Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw by Stoke City at Anfield on Saturday as the Potters staved off relegation.

The Reds struggled to get going amid a resolute performance from Stoke, and Danny Ings saw a goal correctly disallowed for offside.

Liverpool were denied a penalty late on when Erik Pieters handled in the area, but referee Andre Marriner did not see it.

Mohamed Salah Fails to Break the Premier League Scoring Record

Mohamed Salah came into the match needing just one goal to break the Premier League scoring record for a single 38-game season.

He remains on 31 for the campaign, though, as he and the Reds surprisingly struggled in the final third.

The Egyptian's best chance came early on as he was put clean through after just five minutes, but he failed to hit the target entirely. WhoScored.com noted his struggles:

In Salah's other notable opportunity, he latched onto a deep-swinging ball from Georginio Wijnaldum but unselfishly passed to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was unable to get the ball out of his feet and had his effort saved by Jack Butland.

Liverpool Have One Eye on Roma Clash

Liverpool face Roma in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, and with such an important match coming up, they were unable to reach the top of their game on Saturday.

Manager Jurgen Klopp started with a strong lineup that included Salah and Roberto Firmino, but the Reds were flat throughout the match and lacked their usual intensity.

Football writer Joel Rabinowitz suggested Liverpool's attitude was too relaxed:

Colleague Jack Sear believed the fitness of some of the players was a factor:

Reds Denied Late Penalty

The visitors benefited from a slice of good fortune in the 87th minute.

Following a corner, Wijnaldum's ball across the face of goal hit Pieters' arm, which was well away from his body, albeit the defender was attempting to move it out of the way.

On another day, the Reds may well have earned a spot-kick from the incident, but on this occasion it was missed by the officials.

Football writer Jack Lusby and James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo both felt it should have been a penalty:

Stoke Earn a Point in the Battle for Survival

The Potters rode their luck at times during the match, but they played well at Anfield.

Liverpool were unable to create many clear-cut chances, and Stoke also forced some nervy moments at the back from the Reds.

Mame Biram Diouf headed narrowly wide in the first half, and Xherdan Shaqiri looked lively. Ramadan Sobhi's introduction early in the second half injected further drive into the side.

Stoke could have grabbed a dramatic late winner when Diouf flashed a ball across goal, but Ryan Shawcross was unable to turn it in at the far post.

The point ensures Stoke cannot be relegated this weekend, though they're still reliant on other results to help them stay up.

What's Next

Stoke host Crystal Palace in a crunch clash on Saturday, while Liverpool travel to Chelsea the following day.