[KingEros]

RAFA: DECISIONS WENT AGAINST US
Paul Hassall at the Madejski Stadium 08 December 2007

Rafa Benitez blamed a combination of poor refereeing and missed opportunities as Liverpool slumped to their first Premier League defeat of the season at Reading.

The hosts took the lead courtesy of a controversial Stephen Hunt penalty and after Steven Gerrard levelled for the Reds, they were denied a spot-kick of their own when Fernando Torres was brought down by Ibrahima Sonko.

It was a moment that Benitez felt turned the game as Reading went on to secure the points with second-half goals from Kevin Doyle and James Harper.

"I'm not happy with the decisions," said Benitez.

"But we also had chances that we didn't take and maybe that was the key."

"The difference was that one penalty was given and one was not. But we had the chances and we needed to take them, but in the end we didn't."

The Reds manager also defended his decision to substitute both Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, admitting that with the Reds trailing late in the match, his thoughts had switched towards the key Champions League clash with Marseille on Tuesday.

"We were losing 3-1 and so I was trying to protect the key players for the next game," he said.

"We had quality on the bench and we tried to change things with different players who had pace.

"It is an important week for us now and we have the Champions League match to look forward to. We must approach it with confidence and try to win.

"Only then can we think about Manchester United because you know my idea is to take one game at a time. The target is now Marseille."

Well, some may think he's just being diplomatic or even finding excuses ... but seriously, a manager (especially not Rafa, especially when he's no longer the Yanks' blue-eyed boy) will not throw away a game ... furthermore, a manager can only do so much.
I honestly believe Rafa was of the opinion that playing most of his 2nd stringers would still overcome Reading at the Madjeski, especially since his other 2nd team did exactly that in the Carling Cup, earlier this season.
Again, as in the memorable Bury game, his players let him down on the pitch.