RAFALUTION

Steven Gerrard netted his first Premiership goal of the season as Liverpool got back to winning ways in the Premiership with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Manchester City at Anfield.

The skipper struck with a venomous 67th minute long-range strike to maintain the Reds' impressive home record and seal a welcome three points against a stubborn City team.

Prior to the deadlock-breaking goal it looked as though this game was heading for a frustrating stalemate and there'd been little to report in terms of goalmouth action.

Peter Crouch, Gerrard and Luis Garcia had gone close during an uninspired first half but it was not all one way traffic and the visitors looked threatening whenever they attacked.

The contest came to life after the break and Bernardo Corradi fired narrowly wide before Gerrard's winner burst the back of the Kop net.

With City pushing forward for a late equaliser Pepe Reina twice saved the day with vital saves and Liverpool deservedly hung on to claim the points that sees them move two places up the Premiership table to 8th.

by Richard Jolly

It served as a microcosm of Liverpool's midfield: no sooner does Gerrard solve one problem than another is highlighted.

Without Mohamed Sissoko, he has been restored to his preferred position in the centre of midfield, but that means Rafael Benitez now has to perm two from his collection of unconvincing wingers. Jermaine Pennant maintained his place on the right and was on the receiving end of a Gerrard blast for his failure to support Finnan.

He may have neglected his defensive duties, but Pennant was still prominent.

One burst to the byline was an example of old-fashioned wing play. But when, minutes before, he had the presence of mind to lay the ball back to Gerrard, the resulting cross, bent in beautifully, was superior to anything Pennant produced and a reminder why Benitez appears to consider his captain his finest right winger.

A trademark Gerrard goal, displaying assurance with his finish after powering forward to meet Dirk Kuyt's clever ball after the Dutchman turned Alex neatly, showed why many consider him Liverpool's best central midfielder.

It was only Gerrard's second goal of the season, but that is two more than Pennant. Examinations of what his contribution amounted to, either in a defeat of PSV Eindhoven that was completed by a late Peter Crouch goal, or in his brief time at Liverpool, are inconclusive.

It may be an inappropriate description, given his colourful past, but the jury is still out on Pennant as, indeed, it is on Mark Gonzalez.

The Chilean's finest piece of play resulted in his departure. Accelerating past Jan Kromkamp with sufficient ease to provide a reminder why few lamented the sale of the Dutchman, he supplied the most inviting of crosses.

But for the awareness of Alex, Crouch would have had a tap-in. However, in the process, the summer signing hurt his hamstring and was stretchered off, head in hands.

Pennant switched flanks immediately, bur a reluctance to use his left foot meant he had a tendency to drift infield into a crowded midfield, and he had to return to the right while Luis Garcia roamed around the left.

Then, when Pennant's evening was curtailed by a hamstring spasm, enter Craig Bellamy as an auxiliary winger, the fourth of the night, while a fifth lurked infield as a result of other injuries.

When Xabi Alonso hobbled off disconsolately to join Sissoko on the treatment table, on came Boudewijn Zenden. He may prefer a central role nowadays, but his suitability for it is less obvious.

Sissoko can trace his heritage in the Liverpool midfield back to competitors of the calibre of Steve McMahon and Graeme Souness in a way the more lightweight Zenden cannot.

Benitez said: 'It was our idea to finish at the top of the group [which Liverpool have guaranteed now]. The first thing is that we are really pleased with the victory, but it came at a price.

'It was really difficult to manage in a game where you lose two players in the first half. In the end, we played with Bolo and Steve and two very offensive wingers and Luis was not 100 percent fit.'

And while wingers abounded, the contenders for the cross of the match were delivered by Gerrard and Finnan, opting for his left foot and headed inches over the bar by Crouch.

It is often said that, his height notwithstanding, Crouch is not a great header of the ball. This was an instant that shows he has both the leap and the technique to be; it is a consistent demonstration of such prowess that eludes him.

His goal, when it finally came, hardly required such finesse. Garcia, whose aptitude for the European stage is well established, delivered a deep cross that Kuyt headed back across goal and Crouch forced in from all of a yard.

