Pressure on Benitez intensifies after shock Cup exit 14/01/2010 - 07:30:08
Rafael Benitez's position as Liverpool boss will come under even more pressure today following their humiliating third-round exit from the FA Cup.
In a season that has gone from bad to worse for the club - and Benitez - the Anfield crowd howled their anger after last night's 2-1 replay defeat, in extra time, to Championship strugglers Reading.
Liverpool's support has been solidly behind Benitez in a distressing season, but many in the main stand last night were hurling abuse at the Spaniard.
Benitez side-stepped questions about his job at Anfield as the club's season plunged deeper into crisis.
Liverpool were booed off following another demoralising night for the Merseysiders in a campaign that has seen them dumped out of the Champions League while languishing off the pace in the title race.
To make matters worse, Benitez will await scans on injured stars Steven Gerrard (hamstring) and Fernando Torres (twisted knee) after both came off.
Benitez said: "People have been talking about me for three months, I am used to it.
"All we can do is continue to work hard, to think only of raising spirits for our next match.
"Everyone is very disappointed, it was a massive competition that we wanted to do well in.
"As for me, I will continue to do my best all the time, we have to carry on, we have to improve.
"Not only do we have injuries now to Torres and Gerrard again, but Yossi Benayoun has a chest injury too.
"This has not been our best season. There have been good situations and bad situations. The only way to improve is to be confident and to continue to work hard."
Liverpool were ahead at the break through a Gerrard shot, deflected home by Reading defender Ryan Bertrand.
They held that lead until injury time when a disputed penalty was driven home by Gylfi Sigurdsson to force extra time, in which substitute Shane Long headed the winner.
Benitez did not want to talk about his own job, and Reading caretaker boss Brian McDermott admitted he forgot to ask chairman John Madejski about his own position after the club's first ever victory at Anfield.
McDermott said: "The chairman came into the dressing room after the game and he was overjoyed. I forgot to ask him about my job.
"But everyone knows that I want the job permanently, we will just have to wait and see what happens.
"I am just pleased for the club. It was a terrific performance. And I'm especially pleased for our fans who travelled up for the game in some terrible weather.
"I feared that we would be overpowered and overawed by the occasion. But we did really well.
"Watching the final minutes when Liverpool were throwing everything forward, I was frightened to death. So to win at Anfield is terrific.
"We showed great resilience, we defended magnificently and the team showed great confidence against a team with a great history, a great club.
"We stopped them playing, and I always felt we could win the game even when they were leading right at the end of normal time.
"Was it a penalty? I don't know, but the referee gave it so it had to be a penalty. And Sigurdsson was ice-cool putting it away."
