he didn't score."

SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Bruce, Hull City coach:

(on his team's performance at Anfield)

"Well, when you come to Liverpool, and a bit like the Emirates (Emirates Stadium in London, home of Arsenal) last week, the one thing you've got to do is make sure you play well and if you play well, then you take something out of the game, then of course it's very, very... it's excellent for a club like ours and where we've been and what's expected, so we're very, very pleased with it (the result). Yeah, why not?"