FOOTBALL Live

Saturday December 8, 2007 Finished Madejski Stadium

Logo 3 - Logo 1

Reading

  • Hunt 17’ (pen.)
  • Doyle 60’
  • Harper 67’

Liverpool

  • Gerrard 28’
  1. Reading bring Benitez to earth

    Reading bring Benitez to earth

    Reading brought Liverpool's resurgence to an abrupt halt, inflicting their first Premier League defeat of the season, 3-1 at the Madejski Stadium. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Reading
    • Liverpool
    • 90' Reading have their first win over a "Big Four" side in the Premier League, and Rafa Benitez has landed himself back in trouble!
    • 90+3' On comes Kalifa Cisse for the last rites.
    • 90' Crouch hits the post!! He fizzes a real daisycutter but it bounces back off the woodwork and into Hahnemann's arms!
    • 85' Liverpool haven't given up as such, but they just do not look like getting anything from this game. Benitez has had such support from Reds fans, but this is going to test their patience.
    • 82' And off comes Jamie Carragher, replaced by Sami Hyypia. That's arguably Liverpool's three most important players that have been withdrawn.
    • 81' Ibrahima Sonko is limping slightly and will come off. Andre Bikey replaces.
    • 80' Ryan Babel finds himself in space on the right side... he's in space because he is offside. Liverpool not looking likely tio salvage anything from this.
    • 76' It's all a bit speculative from Liverpool, who have no Gerrard, no Torres and no ideas.
    • 72' Interestingly, the fourth official first showed Jack Hobbs's number before it was confirmed that Gerrard was in fact the man to come off.
    • 71' Steven Gerrard is taken off for Ryan Babel!! Yes, Liverpool have a big game on Tuesday, but Rafa Benitez does like to make a rod for his own back. Maybe he only ever intended to use him for 70 minutes, but the Spaniard has basically conceded. Gerrard has done everything.
    • 70' Kewell goes close, volleying just wide of the far post from the edge of the box! Just inches away.
    • 67' GOOOAAALLL!!! It's 3-1!! Reading come away on the break and James Harper is clean through. He rounds Reina and slots home left-footed. Great goal, but where on earth were the Liverpool defenders?
    • 66' Off the bar from Gerrard!! What a strike from the Liverpool captain, rattling the frame of the goal from 30 yards!
    • 64' Doyle unleashes a fizzing half-volley from 25 yards but it would have had to be an unbelievable strike to beat Reina, and it slides over.
    • 62' Gerrard, whose foul led to the goal, fires a long shot that Hahnemann saves with relative ease.
    • 61' Torres comes off after picking up that knock from Sonko and on comes Harry Kewell.
    • 60' GOAL!!! Shorey delivers the free-kick into the box, it gets the slightest touch off Doyle and bounces in! Reading back in front!!
    • 59' Referee Marriner finally reaches for the cards after Gerrard brings down Hunt from behind!
    • 56' Gerrard tees it up for RIISE!! Pacy, swerving effort, but Hahnemann parries for a corner.
    • 55' Torres returns to the fray as Voronin is updended. Gerrard may fancy a shot from here, or Riise.
    • 53' Torres cuts in from the right and is chopped from behind by Sonko. NO PENALTY!! The Reading man got the slightest touch on the ball but it was pretty rash. Torres stays down and requires treatment on the touchline.
    • 52' Riise swings a free-kick in from the right and Hobbs beats the offside trap before slicing wildly over the top! Great run, terrible finish.
    • 51' Hahnemann slices an attempted clearance almost straight up in the air. Well, he just about manages to find touch, but it's a Liverpool throw deep inside the Reading half.
    • 49' A real chance for Torres, who glances a diving header just wide. He says he was being tugged back, referee Marriner disagrees.
    • 47' Torres crosses dangerously Murty is forced to concede a corner. Once again the delivery is poor and Hahnemann makes a simple catch.
    • 46' Second half at the Madejski Stadium, with no changes from either manager. It hasn't been a great game so far, let's hope for better in second period.
