Liverpool could only draw 1-1 with Reading as the biggest shock of
the FA Cup third round came in the late game at the Madejski
Stadium.
Steven Gerrard once again produced a goal when his side
needed it most, with Liverpool behind, but the Premier League
outfit could not find a second and will now host Reading in a
replay at Anfield.
Simon Church had bundled in an opener to give the hosts the
scent of an upset but Gerrard levelled before the break for Rafael
Benitez's men.
Liverpool had been defeated on their last visit to Reading's
stadium, little more than two years ago, but plenty has changed
since the days of Steve Coppell's men upsetting the heavyweights in
the Premier League.
The Royals head back into Championship action sitting just
above the relegation zone in 20th place and there is a feeling of
frustration from fans against chairman Sir John Madejski, who is
yet to appoint a new manager following Brendan Rodgers' dismissal
last month.
Reading chief scout Craig McDermott has been in charge and
while survival is the priority, a run in the FA Cup tends to boost
confidence. They also had Brian Howard, who scored a famous winner
for Barnsley against the Reds in 2008, on the bench after a jaw
injury.
Liverpool's season has seen them knocked out of the Champions
League and also struggle to keep pace with others teams in the hunt
for a top-four place in the Premier League, so the cup has been
seen as one of their only genuine chances of success. With that in
mind, Benitez picked a strong team - Gerrard and Fernando Torres
started - but they started poorly, not helped by the tricky
conditions at Reading's ground, a venue that also hosts rugby games
for London Irish.
The hosts had the ball in the net when Jobi McAnuff met Pepe
Reina's punch but the header was correctly ruled out as Grzegorz
Rasiak was offside and also impeded the Liverpool goalkeeper to
allow the finish to trickle over the line.
Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici was fortunate to escape
further punishment when he handled outside the penalty area,
claiming a ball Gerrard pushed through to Fabio Aurelio. Martin
Atkinson only awarding a free-kick.
The West Yorkshire referee was also lenient when he turned
down a Reading appeal for a penalty when Martin Skrtel tugged on
Gylfi Sigurdsson's shirt, but Emiliano Insua finally went in the
book when he fouled McAnuff on the right flank.
That led to Church's strike. Ryan Bertrand swung over the
deep free-kick to the far post, with most Liverpool players
expecting the ball to drift out of play. They did not count on
Rasiak darting around Lucas Leiva and pulling the ball back from
the byline. Church used his shins to tap in from close range for
his fifth goal of the season.
Liverpool looked to Torres to get them back in the game and
the Spain striker headed just wide when Dirk Kuyt crossed from the
right channel. It was their other talisman, Gerrard, who grabbed
the equaliser.
The midfielder picked the ball up 25 yards from goal and
shaped to cross, with Kuyt stepping over the delivery to fool
Federici.
Gerrard sent Torres through before the break and Federici
spread himself well to block the finish, and Aurelio also drilled
wide when sent through. Reading's disgruntled fans spotted their
former manager on his duties as a pundit and chanted "we want our
Coppell back", as they hope for a return to the days of success.
The club have been in freefall since relegation from the top
flight two seasons ago and the likes of Kevin Doyle and Stephen
Hunt have been sold - but at least the current players were not
giving up. Sigurdsson unleashed a swerving shot that required a
decent Reina save.
Torres had threatened just after the break when he went just
over the crossbar from the edge of the area. Federici appeared to
pull a hamstring midway through the second half, so Ben Hamer came
off the bench and saved on the line from Alberto Aquilani before
the end. Torres headed just over in stoppage-time.
