Hulse sorry for Crouch blow

Rob Hulse has praised Peter Crouch for the passion he showed against Sheffield United.

The Liverpool striker was caught by Hulse's boot midway through the first half and had to be substituted straight away.

It was later confirmed that Crouch had broken his nose, and he is now doubtful for the Premiership clash with Manchester United this weekend.

Hulse says he was unable to apologise to Crouch in person at Anfield but was told by Liverpool's backroom staff that he had been forgiven for the incident.

"You never like to see anything like that. The ball came in from the corner and he dipped down to head the ball in, but as I've gone to volley it away I've hit the ball and his head at the same time," Hulse recalled.

"I could see straight away he was quite badly injured and of course he was taken off.

"I went to the Liverpool dressing room after the game, but he had gone.

"I spoke to the staff and they said not to worry - it wasn't a problem. It was just one of things in football and that Peter was fine."

Crouch's injury was overshadowed by the kick John Terry took to the face in the Carling Cup final on Sunday, which left the Chelsea defender unconscious.

And Hulse believes both Terry and Crouch deserve praise for their bravery.

"It shows passion that a player is willing to put his head into certain areas to score," explained the Sheffield United forward.

"As a fan you want to see that. You don't want people ducking out.

"What happened is not nice to see, but that is the way it is in football. You run the risk of taking knocks like that."