Fernando Torres returned to goalscoring form last night in Spain’s 3-0 win over Chile.
It was the Liverpool forward’s first goal since his return from the hamstring injury that he sustained on international duty in early October.
And in a further boost to manager Rafael Benitez’s preparations for the visit of Fulham this Saturday, he saw all five of his Spanish internationals come through without picking up injuries.
Xabi Alonso and Albert Riera completed full 90 minutes while goalkeeper Pepe Reina played the second half after replacing Iker Casillas.
Right-back Alvaro Arbeloa also made an appearance just past the hour mark before Torres scored just nine minutes after replacing David Villa 12 minutes into the second half. But Benitez’s main concern was welcoming Torres back with his fitness intact after being injured on international duty three times during his Liverpool career.
Meanwhile, Martin Skrtel has revealed his determination to fight to regain his place in the Liverpool back line when he returns from injury.
The Slovakian defender has earmarked the Christmas period as a realistic target for his return following his spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
He said: “Daniel and Sami are excellent players and they are playing well.
“It will be difficult to get back into the team but I am working hard and I will do my best to impress the coach and fight for my place back.
“I am sad that I am not currently part of the team but I am happy that we are winning and at the end of the day it is the goal of all of us to win matches.
“Being at the top of the Premier League gives us a lot of confidence. We are trying to win every game and hopefully our form can continue for as long as possible.
“Of course I would like to win some silverware but it’s still early and there is a long time to go until the end of the season.”
Skrtel, who joined Liverpool from Zenit St Petersburg in January, admits that he is happy with the schedule of his recovery – because the initial impact of the injury at Eastlands left him feeling he would be out for much longer.
“The injury is much better,” Skrtel said. “It has been six weeks since the injury and I have stopped using the crutches, but obviously I have work to do in order to get the ligament back to what it was before.
“The pain when it happened was huge and I thought it was much worse than it actually was. Once I was back in the changing room I realised it was not as serious as I first feared.
“The first week or two was the worst but then I started to look forward to doing exercises that helped me to heal and speed up the recovery process.”
As for a likely return date, the Slovakian international is still hopeful he will achieve his initial target of a run-out during the Christmas programme.
“I don’t know exactly the date but the predictions were for before Christmas and I am hoping it is as soon as possible.
“It has been a long time. I can’t wait to start kicking a ball again and resume full training,” he added.
It was the Liverpool forward’s first goal since his return from the hamstring injury that he sustained on international duty in early October.
And in a further boost to manager Rafael Benitez’s preparations for the visit of Fulham this Saturday, he saw all five of his Spanish internationals come through without picking up injuries.
Xabi Alonso and Albert Riera completed full 90 minutes while goalkeeper Pepe Reina played the second half after replacing Iker Casillas.
Right-back Alvaro Arbeloa also made an appearance just past the hour mark before Torres scored just nine minutes after replacing David Villa 12 minutes into the second half. But Benitez’s main concern was welcoming Torres back with his fitness intact after being injured on international duty three times during his Liverpool career.
Meanwhile, Martin Skrtel has revealed his determination to fight to regain his place in the Liverpool back line when he returns from injury.
The Slovakian defender has earmarked the Christmas period as a realistic target for his return following his spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
He said: “Daniel and Sami are excellent players and they are playing well.
“It will be difficult to get back into the team but I am working hard and I will do my best to impress the coach and fight for my place back.
“I am sad that I am not currently part of the team but I am happy that we are winning and at the end of the day it is the goal of all of us to win matches.
“Being at the top of the Premier League gives us a lot of confidence. We are trying to win every game and hopefully our form can continue for as long as possible.
“Of course I would like to win some silverware but it’s still early and there is a long time to go until the end of the season.”
Skrtel, who joined Liverpool from Zenit St Petersburg in January, admits that he is happy with the schedule of his recovery – because the initial impact of the injury at Eastlands left him feeling he would be out for much longer.
“The injury is much better,” Skrtel said. “It has been six weeks since the injury and I have stopped using the crutches, but obviously I have work to do in order to get the ligament back to what it was before.
“The pain when it happened was huge and I thought it was much worse than it actually was. Once I was back in the changing room I realised it was not as serious as I first feared.
“The first week or two was the worst but then I started to look forward to doing exercises that helped me to heal and speed up the recovery process.”
As for a likely return date, the Slovakian international is still hopeful he will achieve his initial target of a run-out during the Christmas programme.
“I don’t know exactly the date but the predictions were for before Christmas and I am hoping it is as soon as possible.
“It has been a long time. I can’t wait to start kicking a ball again and resume full training,” he added.
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