    • 45+3' That's half-time. For those Liverpool fans with one eye on Tuesday night, Marseille have just beaten Monaco 2-0.
    • 45+2' The free-kick comes to nothing and Liverpool break.. Sissoko is bundled over but nothing doing.
    • 45+1' Sissoko fouls Convey and is lucky not to be booked. A chance for Reading to go in front on the stroke of half-time.
    • 43' That's more like it. Voronin gets a shot in from wide on the right and Hahnemann parries for a corner.
    • 42' It's been a strange game. Plenty of commitment and the like by a strange lack of genuine action. Ho hum.
    • 38' Big penalty shout from Liverpool as Torres goes down.. and Andre Marriner says no! The replay shows Sonko got a nibble of him. Liverpool unlucky with two penalty decisions.
    • 36' Torres nearly dribbles into a shooting position on the right side of the box but Gunnarsson nicks the ball off him with Ingimarsson for backup.
    • 34' Cliche time: Goals really do change a game. Liverpp; have been right on top since levelling, albeit without creating too many chances. Well, any really.
    • 31' Riise delivers a free-kick from the Liverpool right... straight into the arms of Hahnemann. Poor.
    • 28' GOAL!! Liverpool are level, it's a goal from nothing! Torres controls a long Reina clearance and finds Gerrard, who slots low past Hahnemann! Reading made that too easy, with Sonko looking especially clueless.
    • 26' Harper delivers a low, bobbling corner from the Reading right. It is scuffed clear. Untidy stuff from both sides at the moment.
    • 24' Pardon the four-minute absence. To be perfectly honest, I was distracted by the mother of all goalkeeping blunders by Wolves' Wayne Hennessey against Burnley. Rest assured, you didn't miss anything.
    • 20' Hunt is operating on the right and looks lively, but he does have a habit of running down blind alleys. He comes away with Kevin Doyle but ends up rather isolating himself.
    • 18' Liverpool are unlucky to find themselves behind, but that is where they find themselves, and they must now dig themselves out of this mini-hole.
    • 17' Stephen Hunt steps up - not a confidence-inspiring sight - BUT IT SHOULD BE!!! He tucks it into the left corner, sending Reina the wrong way!!
    • 16' Penalty Reading!! Gunnarsson is brought down by Carragher right on the corner of the area... in fact the contact starts outside the box. A controversial one, that.
    • 14' The Reading corner is cleared but not decisively... it falls to Gunnarsson at the edge of the box whose low shot is straight at Reina.
    • 13' A pacy cross from the Reading right comes in towards Doyle, but Hobbs is there with an excellent defensive header for a corner.
    • 10' A pretty drab opening 10 minutes. No real action at either end other than that deflected Torres effort.
    • 7' A bright start from Liverpool. It is Voronin playing on the right wing, but Torres is also wider than normal in a sort of 4-3-3. Right, now Crouch is on the wing. Let's just call it 'fluid'.
    • 5' Torres sees an effort deflected and it spins... just wide! He had Hahnemann scrambling there!
    • 2' Jack Hobbs is in for Liverpool. Interestignly, he replaces Sami Hyypia, who is on the bench. It had been thought he would come in for Carragher because of that suspension risk.
    • 1' Off we go! It will be interesting to see how Liverpool organise themselves up front with Torres, Crouch and Voronin all starting. One would imagine that Voronin will play on the left flank...
    • - Despite Tuesday's Champions League decider at Marseille, Rafa Benitez has gone for a strong line-up, with key men Steve Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Jamie Carragher all starting. The latter is one yellow card away from missing next Sunday's game against Manchester United.
    • - Manchester United and Chelsea have won this afternoon - can Liverpool also maintain the pressure on leaders Arsenal?
    • - Welcome to Reading v Liverpool from the Madejski Stadium!

