Crouch standing tall

Reading 1-2 Liverpool

Those who have a tendency to suffer from height discrimination struggle to cope with the notion that Peter Crouch is a top class striker.

Liverpool's in-form hit-man doesn't have a newspaper article written about him that does not feature the words 'beanpole' and 'lanky', while his inability to look good even when he is dressed in a designer suit fitted to cope with his unusual requirements contributes to his reputation as something of a comedy character, but the time for jokes are long gone.

His stunning hat-trick against Arsenal last weekend and another fine display here today confirmed what many of his admirers have been suggesting for some time - Peter Crouch is developing into one of the most effective and dangerous strikers in world football.

It's a bold statement that is bound to see the Soccernet mailbox filled with more hate mail than my controversial views on West Ham inspired last weekend, but ignoring the facts is a job for fools. Now that he has added consistency and a touch of composure to the natural gifts his towering frame provide him with, Crouch is showing the sort of form that inspired Rafa Benitez to being him to Anfield.

It was only in his absence for the recent Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Andorra that England fans who have criticised the 'big man' in recent years began to appreciate just how important he has become for his country and after an indifferent season at club level, he has come to the party at Liverpool just as they hit peak form.

Given the sort of run in the side he was denied for much of the campaign, Crouch is rewarding Benitez's recently found faith with a series of impressive performances and it took him just 15 minutes of this game at the Madejski Stadium to show that he is so much more than a leader of the line who provides an aerial threat.

Controlling the ball and assessing his options some 40 yards from goal, his perfectly weighted pass to the onrushing Alvaro Arbeloa carved Reading's defence wide open, with the finish provided by Liverpool's attacking full-back as impressive as Crouch's contribution.

The words classy and intelligent have rarely been attached to Crouch down the years, but that is just what he has been in recent weeks and there can be little doubt that Rafa Benitez's side are a better unit with their much maligned striker on board.

Looking a little jaded after his Champions League exertions on Tuesday night, Crouch's afternoon was cut short by his substitution mid-way through the second half. It was a move that proved to be crucial to Rafa Benitez's men as another replacement, Dirk Kuyt, popped up with a dramatic late winner to give the Reds maximum return from what developed into a thrilling game.

With both sides intent of securing the victory, end-to-end excitement thrilled the sell-out crowd in the second half, with Brynjar Gunnarsson's stunning effort shortly after the break looking set to earn the Royals a deserved point only for Kuyt to snatch a dramatic late winner.

Much of the credit for the excitement can be attributed to yet another impressive performance from Steve Coppell's Royals. Their ability to ignore reputations and tackle even the most illustrious opponents with vigour can only be commended and one man in particular stood out from their team of heroes.

Stephen Hunt's career was plunged into crisis after his innocent brush with Chelsea Petr Cech resulted in a serious head injury for the keeper back in October, but the Irishman has bounced back in the grand manner and earned the rare distinction of a standing ovation after just 12 minutes of effort against Liverpool.

Hunt put more effort into the opening few minutes of this match than many a Premiership star offers in an entire calendar month, with his determination to chase lost causes and passionate will to succeed a sight to behold.

It was as he chased back some 45 yards to wrestle control of the ball from Steven Gerrard that the Reading fans rose to their feet en-mass, offering him instant reward for what was a committed display and his drive set the tone for those around him. While this would ultimately finish in desperate disappointment for Hunt and his team-mates, the left winger who doesn't know the meaning of the word chasing a lost cause did not deserve to finish with nothing.

Reading manager Steve Coppell admits his side's determination to win the game may have cost them a draw and he couldn't hide his frustration as he met the media. 'The manner of this defeat is hard to accept,' he stated. 'I thought we deserved a point, but our enthusiasm to go all-out for the win sometimes counts against us. We don't draw many games and that may be down to a little bit of naivety.

'We have played a lot of the top sides in the last few weeks and pushed all of them close, but you look at the Liverpool bench for this game and realise they are just a bit better than us. They had players who could change a game and Kuyt did that with his winning goal.'

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was in jovial mood as he toasted a win that pushes his side a giant step closer to third place in the Premiership on a day when Arsenal crashed to a shock home defeat against West Ham.

'If we are sure of a top four finish by the time we get to a Champions League semi-final, then we will be in a very strong position, confirms the Spaniard. 'I would like to finish third and this win gives us a great chance to do this, but we have to give ourselves the best chance possible in Europe this season.

'Players like Steve Finnan and Steven Gerrard have played a lot of games and if we can give them a break ahead of big games in the Champions League, it has to be a help for us. Still, I'm always wary of giving Gerrard a rest. He will moan at me and say he wants to play every game and then the media will say there is a problem between us. I promise you if he does not play for one game there is no problem ok.'

With all the pieces of their jigsaw falling neatly into place at just the right time, Liverpool have every right to believe history could beckon for them in Athens next month. Their status as Champions League favourites is more than justified.

• MAN OF THE MATCH: Stephen Hunt - The Irishman displayed the sort of work rate and commitment that has established him as a Premiership star this season.

• FOOD WATCH: The Insider has been known to be critical of the cuisine on offer in press rooms, but the Reading catering team turned on the style themselves with a tasty beef curry.

• FACES IN THE CROWD: Comedy veteran Jimmy Tarbuck, talk show great Michael Parkinson and Cilla Black made an appearance at the Madejski Stadium. Russ Abbot of 1980s TV fame was also on hand, but he hardly counts as a celebrity these days.

• COPPELL COMEDY: The Reading manager missed his side's equalising goal as he was still in the dressing room after his half time briefing. 'I actually thought Liverpool had scored again, so I was pleased to be proved wrong,' he admitted.

• INSIDER VERDICT: This game was a triumph for two players whose careers have suffered plenty of abuse in recent years. Peter Crouch and Stephen Hunt showed they had star quality.

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