Stevie can bank on a break after Kuyt strike

Manager Rafa Benitez expects his captain to dismiss the opportunity for some relief to a physique racked by the demands of a long and difficult season for both club and country.

Scroll down to read more:

But the offer will be made anyway now that Liverpool are third place in the Premiership and on their way to a spot in Europe's elite next season.

Benitez was hardly convinced by a performance that did not match the peaks of their last two victories against Arsenal last weekend and in Eindhoven in midweek.

After Brynjar Gunnarsson had equalised Alvaro Arbeloa's early goal, it was only the opportunism of Dutchman Dirk Kuyt that earned Liverpool the three points five minutes from time.

But that significant strike means Benitez will be able to rest Gerrard and others such as Steve Finnan, who have been equally productive for Liverpool since last August, to save them for the sharp end of the Champions League.

"Steven and others like Steve Finnan have played many games for us this season," said Benitez.

"At this stage, I do not want to talk specifically about what our plans are. You cannot be certain of what's going to happen. We must deal first of all with the Champions League and then consider the programme that remains in the Premiership."

One concern for Benitez must be the attitude of his Wales striker, Craig Bellamy. Hard as it may be to believe, he looked uninterested yesterday. That cannot be the case with places in Europe to play for, but Bellamy made little impact and five minutes after the restart Benitez decided enough was enough and replaced him with Kuyt.

Liverpool have been on a marvellous run since they thrashed Wigan by four goals in December, having won 12 of their 18 Premiership matches since.

Their confidence has been inflated further since the annihilation of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and PSV.

These are the results of a team on peak form and it is why nobody at Reading was expecting more than a fighting performance from their team.

That is precisely what they received.

Reading have been the surprise package of this season, comfortably tucked into eighth place with at least one eye focused on the possibility of a European place. That in any case may have been far too ambitious a target for a team who will need to improve the quality in their squad — a factor manager Steve Coppell is only too well aware of.

This was no classic and the goals suited the overall performance. A desperately poor free-kick from Reading's Nicky Shorey rebounded upfield far enough to be collected by Arbeloa.

The Spaniard worked a one-two with Peter Crouch and drove the final pass past keeper Marcus Hahnemann. It was his first senior career goal, despite spells in Spain with Real Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna, after just two starts for Liverpool.

Gunnarsson's equaliser came as a considerable shock to the Merseysiders.

The Icelander looked a little surprised himself. Was he trying to pass the ball or shoot? Either way, the ball rebounded off keeper Jose Reina's far post and over the line.

The match looked to be heading for a draw until Kuyt, left unguarded by substitute Andre Bikey, was given a free header which he directed away from Hahnemann for the winner, applauded from Reading owner John Madejski's VIP box by Merseyside celebrities Cilla Black and Jimmy Tarbuck.

Coppell said: "I thought we deserved a point, so it's hard to take. We don't draw too many games and we have a tendency to over-commit to win at times." Then he added realistically: "The conclusion is we're not as good as the big boys. We don't have the flexibility to make changes as they do."