Agger, Torres & Mascherano Latest

Rafa Benitez has been boosted by news Javier Mascherano is back in training after recovering from a knock sustained against Arsenal at the weekend.

The Liverpool boss is also hopeful of having Fernando Torres back in two weeks, slightly less than originally thought.

Benitez said: "It is the same problem as before with Fernando. Hopefully he can be fit in two weeks.

"We thought he was ready for the Arsenal game and during the match I asked him two or three times if he was okay because clearly he wasn't fit. He is not the sort of player who normally gets injuries and that's the reason he didn't feel what he had. That was the problem.

"Javier is okay. He trained today and so we've had good luck with him."

Meanwhile, Daniel Agger, who hasn't featured since Portsmouth on September 15, is still 10-16 days away from a return following a metatarsal break.

Benitez added: "He is continuing to progress but with this kind of injury he needs time. I think we need to wait another 10-16 days."

Liverpool are still waiting news on Xabi Alonso, who is due to see a specialist today.

Double Boost For Benitez

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is hopeful striker Fernando Torres will make a quicker-than-expected return from a thigh problem.

The club's record signing was withdrawn at half-time in Sunday's 1-1 draw against Arsenal - on his return after missing two matches with an adductor injury - and it was anticipated he would be out for a further three weeks.

However, Benitez believes the Spain international may return sooner.

"It is the same problem as before with Fernando. Hopefully he can be fit in two weeks," said the manager.

"We thought he was ready for the Arsenal game and during the match I asked him two or three times if he was okay because clearly he wasn't fit.

"He is not the sort of player who normally gets injuries and that's the reason he didn't feel what he had. That was the problem."

There was better news on Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano, who hobbled through the closing stages of the draw against the Gunners with a bruised foot.

"Javier is okay. He trained today and so we've had good luck with him," Benitez added.

The Reds boss is still awaiting news on how long he will be without Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso, who is seeing a specialist about a broken metatarsal - his second of the season.

Centre-back Daniel Agger, who has not played since September 15 after also breaking a metatarsal, is still two weeks away from fitness.

"He is continuing to progress but with this kind of injury he needs time. I think we need to wait another 10-16 days," Benitez told the club's website, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

Aston Villa Linked With Record Bid For Liverpool’s Peter Crouch

According to widespread reports in England on Wednesday, Aston Villa are ready to break club record in their attempt to sign Liverpool striker Peter Crouch in January.

The Villans had signed attacker Ashley Young for club record £9.65 million from Watford during January this year.

Crouch, who has been a target for speculation since end of last season with Newcastle United linked to the England international, had been largely unsuccessful when he was with Villa from 2002-2004 scoring only six goals in 47 Premiership appearances.

He was then sold to Southampton, from where after a year he joined Liverpool.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has stressed time and again that Crouch firmly remains in his plans and he is not for sale.

Liverpool’s Carragher Tips Crouch To Step Up In Torres Absence

Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher has suggested Peter Crouch can step up to the challenge of replacing Reds’ record-signing Fernando Torres, who is out injured for three weeks.

Torres had made an instant impact after his switch to Anfield from Atletico Madrid in the summer. But an adductor injury, first in training for Spain recently, and then in the return to action against Arsenal, have laid him low.

Crouch, who has reportedly revealed his displeasure at not having enough opportunities this season after having been the top-scorer for the Reds last term, took the field in the second half against the Gunners as Torres was injured.

Carragher said in the Liverpool Daily Post: “Unfortunately we have picked up some more injuries. Torres will be a big loss, but Peter Crouch was excellent when he came on.”

Meanwhile Reds boss Rafa Benitez will learn the extent of Xabi Alonso’s metatarsal injury today, as the Spanish midfielder suffered the injury during his comeback against Arsenal after five weeks out with a similar injury.

Torres: I've Found My Mersey Paradise

Fernando Torres insists he has no intention of returning to Spain for a long time, after insisting he feels "comfortable" at Liverpool.