It was his fifth European strike of the season and, by some distance, Crouch is Liverpool's leading scorer in the Champions League. It suggests continental defences are yet to understand the difficulties of dealing with his unique frame.

If Crouch is a one-off, his partner may not be.

Ignore the blond mop and concentrate on the way he uses his body to shield the ball and there is a hint of Mark Hughes about Kuyt. Certainly, like the Welshman, he seems capable of creating as many goals as he scores. At least Kuyt's many attributes, illustrated by his two assists, guarantee him a place in attack.

And in a team where there are few automatic choices, that is to his credit.

He stands in contrast to Liverpool's many wide men. Benitez began with too many options on the flanks. Because of three injuries, he ended with too few, but with the question of his first-choice wingers is still frustratingly unanswered.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Steven Gerrard
He dominated the first half but, after Alonso's injury, unselfishly adopted the anchor role in midfield for much of the second. 'The quality of Gerrard was outstanding tonight,' said Ronald Koeman, who is no mean judge. A demanding Benitez added: 'He played well, but he is a very good player and he can play much better. And he knows he can play much better.'

INJURY NEWS: Alonso was reported to have a dead leg, while Pennant suffered spasms in his hamstring. So Gonzalez, with a torn hamstring, is the most serious casualty. 'Two weeks, for sure,' said Benitez.

LIVERPOOL VERDICT: They merited their victory, but it was the kind of performance that both served to show why their record is so impressive at home and so lamentable away. It still remains to be seen quite what the sum of their many parts equates to.

PSV VERDICT: The left-back Carlos Salcido produced some wonderful passes with either foot and threatened Jose Reina's goal with a deflected, dipping effort from fully 40 yards. PSV has proved a fertile hunting ground for the European giants over the past couple of decades, and the Mexican could be the next to tempt them.

DID HE REALLY SAY THAT? According to our translator, Koeman commented that 'Liverpool is a different kettle of fish in comparison with Galatasaray and Bordeaux.' There may have been some licence with that translation.

by Team Talk 18 November 2006

Liverpool's wait for an away win in the Premiership this season will go after a 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough despite dominating the game.

The Reds at least left Teesside with a first away point since the opening day of the season, but they will feel they should have ended their miserable run of results on their travels.

Dirk Kuyt blasted wide before the break and Craig Bellamy saw a goal-bound header blocked by substitute Robert Huth before Daniel Agger forced a superb save from Mark Schwarzer with a 59th-minute piledriver.

And it took a magnificent goal-line clearance by Jonathan Woodgate to deny substitute Peter Crouch a late winner with an 83rd-minute header.

However, while Rafael Benitez's men were left to rue missed opportunities, they could have headed back home empty-handed but for a remarkable escape.

Jose Reina did well to block Jason Euell's close-range header but, when the ball fell to Aiyegbeni Yakubu in front of goal, he completely missed his kick.

The omens were not particularly promising for the visitors as they arrived on Teesside without a league win away from Anfield all season to meet a team which had already disposed of Chelsea and Everton.

Indeed, the Reds had won only twice in the Premiership at the Riverside Stadium in 10 attempts.

However, after an ordinary start, it was they who took the game to their hosts and created the vast majority of the meaningful openings in front of a much-improved crowd of 31,424.

Spanish midfielder Mark Gonzalez set the tone, cutting in from the left to fire a right-footed shot straight at Schwarzer with just three minutes gone and then curling a 20th-minute cross on to the roof of the net.

However, Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt perhaps should have put them in front a minute later when partner Craig Bellamy chested down Steven Gerrard's long ball, but he fired wide of the the target.

Gerrard, lining up in his preferred central role, had taken time to get to grips with opposite number George Boateng but, as his influence increased, so did the threat posed by his team.

Xabi Alonso fired wildly over on 32 minutes after Jermaine Pennant had laid off Bellamy's cross, but the former Arsenal midfielder forced a good save from Schwarzer six minutes later with a well-struck shot on the turn.

John Arne Riise warmed then goalkeeper's hands with a long-range piledriver, but still the Reds could not break the deadlock.

