It is still a strange feeling for those at Anfield to genuinely still be 'in amongst it' even in November but Benitez demonstrated in the victory over West Bromwich Albion that he is unlikely to change his ways despite these heady times.
Firstly Robbie Keane was the player he chose to withdraw when he wanted to bring on Fernando Torres with just under 20 minutes remaining. That Keane, who has now been substituted 13 times and has completed just two games this season, had scored his first two Premier League goals and was enjoying his best display since arriving from Tottenham in a £20.3 million deal in the summer was considered an irrelevance.
The Spaniard bristles at the word "rotation", insisting that when other top managers do what he does, it is simply termed "making changes" but that will not dissuade him from resting Gerrard, who underwent surgery on a groin problem in August, in the coming weeks.
Such stubbornness is likely to serve Benitez well when he opens contract negotiations this week and he said: "I think Gerrard's level will improve with Torres available. It is clear that Stevie is a bit tired at the moment, but with Torres he will have another player that can benefit from the accuracy of his passing.
"I think Gerrard can improve, Torres will improve with fitness, and Fabio Aurelio, Daniel Agger and Javier Mascherano can all improve. We are in a very good position and we have enough quality in the squad to be there for a long time. Stevie needs a bit of rest. He was injured during the international break and it is important to try and keep players fit all the time."
Playing two in attack was seen as the antidote to the issues Liverpool have had at times at Anfield, where they have been held by Stoke and Atletico Madrid and have had to come from behind against Middlesbrough, Manchester United and Wigan this season, but teams rarely come to Anfield in a mood like the positive frame of mind adopted by Tony Mowbray's West Brom.
Actual chances were a rarity but in the opening half an hour they enjoyed long spells of possession in the Liverpool half, with Keane passing up the best early opportunity when he failed to make a decent contact with a shot after Mascherano won the ball on the edge of the area.
But just after the half-hour, Keane put Liverpool in front with a trademark bending run on the 18-yard line. Aurelio found Gerrard, who spotted Keane's clever movement that gave the Irishman a couple of yards of space in front of Jonas Olsson and he lifted over Scott Carson to open the scoring.
Just before half-time, Keane again benefited from a defensive lapse as Olsson played him onside as he chased Aurelio's long ball down the left flank. Keane's first touch took him around Carson and he slipped the ball into an empty net.
West Brom continued to press but their best opportunities were hopeful efforts from Robert Koren before Alvaro Arbeloa's second Liverpool goal, a curling shot in added time, completed the scoring.
With 10 goals and 11 points from West Brom's opening 12 games, Mowbray acknowledges that a failure to make the most of spells of dominance is his team's current downfall, although he concedes that he will not have the kind of money to buy a player that guarantees goals in the new year.
He said: "It's very difficult to find someone with a proven goal-scoring record a club like ours can afford. Come January we will hopefully make additions, but proven goal scorers at this level are not going to be available."
Firstly Robbie Keane was the player he chose to withdraw when he wanted to bring on Fernando Torres with just under 20 minutes remaining. That Keane, who has now been substituted 13 times and has completed just two games this season, had scored his first two Premier League goals and was enjoying his best display since arriving from Tottenham in a £20.3 million deal in the summer was considered an irrelevance.
The Spaniard bristles at the word "rotation", insisting that when other top managers do what he does, it is simply termed "making changes" but that will not dissuade him from resting Gerrard, who underwent surgery on a groin problem in August, in the coming weeks.
Such stubbornness is likely to serve Benitez well when he opens contract negotiations this week and he said: "I think Gerrard's level will improve with Torres available. It is clear that Stevie is a bit tired at the moment, but with Torres he will have another player that can benefit from the accuracy of his passing.
"I think Gerrard can improve, Torres will improve with fitness, and Fabio Aurelio, Daniel Agger and Javier Mascherano can all improve. We are in a very good position and we have enough quality in the squad to be there for a long time. Stevie needs a bit of rest. He was injured during the international break and it is important to try and keep players fit all the time."
Playing two in attack was seen as the antidote to the issues Liverpool have had at times at Anfield, where they have been held by Stoke and Atletico Madrid and have had to come from behind against Middlesbrough, Manchester United and Wigan this season, but teams rarely come to Anfield in a mood like the positive frame of mind adopted by Tony Mowbray's West Brom.
Actual chances were a rarity but in the opening half an hour they enjoyed long spells of possession in the Liverpool half, with Keane passing up the best early opportunity when he failed to make a decent contact with a shot after Mascherano won the ball on the edge of the area.
But just after the half-hour, Keane put Liverpool in front with a trademark bending run on the 18-yard line. Aurelio found Gerrard, who spotted Keane's clever movement that gave the Irishman a couple of yards of space in front of Jonas Olsson and he lifted over Scott Carson to open the scoring.
Just before half-time, Keane again benefited from a defensive lapse as Olsson played him onside as he chased Aurelio's long ball down the left flank. Keane's first touch took him around Carson and he slipped the ball into an empty net.
West Brom continued to press but their best opportunities were hopeful efforts from Robert Koren before Alvaro Arbeloa's second Liverpool goal, a curling shot in added time, completed the scoring.
With 10 goals and 11 points from West Brom's opening 12 games, Mowbray acknowledges that a failure to make the most of spells of dominance is his team's current downfall, although he concedes that he will not have the kind of money to buy a player that guarantees goals in the new year.
He said: "It's very difficult to find someone with a proven goal-scoring record a club like ours can afford. Come January we will hopefully make additions, but proven goal scorers at this level are not going to be available."
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