It was a cruel blow for Preston, who had won their previous three fixtures but remain eight points from safety after the loss at the Madejski Stadium with seven games left to play.

BBC: Sport - Football - Reading 2-1 Preston

With cruel irony, she was injured in a car crash on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles just three weeks before the American trials.

BBC: High jumps and high jinx

Three days ahead of the home meeting with United, Liverpudlians see the match as a cruel reversal of 1980s dynamic between the rivals.

WSJ: American Geniuses 'Fixing' Liverpool

It was a cruel blow for the home side, ranked 50 league places beneath their opponents, as they were only three minutes away from earning a lucrative replay.

BBC: Stevenage 1-2 Reading