  • Team Stats

    Reading Stats Liverpool
    34% Possession 65%
    14 Shots 19
    4 Shots on target 5
    0 Saves 0
    7 Corners 7
    11 Fouls 10
    3 Offsides 4
    0 Yellow cards 1
    0 Red cards 0
    26 Tackles 28
    127 Accurate passes 322
    43 Bad passes 55

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Reading
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Marcus Hahnemann 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 6 0
      5 Ibrahima Sonko 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 2
      3 Nicky Shorey 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 12 8 1
      2 Graeme Murty 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 13 2 1
      16 Ivar Ingimarsson 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 0 7
      15 James Harper 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 12 2 2
      6 Brynjar Gunnarsson 0 1 1 3 3 0 0 25 3 3
      10 Stephen Hunt 1 3 1 1 1 1 0 7 0 2
      17 Bobby Convey 0 4 0 3 2 0 1 19 5 2
      12 Dave Kitson 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 15 8 2
      9 Kevin Doyle 1 4 1 1 2 0 0 6 6 1
      22 André Stéphane Bikey 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 3
      8 Leroy Lita 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      4 Khalifa Cissé 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      32 Adam Federici 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      24 Shane Long 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    • Liverpool
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      25 Jose Reina 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 3 0
      23 Jamie Carragher 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 29 5 2
      6 John Arne Riise 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 23 14 2
      17 Alvaro Arbeloa 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 28 1 3
      46 Jack Hobbs 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 22 0 2
      22 Mohamed Sissoko 0 3 0 3 2 0 0 34 1 6
      20 Javier Mascherano 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 53 11 10
      8 Steven Gerrard 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 31 7 1
      9 Fernando Torres 0 2 1 2 0 1 1 13 3 0
      15 Peter Crouch 0 2 1 1 1 2 0 18 8 0
      10 Andrej Voronin 0 3 1 0 1 1 0 25 1 1
      18 Dirk Kuyt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      7 Harry Kewell 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 12 1 1
      4 Sami Hyypia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0
      30 Charles Itandje 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      19 Ryan Babel 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 15 0 0

  • Summary

    • 90' Crouch hits the post!! He fizzes a real daisycutter but it bounces back off the woodwork and into Hahnemann's arms!
    • 67' GOOOAAALLL!!! It's 3-1!! Reading come away on the break and James Harper is clean through. He rounds Reina and slots home left-footed. Great goal, but where on earth were the Liverpool defenders?
    • 66' Off the bar from Gerrard!! What a strike from the Liverpool captain, rattling the frame of the goal from 30 yards!
    • 60' GOAL!!! Shorey delivers the free-kick into the box, it gets the slightest touch off Doyle and bounces in! Reading back in front!!
    • 56' Gerrard tees it up for RIISE!! Pacy, swerving effort, but Hahnemann parries for a corner.
    • 53' Torres cuts in from the right and is chopped from behind by Sonko. NO PENALTY!! The Reading man got the slightest touch on the ball but it was pretty rash. Torres stays down and requires treatment on the touchline.
    • 52' Riise swings a free-kick in from the right and Hobbs beats the offside trap before slicing wildly over the top! Great run, terrible finish.
    • 43' That's more like it. Voronin gets a shot in from wide on the right and Hahnemann parries for a corner.
    • 38' Big penalty shout from Liverpool as Torres goes down.. and Andre Marriner says no! The replay shows Sonko got a nibble of him. Liverpool unlucky with two penalty decisions.
    • 28' GOAL!! Liverpool are level, it's a goal from nothing! Torres controls a long Reina clearance and finds Gerrard, who slots low past Hahnemann! Reading made that too easy, with Sonko looking especially clueless.
    • 17' Stephen Hunt steps up - not a confidence-inspiring sight - BUT IT SHOULD BE!!! He tucks it into the left corner, sending Reina the wrong way!!
    • 16' Penalty Reading!! Gunnarsson is brought down by Carragher right on the corner of the area... in fact the contact starts outside the box. A controversial one, that.
    • 13' A pacy cross from the Reading right comes in towards Doyle, but Hobbs is there with an excellent defensive header for a corner.
    • 5' Torres sees an effort deflected and it spins... just wide! He had Hahnemann scrambling there!
    • - Welcome to Reading v Liverpool from the Madejski Stadium!

Live Team Line-Up

  • Reading

    Manager: Steve Coppell

    Captain: Graeme Murty

    On the Field

    • Hahnemann
    • Murty
    • Sonko
    • Ingimarsson
    • Shorey
    • Hunt
    • Harper
    • Gunnarsson
    • Convey
    • Doyle
    • Kitson

    Subs

    • Bikey
    • Lita
    • Long
    • Federici
    • Cisse

    Injured

    • Oster
    • Duberry
    • Little

    Suspended

    None

  • Liverpool

    Manager: Rafa Benitez

    Captain: Steven Gerrard

    On the Field

    • Reina
    • Arbeloa
    • Hobbs
    • Carragher
    • Riise
    • Gerrard
    • Sissoko
    • Mascherano
    • Voronin
    • Torres
    • Crouch

    Subs

    • Kewell
    • Hyypia
    • Itandje
    • Kuijt
    • Babel

    Injured

    • Pennant
    • Xabi Alonso

    Suspended

    None