For their part, Boro enjoyed some success down the right, where James Morrison and Andrew Davies gave Riise a tough time, but with Yakubu again playing as a lone striker, Reina had to deal with a handful of dangerous crosses, but little else.

Boro boss Gareth Southgate was forced to make a change at the break when he replaced the injured Davies with Robert Huth. The £6million central defender slotted in at right-back and was to play his part within minutes.

Kuyt's appeals for a penalty after he went down under Boateng's challenge were waved away, but it was his side which enjoyed a remarkable escape on 53 minutes.

Yakubu found Morrison wide on the right and then made his way into the penalty area as Euell headed the winger's cross towards goal.

Reina got down superbly to block Euell's effort, but could only serve the ball up to Yakubu, who inexplicably failed to make contact with the goal at his mercy.

However, the visitors would have been in front on 55 minutes had Huth not thrown himself into the path of Bellamy's goal-bound header, and it took a fine save from Schwarzer to prevent Agger's long-range missile from screaming into the top corner four minutes later.

The Australian was the hero again after 68 minutes when he got down smartly to keep out Gonzalez's volley, and he was relieved to see Emanuel Pogatetz deflect Kuyt's cross wide of the post rather than inside it three minutes later.

Southgate rang the changes as he introduced Lee Cattermole for the injured Boateng and last weekend's match-winner Massimo Maccarone for Morrison, but they could do little to stem the tide.

However, Woodgate had to head off his own line after Crouch, on for Kuyt, got his head to a deep Gonzalez cross and looped the ball over Schwarzer.

The visitors hammered away as the clock ran down and Crouch saw another header saved in injury-time, but they could not find a way past the Boro defence.

from Liverpoolfc.co.uk

Liverpool were beaten by goals from Flamini, Toure and Gallas and Rafa believes at least two of the goals could have been avoided. He said, "We started well and we were controlling a lot of things, but when we conceded the first goal it was a problem.

"We made some mistakes. When you play against a good team with a lot of quality you have to be 100% all of the time, but we made big mistakes for the first and second goals."

And Rafa again lamented his side's failure to claim the game's pivotal first goal. He said, "We knew they would be a difficult team to play against and we knew it would be important to score the first goal, but we couldn't do it.

"It's clear we need to improve our away record. I have some ideas, but it wont be until next week at Middlesbrough when we see whether the improvement is there."

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger credited Liverpool's performance and agreed with Rafa's assessment when he said, "Liverpool played very well. The first goal was very important and if they had scored it, it might have been a different game.

Birmingham regained their pride but still bowed out of another competition at the hands of Liverpool as Daniel Agger's goal in first-half stoppage-time settled their Carling Cup fourth round clash at St Andrews.

Blues had been humiliated 7-0 on the same ground in an FA Cup tie last season - the lowest point of Steve Bruce's managerial career.

This tie was a far more competitive affair against a Reds side who made nine changes from the starting line-up against Reading at the weekend - although the visitors were worthy winners.

Several Birmingham players appeared to throw in the towel on that ill-fated March night but the current side showed plenty of effort and determination.

But Danish international Agger's second goal of the current campaign was sufficient to earn the Merseysiders a place in the quarter-finals.

Birmingham occasionally threatened and looked more lively when Nicklas Bendtner and Gary McSheffrey were brought on up front for the final half hour.

But Liverpool were by far the better side in the second 45 minutes and Craig Bellamy could have notched a hat-trick - and saw a penalty saved by Maik Taylor.

The first chance fell to Steve Bruce's side after six minutes when Cameron Jerome battled for the ball before it fell invitingly to Julian Gray - but he fired over the bar when Reds goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek should have at least been tested.

Liverpool threatened for the first time when Mark Gonzalez exchanged passes with Boudewijn Zenden before unleashing a fierce drive which flew inches wide of Taylor's goal.

Blues midfielder Mehdi Nafti became the first player to be yellow-carded a minute later after a challenge in the centre circle on Zenden.

Liverpool enjoyed a spell of concerted pressure and recalled striker Robbie Fowler completely miskicked when attempting to convert a cross from Lee Peltier.

