Rafael Benitez saluted Fernando Torres after the Spanish striker climbed off the bench to fire his side within three points of the Premier League summit.
Rafa Benitez praises the Spaniard for his impressive display
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez saluted Fernando Torres after the Spanish striker climbed off the bench to fire his side within three points of the Premier League summit.
Benitez’s side were heading towards another frustrating Anfield draw before club record signing Torres climbed off the bench to score his eighth goal for the club.
Liverpool’s first home win in the league since September 1 was confirmed when Steven Gerrard scored a controversial penalty after Peter Crouch was adjudged to have been fouled by Carlos Bocanegra.
Yet until Torres’s goal in the 82nd minute, Fulham looked to be heading towards a crucial point as their Finland international keeper Antti Niemi produced a breathtaking performance to frustrate the hosts.
Liverpool head into the international break with confidence high. Benitez was full of praise for Torres, who had been an unused substitute in the 8-0 Champions League thrashing of Besiktas.
“The idea against Besiktas was to keep him on the bench, but today he was fitter than he was four days ago so he could be part of the team,” Benitez said.
“To see Fernando come back and score such an important goal for us was really good.
The other strikers have also done a fantastic job. Andriy Voronin had two or three good chances, but you must give credit to their keeper. I had confidence we would score because we were creating chances, but we had to be patient.”
Benitez admitted he had taken a risk by naming the same side that had faced Besiktas four days earlier. It was the first time in 13 months that the Liverpool manager, renowned for his tinkering, had decided against making changes.
Benitez’s side are now unbeaten in 13 games in the Premier League, a run stretching back to May 5 when they lost by a single goal at Fulham.
The London club rarely looked like winning at Anfield, but for long periods Niemi’s heroics looked like earning his side a crucial away point.
Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez said that his side were full value for a point until Torres’s introduction.
“We restricted Liverpool to long-range shooting before they decided to introduce a bit of talent from the substitutes bench,” said Sanchez.
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