Crouch was provoked into tackle: Benitez

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez claimed Peter Crouch was provoked into his two-footed challenge on Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi which earned him a red card last night.

The dismissal for the England forward capped a miserable night for the Reds, who lost 2-0 in the Carling Cup quarter-final clash at Stamford Bridge with the Blues’ goals coming from Frank Lampard and Andriy Shevchenko.