Liverpool were forced into a substitution after 26 minutes when, after a lengthy delay, Mohamed Sissoko was stretchered off with what appeared to be a dislocated right shoulder after he had fallen awkwardly following a challenge by Nafti.

The visitors were looking more threatening and the impressive Gonzalez exchanged passes with former Blues favourite Jermaine Pennant after taking a short corner - and his powerful cross-shot was deflected just past Taylor's far post.

Birmingham produced their best chance of the opening half after 44 minutes when Martin Taylor made a run down the left flank before sending over a low cross for DJ Campbell to run onto but he was denied at point blank range by Dudek.

But in the fifth of seven minutes of stoppage time Liverpool finally went ahead through Agger, who had the space to lash the ball into the roof of the net from close range after the hosts had failed to deal with a corner from Pennant.

Liverpool suddenly stepped up a gear at the start of the second period and began to carve open the Birmingham defence almost at will.

A cross from Gabriel Paletta picked out Bellamy, whose shot lobbed up into the hands of Maik Taylor after he had initially gone down in anticipation of a low effort from the Welsh international.

Maik Taylor then had to scramble across his goal-line to keep out a fiercely driven effort from Gonzalez at the base of a post.

The Northern Ireland number one also dealt with a long range attempt by Zenden as Liverpool started to dominate proceedings.

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce made a double substitution just before the hour mark replacing the front duo of Jerome and Campbell with McSheffrey and Bendtner.

Liverpool had the chance to double their lead after 64 minutes when Jaidi was adjudged to have fouled Gonzalez after a surging run.

But Maik Taylor kept Birmingham in contention by comfortably saving Bellamy's penalty low to his left.

Bellamy appeared to miss his kick with the goal at his mercy from Zenden's low centre, before Nafti showed his frustration when being replaced by Fabrice Muamba - heading straight for the dressing room and kicking an advertising hoarding before disappearing down the tunnel.

Gray could have taken the game into extra-time when he shot straight at Dudek from close range, before Bellamy dragged a low shot across goal.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said 'we must cross our fingers now and wait' after Mohamed Sissoko suffered a suspected
dislocated shoulder in the 1-0 Carling Cup victory at Birmingham.

Sissoko was taken off on a stretcher after a challenge by Mehdi Nafti in the first half as the Reds went on to secure their quarter-final place thanks to Daniel Agger's goal before the break.

Benitez is naturally worried about the fitness of his midfielder.

He told Sky Sports 1: 'We feel it is serious. We cross our fingers now and wait.

'Really we need all the players in our squad, especially `Momo' because he gives us a lot of energy.

'I hope it is not very serious but I don't think so.

'It was a difficult game, we had some clear chances, they have had one or two but they gave us a good cup game. It was good for supporters.

'I felt the players worked really hard. I changed some players, there were some young boys there but we were good against a difficult team.'

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce added: 'We had two or three good opportunities - you have to take them but Maik Taylor kept us in it with the penalty save.

Blues' Mehdi Nafti showed his frustration when being replaced by Fabrice Muamba - heading straight for the dressing room and kicking an advertising hoarding before disappearing down the tunnel.

And Bruce continued: 'He was disappointed but we'll deal with him over the next 24 hours.

'There's always something going on - but it doesn't worry me at all.'

Tonight's result ended a run of five successive wins in all competitions - and Bruce's men return to Coca-Cola Championship action with successive home games against Barnsley and Wolves in their quest for promotion back to the Barclays Premiership at the first attempt.

Bruce added on Sky Sports 1: 'The league is the bread and butter - a cup run is lovely for everybody but we've got a couple of huge games coming up at home now.'

Daily Post 06 November 2006

BONFIRE Night is an occasion when most of us admire the spectacular as the darkening autumn sky is filled with bright colours.

But if Liverpool's two-goal hero against Reading on Saturday Dirk Kuyt is the showman who gets to light the fireworks and impress the fawning crowd, then Jamie Carragher is the bloke who risks doing his back in by lugging all the wood to build the bonfire.

Anfield stalwart Carragher became the first Liverpool player to reach 300 league appearances for the club this century at the weekend but - as you'd expect - he didn't make much fuss about the landmark occasion.