Torres quit Atletico Madrid - the club he had been at since the age of 11 - this summer to move to Anfield in a deal that reportedly cost the Reds a club-record £21million transfer fee.

It was a massive decision for the Spaniard to leave his hometown club, but now he is in England, the 23-year-old admits he cannot see himself going back to Spain at least until his six-year deal with Liverpool runs out.

"I am going to complete my contract with Liverpool at the very least. I am comfortable at this great club. Here you are respected as a great player," he said on Radio Marca.

"You are going to grounds with the feeling that you are going to win. I am not planning to return to Spain, neither now nor for many years.

"The support of the fans has been phenomenal. Here the people see you on the street and they greet you like a friend.

"In the stadia, when you are substituted at a rival ground, the public applauds you. It is certainly a different way of seeing football for me."

Torres, who has scored seven goals in 13 first-team appearances for Liverpool so far, is currently sidelined with an adductor injury he suffered against Arsenal at the weekend and is set to be out for around three weeks.

That could rule him out of Spain's potentially critical European Championship qualifier against Group F leaders Sweden on November 17.

Liverpool Boosted By Harry Kewell Return

Harry Kewell will make his belated return to the Liverpool first team for Wednesday’s Carling Cup clash against Cardiff.

The Australian winger has been sidelined since suffering a groin injury while playing for his country in the Asian Cup over the summer.

However, Kewell made a goalscoring return to action for the reserves at the weekend and now has the chance to prove he has a future on Merseyside following the summer acquisitions of Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun.

Liverpool are expected to rest several first-choice players, including goalkeeper Jose Reina, who has branded the injury crisis threatening to overwhelm the club's season as a "pain in the backside."

The Liverpool No 1 was dismayed to see his fellow Spaniards Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres sidelined after suffering recurrences of existing injuries in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal, and says the setbacks could hardly have come at a worse time.

Liverpool must beat Besiktas at Anfield next week to survive in the Champions League and they cannot afford to lose any more ground to Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League title race.

Reina said: "The injuries are a big problem. We have had far too many in the last few months. Now we have another injury to Fernando and another to Xabi.

"When important players are recovering and coming back into the side and then they get injured again, it is always difficult."

Liverpool are still waiting to hear how long they will be without midfielder Alonso, who has suffered a metatarsal fracture, while Torres is expected to be out for three weeks with a torn adductor muscle.

The only consolation for under-pressure manager Rafael Benitez is that the foot injury suffered by Javier Mascherano on Sunday is not as serious as first feared.

Benitez, however, is already without winger Jermaine Pennant with a stress fracture of the shin, and first-choice centre-back Daniel Agger, who is still recovering from his own broken metatarsal.

The loss of Torres is probably the biggest blow to Benitez, though. The Spaniard had to be withdrawn at half-time on Sunday and Liverpool's cutting edge was significantly reduced as a result.

Peter Crouch is expected to make only his sixth start of the season on Wednesday and the England striker is desperate to make an impact.

He said: "I was pleased to get on against Arsenal, even though it wasn't in the circumstances I would have liked with Fernando getting injured. You always want your best players on the pitch and hopefully he won't be out for too long.

"From my point of view I haven't had too many chances this season and so I have to take them when they come along. It's going to be a long season, we have a big squad and everybody will get games at some point. I just know that whenever I play I have to perform.

"Players are greedy and they want to play every week but it's not possible. We know there could be anything up to 70 matches this season and we understand what the manager is trying to do."

Liverpool Tell Benítez League Title Is A Must

Liverpool's manager, Rafael Benítez, will have to guide his team to the Premier League title to justify the £40m the club invested in new players in the summer, according to the club's co-owner Tom Hicks.

Speaking 24 hours after Liverpool's prospects of qualifying for the knock-out stage of the Champions League were severely dented by a 2-1 defeat by Besiktas in Turkey, Hicks said the domestic trophy remained the club's priority. Benítez based his pre-season approach to the American owners of the club on a challenge for the Premier League title, impressing on them the need for more strength in depth if he were to mount a credible challenge to Manchester United and Chelsea.

