- Liverpool eight points behind leaders Chelsea after draw
- Clean sheet for third-choice Hull keeper Eldin Jakupovic
- Balotelli started up front for Liverpool
- Reds have only won five of last 12 league games
Mario Balotelli suffered another frustrating day as his Liverpool team were held at home by Hull City.
The striker missed an injury-time effort and had a shot saved, but remains without a Premier League goal since his £16m move from AC Milan.
Dejan Lovren had a header cleared off the line by Hull's Ahmed Elmohamady.
Jake Livermore wasted the Tigers' best chance, shooting at Simon Mignolet, but defeat would have been harsh on the hosts, who had 17 efforts at goal.
The best opportunity fell to Balotelli in the closing moments but, with only goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic to beat, the ex-Manchester City striker failed to connect with the ball from close range.
He had also seen an 11th-minute shot pushed wide by the third-choice Hull keeper as the Italian tried to repay Brendan Rodgers's faith in starting him.
But Balotelli, who had been criticised afterswapping shirts with Real Madrid defender Pepe at half-time in the Reds' 3-0 Champions League defeat, failed to score for the eighth consecutive game.
The result means Liverpool, Premier League runners-up in 2013-14, are eight points behind leaders Chelsea, who have played a game fewer.
But for Steve Bruce's workmanlike Hull it was another hard-earned point, their fifth draw of the season, after holding Arsenal 2-2 at Emirates Stadium last week.
They also had chances to steal a win and Livermore should have done better than shoot at home keeper Mignolet when unmarked in the penalty area.
Mohamed Diame, who had scored four times in five games after joining from West Ham, also dragged a shot off target, before Huddlestone's effort bounced off Martin Skrtel and narrowly wide.
Lengthy run ended |
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Liverpool had gone 48 Premier League games without a goalless draw, the longest run of any side in the Premier League.
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Liverpool - coming off the back of successive league wins, despite their patchy early-season form - had the majority of the possession and chances, and were unlucky not to take an eighth-minute lead, when Elmohamady was well placed to clear Lovren's header off the line from Steven Gerrard's corner.
The Reds captain curled an effort wide after a one-two with Raheem Sterling and the teenage England winger had a low 20-yard shot saved by Jakupovic.
The hosts brought on Rickie Lambert, Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson as they searched for a winning goal to match their second-half dominance, but could not make the breakthrough.
Sterling's injury-time effort was scooped wide by Jakupovic, who then made a stunning save to tip Coutinho's 20-yard effort over as Bruce's side held on for the draw.
