Rafa praises heroic Hawks
27 Jan 2008 - 11:56:16
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez paid full tribute to Havant & Waterlooville after their FA Cup fourth round heroics in front of a packed Anfield.
The Conference South side sensationally led twice in the game, before the Reds eventually won 5-2 to ease into the last 16 of the competition.
Afterwards, a relieved Benitez said: "Credit to them, they did everything they could and when they scored early on it gave them a lot of hope.
"We were very disappointing in the first half, our defending was not good enough.
"But in the second period we believed they could not keep their high tempo and that is how it turned out.
"When a team from their level scores twice at a place like Anfield, it means they can run further and for much longer. But the FA Cup is like this, it is a fantastic competition.
"From our point of view, we knew we had to improve in the second half, pass the ball better and show more movement.
"We knew they would be good at set-pieces, they were hoping for a breakthrough like that.
"After the break we were able to control the game and get the result, but again, credit to them, they were outstanding."
A proud Hawks boss Shaun Gale added: "I'm proud of my side to produce a performance like that.
"We were magnificent and for the Liverpool support to give us a standing ovation at the end was fully deserved.
"People laughed when we said we were going to come here and have a go, but we did just that. There was no point in just defending.
"The fears were that we could have got battered, but that did not happen and that is what has made me so proud of my team."