Despite dominating, Yossi Benayoun's 41st-minute goal from a narrow angle was all the visitors had to show for their efforts and it was not enough.

In the closing stages Wigan sensed they had a chance and when Brazil midfielder Lucas needlessly brought down substitute Jason Koumas debutant Mido, signed on loan from Middlesbrough last week, converted the penalty.

It condemned Liverpool to their seventh draw in 10 Barclays Premier League matches and their fourth on the bounce in all competitions.

They dropped down to third in the table after being overtaken by Chelsea and are two points behind leaders Manchester United having played one match more and only one point ahead of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

"We have lost two points. We were much better in the first half. We had control of the game. We didn't kill the game," he said, in a thinly-veiled reference to what he thought went on after the interval.

"The second half was a crazy game and when it is a crazy game you cannot control things."

When he was pressed as to what was the crazy element of the second half the Spaniard refused to comment.

There was a suggestion Wigan midfielder Michael Brown's over-physical treatment of opposite number Steven Gerrard had upset him but he refused to comment.

"No I am disappointed with a number of things but no, the Wigan approach I will not talk about them," he added.

"It has happened in the last three games. They have something in common I don't like. I know why but I cannot say anything.

"The players were okay. They were working very hard in the first half but the second half changed because it was crazy.

"I was talking with my players about what to do on the pitch but there are things that you cannot control."

Benitez accepted the recent run had damaged their title bid but he felt there was a long way to go in the run-in.

"When you are top of the table you know that every single game is really important so when you lose two points you have to be disappointed," he said.

"But we have an important game on Sunday (against Chelsea) and if we play like we played in the first half we can beat anyone.

"All the games will be important until the end of the season. It depends on the other teams too but we have to try to play well and try to win."

mfl

Wigan manager Steve Bruce paid tribute to his team's battling spirit as, for the second successive home match, they snatched a late goal - having beaten Tottenham in injury time on January 11.

"The resilience of them was there again," said the Latics boss, who in the last week has lost two key players in striker Emile Heskey and midfielder Wilson Palacios in the transfer window - and goalkeeper Chris Kirkland out with a back injury.

"We have had to make five changes - big changes - from the team that played 10 days ago.

"It has been a difficult January for us. But we've made a few changes, and a couple of them have hit the ground running.

"The one thing they do is stick at it and have a right good crack at it. In the last 20 to 25 minutes, they really got the bit between their teeth.

"Lee Cattermole got among them and tackled everything that moved. It was a decent performance from us."