REDS UPDATES: BENITEZ HAILS REDS' FOCUS

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez praised his side's ability to ignore the distractions of the Champions League and secure a battling 2-1 victory over Reading.

Dirk Kuyt came off the bench to head home the winner with five minutes remaining at he Madejski Stadium after Reading's Brynjar Gunnarson had cancelled out Alvaro Arbeloa's first-half opener.

Liverpool face PSV Eindhoven in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night having secured a 3-0 lead in Holland last week.

And Benitez said: "It was difficult after a Champions League game and with the players focusing on the Champions League.

"It was difficult to play against a physical team who were pressing and working hard to the end. The players have done a very good job.

"We knew the experience Manchester United had here when they were winning 3-0 after six minutes and then Reading came back to make it 3-2."

The win strengthened Liverpool's chances of finishing in the top four of the Barclays Premiership and securing Champions League qualification.

Benitez said: "Hopefully we will reach the semi-final of the Champions League and I hope we can be sure we are in the top four so we can concentrate on that."

Xavi Alonso was rested as a precaution but is expected to be fit for the PSV game - and Benitez vowed not to rest any players despite Liverpool's lead.

"Xavi had a kick to the calf. He said he was OK but we preferred not to risk him," said Benitez.

"These kind of games are difficult. Sometimes teams say, 'OK, the job is done'. But we have to be careful."

Reading manager Steve Coppell rued the late lapse in concentration which allowed Liverpool to snatch the victory.

"I thought we deserved a point and to lose the game and concede the goals the way we did is hard to take," he said.

"For the first [scored on the counter-attack by Arbeloa] it was our free-kick and we had six in a line trying to attack it, three on ball and only one other player with any depth.

"I could see it wasn't set up right. Perhaps it was our naivety and urge to win the game that undid us.

"Sometimes we have that over-commitment to win games and attack too much. We need to be a bit more circumspect.

"We got ourselves into a mess for the second one and collectively it was a poor goal."