Long dumps Reds out of cup

Reading stunned Liverpool by dumping them out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over the Reds in their third round replay at Anfield.

Liverpool opened the scoring just before half-time as Steven Gerrard's cross deflected in off Ryan Bertrand. The Reds looked to be cruising, before Gylfi Sigurdsson equalised in the dying moments of normal time from the penalty spot.

Substitute Shane Long scored the winning goal in front of the Kop in the first half of extra time.

Liverpool were on top in the early stages, but didn't manage to create a clear opening in the first ten minutes, despite a good Fernando Torres pass to Gerrard on the right flank that came to nothing.

It was Reading that had the first shot on goal, with Gylfi Sigurdsson trying his luck from a free kick from 25 yards in the ninth minute. Deputising 'keeper Diego Cavalieri scrambling to his right and pushed the curling strike wide of the post and out for a corner. The resulting corner found Grzegorz Rasiak, but the Polish striker headed wide of the target.

Rasiak had a glorious chance to open the scoring in the 22nd minute, Simon Church ran into the right channel and faced up to Daniel Agger. The 21-year-old striker tricked the Dane and ran back inside, crossing low towards the back post. Jamie Carragher was on the cover but missed his kick and the ball fell to Rasiak, he struck the ball back across goal but his strike was well wide. Cavalieri was stranded.

Reading sprang on the counter-attack minutes later with Jobi McAnuff breaking away from Lucas Leiva down the right. The Englishman whipped the ball towards the front post and Church nearly met the cross with a diving header, missing contact by millimetres.

Torres was struggling and had to withdrawn before half an hour was on the clock, to be replaced by David Ngog. The injury to the Spaniard didn't seem to be too serious, as he jogged off the pitch quite briskly.

Yossi Benayoun had a brilliant attempt on goal in the 41st minute, Phillipp Degen drove in from the right and laid the ball off to the Israeli, who was positioned on the edge of the penalty area. As the ball arrived, Benayoun struck first time with his right foot, hitting a curling strike towards the right-hand top corner. The 'keeper was beaten, but Benayoun's shot just missed the target.

Liverpool scored in stoppage time of the first half. The Reds shifted the ball out wide to Gerrard on the right after Reading cleared from a corner, the Liverpool skipper drove into the box and the ball came to Ngog after a challenge on the Englishman. The Frenchman played the ball back to Gerrard, who had continued his run, and he tried to cross the ball. It deflected off Bertrand and diverted beyond Adam Federici at the near post: 1-0 to Liverpool.

Gerrard didn't emerge for the second half, and was replaced by Ryan Babel. This was again precautionary, with the English international feeling a twinge in his hamstring during the break.

Degen was booked for simulation in the 53rd minute, he drove into the penalty area from the right and went down under contact after trying to cut back towards his own goal. It was a tame attempt and referee Phil Dowd immediately reached for his yellow card.

Liverpool constructed a decent move from right to left, with Degen bringing the ball forward from the back and passing possession onto Dirk Kuyt in the middle. The Dutchman quickly shifted the ball out to the left flank for Benayoun, who had found space. The Israeli dribbled into the penalty area and went for goal, shooting from the left of the box, but his shot was wide and didn't trouble the 'keeper.

Babel won Liverpool a free-kick on the edge of the box. Alberto Aquilani stepped up and tried to curl his shot over the wall, but didn't get the height needed. The rebound fell to Agger who hammered wide of the right-hand post with his left foot.

Reading were holding an increasingly high line and Liverpool tried to exploit this with two through balls. Neither of these had the right effect for the Reds, Babel was flagged offside from a Benayoun pass, before Kuyt lobbed the ball forward for Ngog to chase down the left channel. The Frenchman recovered the ball, and Liverpool worked it to Aquilani in the penalty area, but the Italian turned down a blind alley and lost possession.

The Royals tried to break quickly from this attack, but Daniel Agger slid in with a solid challenge to stop McAnuff in his tracks on the right wing. It was a shame for Reading, as Church had made a good run in the middle.

McAnuff almost scored a stunning goal for the Royals. He picked the ball up in his own half and dribbled at the heart of the Reds defence, in two touches he navigated two defenders with brilliant footwork and was baring down on Cavalieri in the Liverpool goal. The 28-year-old did everything right, feigning a shot to commit the 'keeper, and then slotting the ball towards the bottom right-hand corner. Unfortunately, the ball rolled agonisingly wide of the target, slipping just past the wrong side of the post.

Reading had another chance to equalise in the 85th minute, Brynjar Gunnarsson nut-megged his marker and crossed into the box from the right. Church was unmarked in the middle and had a free header on goal, but the 21-year-old mistimed his jump and sent his header well over the crossbar.

The visitors had a penalty in the second minute of stoppage time, Benayoun clipped substitute Shane Long on the edge of the box and the 22-year-old accepted the invitation, tumbling to the deck. The referee pointed to the spot and Sigurdsson calmly dispatched the penalty into the bottom left-hand corner: 1-1.

Liverpool looked to be on the ascendency in extra time but it was Reading that struck the first blow. Gunnarsson turned cutely on the right flank and then nut-megged his marker for the second time in the game. The Icelander then delivered into the box where his cross was met by Long, who headed into the left-hand corner of the goal: 2-1 to Reading with 100 minutes played.

Benayoun was clean through in the final minute of the first half of extra time, the Israeli beat the offside trap and ran through for a one-on-one with Federici. Benayoun bottled the chance, scuffing his shot straight at the Reading 'keeper.

Liverpool pushed forward looking for an equaliser in the second half. Aquilani went tumbling in the penalty area, but the referee turned away the home side's claims. Jamie Carragher smashed over the crossbar from 25 yards as the Reds became increasingly desperate, before Ngog fluffed a decent opening in the penalty area.

Reading should have scored a third in the dying moments as they broke on Liverpool with two me over. Jimmy Kebe was played into the right-hand side of the box but lacked the composure to finish the chance, trying to turn Carragher but wasting the opportunity.

Liverpool couldn't take advantage of two minutes of stoppage time and failed to find an equaliser. Rafael Benitez's side were dumped out of the FA cup, with their domestic season looking to be in tatters.

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