Hicks and George Gillett acceded to his wishes, investing £26.5m in Fernando Torres and £11.5m on the Ajax winger Ryan Babel. Hicks pledged his support for a coach who has often seemed more at home in European competition than the domestic fray. But in comments that will increase the pressure on Benítez to deliver a title the club have not won for 17 years Hicks implied he and Gillett are expecting a swift return on their investment.

"One of the reasons we made the signings we did in the summer was to create the depth we now have. Rafa explained to George and me that is how you win the Prem, because you have to play every team twice," Hicks said. "We totally support Rafa, nobody wants to win more than Rafa. But I know when we committed the resources for signings in the summer the whole idea was to have a team that could compete for the Premier League. We've not had the depth previously to do that.

"This squad is good enough to win things. It should be winning things. If it doesn't we'll have to look at the circumstances and have a meeting at the end of the year to understand what happened. I don't want to predict failure, I want to predict success."

Benítez demanded extensive investment from Liverpool's new owners after May's defeat by Milan in the European Cup final, a second final appearance in three seasons that he claimed represented an over-achievement for the squad at his disposal. The Liverpool manager said dithering in the transfer market had cost the club major targets in recent seasons - including Daniel Alves at Seville, the former Benfica captain Simão Sabrosa and Florent Malouda this summer - and it was against this backdrop, plus an implied threat from the Spaniard that he would consider his future if finances were not forthcoming, that the Americans eventually acted.

Liverpool's struggles in Europe this season contrast with their success in winning the tournament in 2005 and reaching last year's final but Hicks acknowledged that the supporters crave the Premier League title.

"Our fans, I can tell from just talking to them, want to win the Premier League. They haven't won the top title in 17 years and I know their passions really are that they want to win the Premier League.

Hicks remains confident that Liverpool can qualify for the Champions League knockout round but said failure would not impact on current attempts to refinance the club. The Americans personally guaranteed a loan of £298m from the Royal Bank of Scotland to buy the club but a recent attempt to refinance the loan collapsed. Hicks said he was close to agreeing a deal and Champions League failure would not impact on negotiations.

"The package will be completed within 30 days, but I don't want to comment any further on the details," he said. "In terms of budgeting we've got it covered either way, and we've got our work cut out [to qualify]. If we didn't qualify, it would be terribly disappointing but I'm an optimist and I think we're going to win our next two at home and then we have a big match in Marseille. I think we can get out of the group," he said.

In Focus: Liverpool vs Arsenal

The cloak of caution usually hovers over Liverpool under Benitez but they'll throw the kitchen sink at Arsenal in the opening 20 minutes, allowing the visitors to hit them on the counter-attack.

The pace and interplay of Arsenal's front five will put Liverpool's once iron defence to the test and goals are to be expected. There were 18 in three matches in this fixture at Anfield last season; Arsenal winning twice, Liverpool just the once.

Liverpool's other strikers are slightly one-dimensional but 'El Nino' offers the complete package. Quick, dynamic and two-footed, his £26million transfer fee has been justified with seven goals in 11 games, though even he has not been immune to Rafael Benitez's rotating.

Torres missed the last two games with a thigh injury but should return here in what will be a huge test for William Gallas and Kolo Toure.

THE KEY BATTLES


Cesc Fabregas v Xabi Alonso

One of Fabregas's great assets is his ability to find pockets of space in congested midfields and deliver instant killer passes.

Alonso has more defensive responsibilities than his fellow Spaniard and will be expected to shield Liverpool's back four.

Alexander Hleb v Alvaro Arbeloa

No player epitomises Arsenal's progress better than Hleb. The Belarusian can go into his shell but when they are on song, he is at the heart of it, drifting inside to instigate clever moves with Fabregas and Tomas Rosicky. Arbeloa could be recalled to shadow him for the day.

Theo Walcott v Jamie Carragher

Super quick versus not-so-quick. Only one winner? Certainly not.

