"We didn't play well but we had bad luck," said Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, whose team lost for the fourth time this season to slip to eighth place in the league. A red beach ball, floated onto the field by a Liverpool fan, played a large part in the club's misfortune. Sunderland's Darren Bent struck a shot that deflected off the ball and into the net. Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina appeared to have Bent's shot covered, but the deflection sent Reina the wrong way. The goal, coming in the fifth minute at the Stadium of Light, stood as the only one of the match. Referee Mike Jones, who didn't wave the goal off, will not officiate in the Premier League this weekend. Instead, he will work in the second-level Championship.

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