His manager, Rafael Benitez, says that if he had another two or three Jamie Carraghers in the side then Liverpool would be virtually unbeatable.

The question is - if you did fill your line-up full of JC carbon copies (unfortunately I think they broke the granite mould when the original popped up in Bootle in 1978), who would get the goals?

You see, Carragher is such a consummate team player that he seldom indulges in that very selfish act for a defender of abandoning his post to surge forward and nick a goal, even if he did rattle a header into the back of the Aston Villa net at the Kop end in his first Premiership start almost a decade ago.

Saturday's matchday programme noted how apt it would be for Carragher to mark the occasion by getting on the scoresheet, seeing as it's nearly eight years now since he bagged one in the Premiership - and even that was in a 7-1 romp over Southampton in January 1999 - a game in which he was eventually substituted for Bjorn Kvarme.

Putting such giddy hopes aside, I suspect that keeping Liverpool's first clean sheet in the Premiership since September was far more important for him.

This factor was exemplified in second-half stoppage time when, with the score at 2-0 and the game already won, Carragher was the only outfield Liverpool player in his own half when his side earned themselves a corner kick in front of the Kop.

The nature of football will always mean that the deeds of prolific strikers and creative midfield maestros continue to receive the lion's share of the plaudits.

But as a keen student of the game - I've been told that he drives his good lady wife nuts with the number of matches he watches at home - Carragher is intelligent enough to realise that on the whole his role is neither eye-catching nor spectacular but ultimately no less crucial.

Fans love a dedicated professional who will "play for the jersey" and Carragher never gives anything less than his all when he pulls on the Liverpool shirt.

Like all great sons of the city, he's a musical man too, with Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire a favourite tune for both himself and his father and you could imagine him jumping through one if it was required to achieve victory for Benitez's side.

If Steven Gerrard is the heartbeat of this Liverpool team, then Carragher provides the stomach for the battle.

The visit of Steve Coppell's Reading to Anfield was far from being the most taxing of Carragher's 300 Liverpool outings to date.

As a defender, coming up against solitary striker Kevin Doyle it was a relatively quiet afternoon - although he did manage to get in at least one crucial intervention beyond the call of duty to block one of the visitors' attacks.

Victory over a Reading side who have now lost their last five games was achieved in a no-nonsense routine manner for Liverpool.

While it was unspectacular, it was certainly efficient.

Dare I say, it was probably just the way Carragher would have liked it on his special day.

by soccernet.com

Liverpool's rehabilitation from their painful early season form continued apace with their fourth victory at Anfield in 11 days thanks to two goals from Dirk Kuyt in a 2-0 win over Reading.

They went go-karting in midweek for a spot of team bonding but they took a long time to get revved up as Reading set out to spoil from the start.

• Benitez hails Kuyt's work-rate

But the win stretched their unbeaten home league record to 22 matches, dating back 13 months to the hammering by Chelsea last October.

For Reading their early season promise is beginning to wane as they fell to their fourth successive league defeat.
Liverpool relied on two more goals, one in each half, from their Dutch summer signing as they toiled for victory.

Rafael Benitez's side were without Luis Garcia because of a hamstring problem and Mohamed Sissoko was rested on the bench, which meant Jermaine Pennant and Bolo Zenden came into a side unbeaten at home in the league for 13 months.

Reading, who lost 4-3 at Anfield in the Carling Cup last week, brought in Glen Little and Sam Sodje for their first Premiership starts.

And they started as if they had taken to heart Reading boss Steve Coppell's pleas that his team should not to be frightened of Liverpool.

Little got away on the right after seven minutes and found Bryn Gunnarsson 10 yards out but his crisp shot hit Jamie Carragher and bounced just wide.

That shocked Liverpool out of their initial lethargy and with Steven Gerrard back into central midfield they went ahead after 14 minutes.

Gerrard's neat chip into the box was nodded down by Peter Crouch and with Marcus Hahnemann in two minds whether to come for the ball Kuyt fired into an open goal from six yards.