Walcott came of age on Tuesday but he is still very raw and Carragher has the nous and expertise to keep him in his cage. However, if Walcott manages to get one-on-one with Liverpool's defensive leader, there could be fireworks.

TEAM NEWS AT A GLANCE

Robin van Persie (knee) and Philippe Senderos (back) are missing for Arsenal. For Liverpool, Fernando Torres is set to return from injury and Xabi Alonso, Daniel Agger and Alvaro Arbeloa could also be back after lay-offs.

Reds Reveal New Stadium Cost

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has admitted that the projected cost of building a new stadium for the club has increased by at least £150million.

Hicks and fellow American George Gillett took over the club in March and have since revamped plans for a stadium to replace Anfield by August 2011.

Liverpool are hoping to receive the City Council's seal of approval for the new plans at a meeting on 5th November.

However, Hicks has revealed that the new stadium will now cost the Merseyside outfit "at least £400m" - a considerable increase on the initial estimate of £250m.

The stadium is planned to hold 60,000 supporters and will be designed to accommodate an additional 10,000 fans when permission is secured.

"Our fans are wonderful and over time we'll be able to give them the amenities, comfort and ease of getting tickets they have never had before," said Hicks.

Hicks, though, insists he and co-owner Gillett did not invest in Liverpool in order to gain financial profit.

"People get involved in sport mainly because they have a passion rather than for the money," Hicks added.

"There are far better investments I could make than buying a football team."

Benitez Feeling No Pressure

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has brushed off talk he is under pressure at Anfield.

There have been growing murmurs of discontent on Merseyside with the Reds having taken only one point from their opening three Champions League group games.

But speaking ahead of this weekend's visit of Arsenal, the Spaniard was unflustered.

When asked if he felt under pressure, Benitez said: "I don't think so, it's part of the job as a manager.

"Every week if you lose you will be under pressure, if you win then you are the best manager in the world. We just need to keep going."

Benitez is confident his side will bounce back to form against Arsenal at Anfield following Wednesday's shock defeat to Besiktas.

"When we played against Everton I said a derby would be a different game and it could be the same against a top side like Arsenal," added Benitez.

"They are top of the table now, but our team has confidence.

"The players are ready and for me they are playing better than before and we have a lot of positive news."

After European Loss, Liverpool Faces Inform Arsenal In Premier League

Liverpool has little time to recover from a devastating Champions League defeat, going straight into a Premier League showdown against an Arsenal side in its best run of form in years.

The two play at Anfield on Sunday after a contrasting week in Europe. Liverpool lost at Besiktas 2-1 on Wednesday and has only a point after three Champions League games.

Arsenal beat Slavia Prague 7-0 on Tuesday to equal the best-ever scoreline in the Champions League and keep a perfect record in Europe after three games.

The Gunners have won their last 12 games in all competitions and are unbeaten in the Premier League.

Even in 2003-04, when Arsenal went through the entire league season unbeaten, the Gunners' best sequence was 10 straight wins in all competitions.

Arsenal leads the Premier League with 25 points, followed by Manchester United with 23, Manchester City with 22 and Liverpool with 19. Arsenal has a game in hand on the two Manchester sides.

Liverpool hasn't lost in the league yet either, but any boost from beating crosstown rival Everton 2-1 last Saturday may have gone with the loss in Turkey.

"It was down as much to bad luck as anything else,'' Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said.”Everything we did could not make up for missing so many chances.

"But if we keep playing like we did here, we will win matches because we will certainly score more next time around if we play like that.''

Arsenal's players were clearly enjoying themselves as they demolished Slavia Prague, and the game brought two goals from Theo Walcott in his first start.

"Theo has proved we can believe it everyone in our squad,'' said Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

The only blemish to Arsenal's week was the attack by benched goalkeeper Jens Lehmann on manager Arsene Wenger.

The 37-year-old German international has not played for Arsenal since making a mistake against Blackburn in the Premier League on Aug. 19, although he has since recovered from an elbow injury.

He told German television on Tuesday that Wenger was humiliating him by leaving him out of the team and criticizing Manuel Almunia, who has been starting in his place.

