Rafa's relief after Reading draw

Rafael Benitez admitted he was relieved to get the chance to play again in the FA Cup after Reading gave Liverpool a scare at the Madejski Stadium.

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Steven Gerrard's cross-turned-shot earned the Reds a third round replay with a 1-1 draw after the Championship side had taken the lead from a set-play.

"I am disappointed because we didn't want to play more games but it was a tough game," Benitez told his post-match press conference.

"We have another chance at Anfield and hopefully we can play a little bit better.

"You could see it was a difficult game. They were pushing and working very hard from the beginning until the end, so we had to do our job.

"When we conceded, we knew it would be more difficult, but after we scored we had some chances, and they did too.

"They played really well. To play Liverpool live on television was a massive boost for them and they did really well.

"Credit to them but we are still in the competition and to play again at Anfield will hopefully be good for us.

"I thought we had some good movements and some bad movements, but credit to them as they worked so hard. It was difficult and also the pitch didn't help the game."

The boss reiterated his desire to help Liverpool go all the way to Wembley in a competition the Reds last won in 2006.

"We have two clear chances to win trophies with the Europa League and FA Cup," he added.

"We will try to do our best in both and also keep improving in the league. The FA Cup is a really important competition for us as our club wants to win trophies."

Meanwhile, Benitez was quizzed about Ryan Babel's future after the Dutchman was an unused substitute.

The boss responded: "We were thinking about using him, but the game was very close and they are very dangerous from set pieces.

"He has to work hard for us. He's our player and he will have his chances. At this moment we are not trying to sell him."

The manager was also asked about rumours linking Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy with the Reds.

"We are not talking about players but we are not trying so it will be very difficult," he said.

Questioned about other potential targets, Benitez added: "We are working hard. We have had some good conversations with some of them but my concern now is to have good conversation with my players."