Rafa Benitez used a 4-2-1-3 formation against Reading - where did that come from? The Liverpool boss under-estimated Steve Coppell's men and paid the price. Why risk Jamie Carragher and rest Sami Hyypia? Why not use the Harry Kewell from the start with Ryan Babel and then, when we were were down 2-1, start making changes with the aim of resting players?

You do not sub match-winners like Steve Gerrard and Fernando Torres when you're trailing - this suggests Benitez was willing to lose the game from the onset. If that was the plan, then he might as well have fielded the reserve team.

Having said that,  the referee was a total wreck with his decisions - but since we have benefited from decisions in the past, I feel this game evened those out. If we had had some luck or the ref had been slightly fair, then the game would have been over in the first half. But if we want to win the league, we should not rely on the officials to do us any favours. Had we gone to Reading with the intention of winning or taken the opposition seriously, we would have won hands down. But then, who can guess what Rafa is thinking ?

'Had we gone to Reading with the intention of winning or taken the opposition seriously, we would have won hands down'


With Arsenal also losing, there are no unbeaten teams in the Premier League and the top four have occupied their respective positions. We shall see the true picture come January.

As for my fellow Liverpool fans - do not lose heart.  Reading was a blip, a wake-up call. Normal service will resume on December 16 after we have secured our slot in the knock-out stages of the Champions League.