Hicks Backing Benitez

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has given his support to manager Rafa Benitez following The Reds' disappointing UEFA Champions League campaign.

Wednesday's surprise 2-1 defeat to Besiktas means the Merseysiders are likely to need to win all three of their remaining group games to qualify for the knock-out stage.

Although Liverpool are unbeaten in The Premier League this season, Benitez's rotation policy has also come under renewed criticism - including Steven Gerrard's substitution in the Merseyside derby.

However, Hicks says the Spaniard's record in Europe speaks for itself and that he has no problem with the former Valencia man's policy of chopping and changing his squad.

"We back Rafa. He's the right manager. Rafa's rotation has been his policy for three years," the American businessman told Sky Sports News.

"Rafa's ability to coach and manage in the Champions League should be unquestioned.

"We had a disappointing loss because we got outplayed by the Turks.

"I think we have our work cut out, but yeah we can qualify. We have to win the next three games."

Liverpool Boss Rafael Benitez Believes His Reds Squad Still Can Qualify Despite Their 2-1 Loss To Besiktas In Champions League

Despite suffering a defeat at the hands of Besiktas, which resulted in the Reds sinking to the bottom of the Champions League Group A table, Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has full confidence that his side they will reach the latter stages of the Champions League.

Presently the Anfield side have just one point after their 2-1 defeat and now will have to win their remaining three games in order to qualify.

"If we play like we did against Besiktas, we can win the final matches," said Liverpool boss Benitez.

"The players worked hard and you cannot blame them. The fans will be positive we can do it after seeing the game."

Liverpool, who are still unbeaten in the Premier League, went down by an own-goal when defender Sami Hyypia deflected Serdar Ozkan's shot into his own net.

Bobo went on to increase the score in the second half firing home the ball from close range.

Reds skipper Steven Gerrard got one goal to the credit of his side through a brilliant header as Liverpool pushed hard in the latter stages of the match.

Benitez added: "We had a lot of shots on target and shots off target. We controlled almost everything but made a big mistake in the first half."

Gerrard believes his manager is right and feels the Reds can still qualify from the group.

"We are pleased with how we played but disappointed with the result. We need to keep going and win the final three games and see what happens," he said.

"We need to take the positives and learn from our mistakes. We are capable of winning our final three games."

"It is the worst possible result. We had a mountain to climb but we have got an even bigger one to climb now.

"Mistakes happen as a result of misunderstandings but they put us under pressure."

Sissoko Desperate For Move To Juventus

Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko has expressed his regret at not moving to Juventus in the summer and is hoping they will reignite their interest in him during the January transfer window.

The Mali international rejected a move to the Bianconeri in the summer and instead opted to sign a new four-year contract at Anfield.

However Sissoko has struggled for form this season and Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano are all ahead of him in the central-midfield pecking order.

“I should have accepted a move to Juventus,” said a regretful Sissoko. “Not moving to Juve was a massive error on my part.”

The chances of a move to Turin may not be over though for the 22-year-old. Coach Claudio Ranieri’s big midfield acquisition in the summer, Tiago Mendes, has been a huge flop and has started just one Serie A game this season.

Ranieri knows Sissoko well during his time as Valencia boss and may be prepared to sell Tiago in January and replace him with the energetic Liverpool man.

Sissoko joined the Reds in 2005 and has since gone on to make more than 75 appearances for the club.

Liverpool Faces Tough Trip To Besiktas

Liverpool returns to the city where it won the 2005 Champions League title on Wednesday needing a victory in Istanbul to avoid an early exit from this season's competition.

The five-time European champions, who have just one point from their opening two matches, could be in danger of failing to reach the group stage if they falter against Besiktas.

"We need to go there and try to win because we need three points," Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said Tuesday.

Liverpool's chances won't be helped by the absence of star striker Fernando Torres, who hasn't recovered from a thigh injury.

After losing in last May's final to AC Milan, the team it beat for the title in 2005, Liverpool is off to a woeful start to this season's campaign and is third in Group A.

