Benitez has revealed that the decision to include Fernando Torres in the Liverpool squad that drew with Manchester City was prompted by an injury suffered by David Ngog in training.
The Reds' number nine played the remaining 15 minutes of the stalemate at the City of Manchester Stadium after Ngog twisted his ankle on Friday and Benitez insisted that Torres' inclusion, after a month on the sidelines, on the substitute’s bench underlined his status as an impact player.
He said: "Fernando trained on Friday and he was really good. We also had a problem with David Ngog who twisted his ankle, so we decided to put Fernando on the bench as he is a player that can make a difference.
"Watching him in the training session he was really good and sharp, and that is a positive for me to take from today."
Despite the inclusion of Torres and Yossi Benayoun, Benitez expressed his frustration at his side's failure to make their chances count in the goalless draw at Eastlands.
He added: "It was frustrating we couldn't get the winning goal and it was a match where both sides didn't create any clear chances.
"I thought we had more possession than City but we were let down by the final pass in the final third of the field. That could have been the difference.
"It was a difficult game, as we thought it would be, and we have to keep going now until the end of the season.
"We could have had a penalty when Yossi felt he was tripped in the area but it wasn't to be. I was really pleased to have Fernando and Yossi back and that is a big positive to take from today.
"They have been really important players for us in the past and hopefully they can be really important in the future too. Both of them can make a difference in games."
The result leaves Liverpool in sixth place in the Barclays Premier League, with City above them and Aston Villa below on goal difference, with all three sides a point behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth and the Kop boss has emphasized the importance of building a winning run between now and the end of the current campaign.
"You also have to think about Tottenham and Aston Villa so the race for fourth place is between four teams. It's important we try and get three points from every game we play now and then we'll see what happens," he said.
"I have to think about the positives to take from today. We were strong and we had players coming back that will improve the squad."
The Reds' number nine played the remaining 15 minutes of the stalemate at the City of Manchester Stadium after Ngog twisted his ankle on Friday and Benitez insisted that Torres' inclusion, after a month on the sidelines, on the substitute’s bench underlined his status as an impact player.
He said: "Fernando trained on Friday and he was really good. We also had a problem with David Ngog who twisted his ankle, so we decided to put Fernando on the bench as he is a player that can make a difference.
"Watching him in the training session he was really good and sharp, and that is a positive for me to take from today."
Despite the inclusion of Torres and Yossi Benayoun, Benitez expressed his frustration at his side's failure to make their chances count in the goalless draw at Eastlands.
He added: "It was frustrating we couldn't get the winning goal and it was a match where both sides didn't create any clear chances.
"I thought we had more possession than City but we were let down by the final pass in the final third of the field. That could have been the difference.
"It was a difficult game, as we thought it would be, and we have to keep going now until the end of the season.
"We could have had a penalty when Yossi felt he was tripped in the area but it wasn't to be. I was really pleased to have Fernando and Yossi back and that is a big positive to take from today.
"They have been really important players for us in the past and hopefully they can be really important in the future too. Both of them can make a difference in games."
The result leaves Liverpool in sixth place in the Barclays Premier League, with City above them and Aston Villa below on goal difference, with all three sides a point behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth and the Kop boss has emphasized the importance of building a winning run between now and the end of the current campaign.
"You also have to think about Tottenham and Aston Villa so the race for fourth place is between four teams. It's important we try and get three points from every game we play now and then we'll see what happens," he said.
"I have to think about the positives to take from today. We were strong and we had players coming back that will improve the squad."
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