Liverpool held by Stoke after conceding in 90th
Liverpool conceded a 90th-minute equalizer at Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday, missing out on a morale-boosting victory after being dumped out of the FA Cup by lowly Reading in midweek.
Robert Huth grabbed the late equalizer for Stoke after Sotirios Kyrgiakos had scrambled in his first goal for Liverpool in the 57th minute.
It feels like a defeat, Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt said. We arent playing the best football at the moment but I thought we fought really hard for this result, and to concede in the last minute and even miss a great chance in the last minute is unbelievable.
Kuyt could have won the match in the final seconds of injury time, but headed against the post.
Liverpool, which remains seventh in the league, also conceded a late goal to Reading on Wednesday, forcing the FA Cup third-round replay into extra time when the second-tier club produced a winner.
Confidence isnt very high at the moment, Kuyt said. But we have to keep going and work really, really hard and come out of this as quickly as possible.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez made six changes to the side humiliated by Reading - four enforced by injuries to Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun and Daniel Agger.
Kyrgiakos, who joined in August, scored after Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen failed to catch Fabio Aurelios free kick in a crowded penalty area, allowing the ball to be poked home.
But Stoke leveled as stoppage time approached. Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher gave Huth the space to stab the ball home at the far post when Matthew Etheringtons corner was headed back across goal.
Among Saturdays later matches, leader Chelsea was hosting Sunderland and second-place Manchester United was playing Burnley.
A week after the program was virtually wiped out by freezing conditions in England, only Portsmouths home match against Birmingham fell victim to the weather.
The match at Fratton Park was called off hours before kickoff due to a waterlogged pitch - a result of the thaw.