For the rest of the first half Liverpool sought to string together their passes and another Gerrard flighted ball into the box was met by Kuyt's flicked header with Hahnemann saving well to his left.

Pennant tested the Reading keeper from 20 yards and then Jamie Carragher - on his 300th league appearance for the club - ventured into unchartered waters as he raced from the back to drive just over the angle.

Reading strung five across the back and left Kevin Doyle up front, attempting to deny Liverpool space, but it was an increasing struggle to halt the flow of the home side.

Kuyt had a long-range strike deflected wide and saw two headers bounce across goal, and Reading did well to survive until the break without further damage.

Carragher had to be sharp to force the ball away from Stephen Hunt in the box but Liverpool were soon back on the offensive with even Sami Hyypia coming forward to boost the attacking numbers.

Steve Sidwell was booked for dissent as Reading made the most of their best ammunition from set-pieces and there were some anxious moments in the Liverpool defence.

It was a horrible match to watch, lightened by another run from Hyypia which ended with another 20-yard shot flying just over.

Sodje was then booked for clattering into the back of Kuyt but it was no surprise when Mark Gonzalez replaced Zenden after 65 minutes in an attempt to add some variety and movement.

Gerrard headed wide from Pennant's corner before Ibrahima Sonko forced the ball home from a corner only for the effort ruled out because of a foul on Reina.

Liverpool's second goal came when Pennant's 73rd-minute corner was diverted by Crouch's head into Hahnemann and it dropped for Kuyt to force home from three yards.

It secured the points, albeit not with the sort of flowing style Liverpool would have hoped for.
Benitez hails Kuyt's work-rate

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez hailed the work-rate and goals of Dirk Kuyt as the Dutchman grabbed both in the 2-0 success over Reading at Anfield.

Kuyt took his tally to five for the season as Liverpool extended their unbeaten home league run to 22 matches.

'Kuyt always works, always makes great effort and shows the right level of commitment,' said Benitez of the Dutchman he signed from Feyenoord in the summer.

'He creates space for others and the partnership with Peter Crouch is working well.

'We have won four at home now but we know this form must be translated into our away form.

'Since the defeat at Manchester United (on October 22) we know we have done better and scored goals.

'Now we are away to Birmingham in the Carling Cup and then Arsenal in the league and we know we must improve on our away form.'

On Reading's determined performance to deny his side Benitez said: 'They are organised and work hard and I think they are good enough to stay up.

'But we expected five defenders and five across midfield and it was difficult to find space.

'When we got the second they had to come out and that left us with more chances.'

Reading manager Steve Coppell made no apology for his team's tactics.

'We are trying to bridge a huge gap,' he said.

'Liverpool are a tremendous team with great individuals and two seasons ago they were champions of Europe. At that stage we were in a different division.

'It is very hard to compete with that sort of quality. We needed to change the system and give us a strong foundation and to make life difficult for them.

'We had to keep it tight and see what happened. But you need a break, you need to get your noses in front and although we had a couple of chances, it didn't happen for us.

'We know we have lost four on the trot in the league, but I do not think of runs like that.

'When we started the season we did well but that was probably a coincidence of the fixtures.

'Now we have lost these last four. That too is a coincidence of the fixtures. We have had Arsenal, Chelsea and now Liverpool in that sequence.'

Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt is back in contention after sitting out the game at Portsmouth, but skipper Graeme Murty is unlikely to make his comeback.

The defender stays on the sidelines along with Dave Kitson, John Halls, Peter Mate, Simon Cox and Aaron Brown.

Reading keeper Marcus Hahnemann on playing at Anfield:

"No disrespect to other teams but it is better than going to Swansea, Southend or Burnley.

"We are going to Anfield. This is every kid's dream and we are still living the dream every day.

"One of the strongest memories I have of growing up was of John Barnes, Ian Rush and Bruce Grobbelaar playing for Liverpool against Everton.

"That's the stuff you remember and to have the chance to play in the huge stadium of Anfield is phenomenal."

Big-match facts

LIVERPOOL and Reading square up to each other for the second time in 10 days, with the Merseysiders looking for a quick double over the Royals, having knocked them out of the Carling Cup by the odd goal in seven.

