Reading	3 - 1	Liverpool
Scorers Hunt (pen) 17 Doyle 60 Harper 67	Half Time ( 1 - 1 )	Scorers Gerrard 28  Booked Gerrard 59

Reading’s second-half performance brought two goals which gave them a deserved victory and handed Liverpool their first league defeat. And at the final whistle it was a win they needed to help ease the pressure on Steve Coppell and give the Royals only their fifth league victory of the season.

Liverpool could consider themselves unlucky to go in level at the break after dominating the first-half. But they weren’t at their best as the home side kept up their impressive home record with a well-fought victory.

Jamie Carragher’s clumsy high challenge after 17 minutes appeared to be outside the penalty area but the referee awarded a penalty and Stephen Hunt scored from the spot to give the Royals an unlikely lead.

Convey found himself in space on the left and his driven shot beat Jose Reina but he saw his shot shave the top of the crossbar

But Liverpool kept pushing forward and Steven Gerrard deservedly equalised after 28 minutes when Torres squared the ball on the 18-yard line and Gerrard coolly slotted home.

Despite the Liverpool pressure, they couldn’t find another goal before half-time. But they could consider themselves unlucky not to awarded a penalty themselves when Ibrahima Sonko appeared to trip Torres clearly inside the box and the Spaniard was floored again by the same player in the second-half, but neither brought a spot kick for the visitors.

But Kevin Doyle’s glancing header put the hosts back in front a quarter of an hour into the second half as he met a Nicky Shorey free-kick.

Gerrard hit the bar as the Reds pushed forward but the hosts’ strength and width was the undoing of the Reds who couldn’t cope with their opposition.

And James Harper looked to have secured the points with a breakaway goal seven minutes later when he ran free of the defence and rounded Reina to slot into an empty net as Liverpool were in search of an equaliser.

Liverpool tried to find their way back into the game but Reading kept them out. Substitute Peter Crouch hit a low effort against the post after the ball had beaten the fingertips of goalkeeper Hahnemann.

Reading recorded their first ever Premiership win over one of the Big Four and it was a dubious decision which set them on their way. But they all count and it was Reading’s performance which won them the points.

With one eye possibly on the midweek clash with Marseilles, which will either make or break their European hopes, Liverpool were too sloppy in their play. Although they managed to get men behind the ball, they weren’t tight enough or strong enough to keep the Royals at bay. And going forward, at least earlier on in the game, gave away the ball too easily.

Reading: Hahnemann, Murty (Cisse 90), Sonko (Bikey 81), Ingimarsson, Shorey, Hunt, Harper, Gunnarsson, Convey (Lita 88), Doyle, Kitson.

Subs Not Used: Federici, Long.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher (Hyypia 82), Hobbs, Riise, Gerrard (Babel 71), Mascherano, Sissoko, Voronin, Torres (Kewell 61), Crouch.

Subs Not Used: Itandje, Kuyt.

Att: 24,022

Ref: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).

By Ben Hughes