Source: PA
Hodgson defends duo after draw
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson refused to blame Joe Cole or Jose Reina after Arsenal snatched a last-gasp draw in their season-opener at Anfield.
The Merseysiders' 10 men looked to have overcome the sending-off of new signing Cole as they clung onto a 1-0 scoreline entering stoppage time of a pulsating Barclays Premier League clash.
But late pressure from the Gunners finally paid off as Reina tried to grab the ball after Marouane Chamakh had hit the post and succeeded only in turning it into his own goal.
"We will look at the video again, maybe try to find out from the referee and experts if we do have a case for appeal," said Hodgson. "I don't want a frivolous appeal but Joe Cole has an unblemished record in his career. He has never been sent off and has very few yellow cards. Anyone who has watched Joe play will realise he is not the guy that goes in for blood-curdling tackles."
Reina's blunder came minutes after he had produced a fine fingertip save to keep out a brilliant Tomas Rosicky shot.
Hodgson said: "I thought he played well considering he didn't have an awful lot to do, but what he did came spasmodically. There were an enormous number of positives but the unfortunate negative was that he let in a goal which under normal circumstances he would have kept out."
