Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish's excuses cannot mask his side's failings following draw with Aston Villa The Americans are flying in to watch Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Everton, and will meet Dalglish before the game at Wembley. He will need to be at his most charming, and for the owners to be at their most gullible, to earn sympathy for Liverpool's league position following another grim draw at home, this time against Aston Villa. A familiar post-match dissection was little more than a re-run of their season's failings. Dalglish gave a hint of what his explanation will be for the awful sequence of results and, worryingly, appears to be inviting all those of an Anfield persuasion to consider the possibility of a grand conspiracy, or factors "beyond their jurisdiction." Officials, goalposts, fixture planners, the Football Association, Patrice Evra and the "anti-Liverpool" media; all have been held responsible for the club's difficulties this season. Yet this performance, studded by cameos from certain players who would struggle to feature in a Championship team, shows that Liverpool's toils are of their own making. Jordan Henderson and Jonjo Shelvey are the closest Liverpool have come to pairing Tweedledum and Tweedledee in central midfield. Their presence meant Steven Gerrard was shifted first to the position of a second striker and later a makeshift right midfielder. As usual, he came to the fore by ole should not be compromised for the sake of players who you imagine queuing to get the captain to sign their shirt after a game. Their inclusion is symptomatic of why Liverpool are where they are. Senior figures in the side are not doing enough, either. Suárez has been poor since the new year, favouring individualism above the team ethic. José Enrique's disintegration has been rapid, while Stewart Downing usually makes only one decent contribution in every match. Daniel Agger's fine display from left-back demonstrated how much he has been missed. His header against the bar allowed Suárez to nudge home the equaliser, setting up a late bombardment. Too late, though. Aston Villa, for their part, had one shot. These days, that is all you need to score at Anfield, although Herd's effort was a sweet strike after Alexander Doni flapped at Steve Warnock's cross. The Premier League campaign cannot end soon enough for Liverpool.