The Reds go into this game high on confidence. Rafael Benitez named an unchanged line-up for the first time in 100 matches, and they duly delivered with a 3-0 home win over Bordeaux to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. It was Liverpool's third win in a row in all competitions, in a sequence that's seen 10 goals scored and four conceded.

The Carling Cup tie on 25 October was the first time these two clubs had met in any competition.

READING started their first ever season of top flight football impressively, with four wins and a draw from their first seven outings. But they go to Anfield on a three-match losing run in the Premiership, and a four-game string of defeats in total - including the Carling Cup reverse.

Steve Coppell's side would leapfrog their opponents with a win, which could consign Liverpool to a place back in the bottom half of the Premiership table.

The Royals are seeking their first ever Premiership points from the north-west. This first ever League visit to Anfield is their second top tier fixture in the region, following a 1-0 defeat by Wigan on 26 August.

Key players - Liverpool

Peter Crouch is Liverpool's top scorer with eight goals.

Craig Bellamy is a hat trick shy of 50 Premier League goals (Coventry, Newcastle, Blackburn and Liverpool).

Pepe Reina is the only remaining player to have figured in every minute of the Reds' Premiership matches this season.

If he plays, Jamie Carragher will be making his 300th Premiership appearance - all for Liverpool.

Suspended: Jerzy Dudek

Key players - Reading

Leroy LITA and Kevin DOYLE are Reading's joint top scorers with four goals each.

Ivar Ingimarsson, Steven Sidwell, Marcus Hahnemann and Nicky Shorey have been on the field for every minute of every one of Reading's Premiership matches to date.

now that we have won 2 games in a row... so let's start the ball rolling...

come on reds!

Rafael Benitez hailed Liverpool's advance into the next stage of the Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Bordeaux, but still managed words of reconciliation with former club chairman Noel White.

White resigned from his position as a club director tonight in the wake of the previously anonymous boardroom attack on the Anfield boss.

White was quoted last week in the media initially as an unnamed director, criticising Benitez's management methods.

That attack had cast a shadow over the build-up to this Group C match, eventually won convincingly 3-0 by Liverpool to retain top spot in the group on goal difference from PSV Eindhoven.

But hours before the match White had admitted he was the director involved, and offered his resignation.

Benitez said: 'It is a pity, I have not had a bad relationship with Noel White, and I am sorry this has happened. Now, though, I would prefer to look to the future.

'The important thing is the club, and such things as this do not normally happen here. This is a big club and there is a way of doing things here. But I am sorry that it has had to end this way.'

Benitez then turned to his side's victory, which puts them in the next stage with two games to spare.

He said: 'This is important for us, and it gives us the chance now to go on and win the group in our next match here against PSV Eindhoven. Then we can maybe make changes for the last game and give young players European experience.'

On the red card for Fernando Menegazzo, who headbutted full-back John Arne Riise, Benitez said: 'It was a headbutt and you could see the blood. You do not like to see things like that on the pitch, you prefer to talk about good football.'

And Benitez was delighted to see Steven Gerrard break his club goalscoring duck for the season, saying: 'Maybe now we can see the best of Steven, he will be calmer now he has scored. When you have finished one season with 23 goals and not scored for a few games, it does become something that prays on your mind.'

Bordeaux coach Ricardo Gomes blamed Fernando's red card for his side's demise.

Ricardo said: 'The sending-off for Fernando was the turning point, we were disappointed that Liverpool raced away from a throw and did not give the ball back to us after a stoppage. That was not fair play.

'But it was an incident that you cannot condone, in the end it gave Liverpool the extra man and the incentive to go on and win the game. Beforehand we certainly had a chance of an equaliser.

'Our plans to attack were not helped by losing (Marouane) Chamakh early on, it meant an inexperienced player going into a very important game.

'Now we are out of the Champions League, but we have two games left in the group and we must make sure that we qualify for the UEFA Cup by taking third place in the group.

'The fact that we have not scored in the Champions League shows that we are not quite ready yet for the higher level, but I feel that with some adjustments we will be much better in a couple of seasons.'