A 1-1 draw at FC Porto in September was followed earlier this month by a dire 2-0 defeat to Marseille at Anfield.

"It is difficult," Benitez said. "We will see what happens in the other game (between Porto and Marseille), just wait and keep working, thinking about winning every game."

Besiktas, though, has lost both its matches and is winless in the Champions League in almost four years.

Besiktas coach Ertugrul Saglam will watch from the stands as he serves a one-match ban. Saglam was punished by UEFA for being sent from the dugout in Besiktas' 1-0 loss to FC Porto.

Benitez said the hostile atmosphere which usually greets visiting English teams in Istanbul can't be used as an excuse.

"We have enough experience in Europe," the Spaniard said before Liverpool flew to Turkey. "I don't think it will be a big problem."

With four matches remaining, the Reds need to start drawing inspiration from their unbeaten start in the domestic league, capped by Saturday's 2-1 victory at crosstown rival Everton.

Liverpool is fourth in the Premier League, six points adrift of leader Arsenal.

But the derby victory was clouded by Steven Gerrard's anger at being substituted in the 70th minute - before Dirk Kuyt's winner.

"I was hurt and disappointed at being taken off because," the captain said. "I'm a local lad and the derby means everything to me."

Benitez insists there is no lingering rift.

"As a manager you need to make decisions in a moment," Benitez said. "You can understand the reaction because it is a derby and special. But for me, Steve is our key player so I think everything will be the same in terms of if I need to use him."

And Benitez won't be afraid to drag the England midfielder off the pitch again.

"After talking with him, he knows my idea," Benitez said. "If I need to replace him he knows that I am thinking about what is best for the team."

Midfielder Xabi Alonso is in contention for Wednesday's match after recovering from a foot injury.

Torres Out Of Istanbul Trip

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will not be fit to play in his side's Champions League match against Besiktas in Istanbul.

The Spanish forward, the Reds' record signing over the summer, suffered a thigh strain on international duty last week and failed to recover in time to play in the Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday.

Manager Rafael Benitez bought Torres from Atletico Madrid for a fee believed to be in the region of £24 million and he has made a good start to his Anfield career, scoring seven goals in his first 12 games.

However he has yet to net for Liverpool in European competition and Benitez is keen to kick-start their winless Champions League group stage campaign in Turkey.

"It's clear we need to go to Istanbul and try to win," Benitez told the club's official website.

"If we don't do that we know it will be difficult for us but all we are thinking about is the three points. The players know how important it is for us to win this game."

Liverpool recorded an impressive 1-1 draw in their opening match in Porto but slumped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to French side Marseilles in week two.

And Benitez continued: "Porto are a good team and we know our first half performance wasn't good against them, but to get a draw when we went down to ten men wasn't bad.

"We made a mistake in our next game against Marseille which was a bad night for us. We need to repair that mistake against Besiktas."

Rafa Defends Substituting Gerrard

Steven Gerrard’s disappointment at being substituted during the Merseyside derby was clear for all to see, but Rafael Benitez stands by his decision.

Liverpool ran out 2-1 winners of the Merseyside derby at the weekend, after converting a dramatic last minute penalty. Dirk Kuyt converted confidently, following Phil Neville’s dismissal for handling on the line.

Gerrard’s replacement Lucas Levia had the shot on goal, that forced Neville to handle and Benitez feels he justified his inclusion, because of his vital contribution to Liverpool’s win.

"Normally you can understand the reaction because it's a derby and it was special," said Benitez in a press conference broadcast on Sky Sports News.

"Stevie is a key player and I think everything will be the same, in terms of if I need to use him I will use him for sure, and if I need to replace him he knows that it's thinking about the best for the team.

"After talking to him he knows my idea. As a manager you need to make decisions in the moment.

"In this case Lucas Levia was a big part of the victory, so I think that everything was okay."

Liverpool face Besitkas of Turkey on Wednesday night in the Champions League and desperately need a win, after only picking-up one point so far, in this season’s campaign.

Reds Linked With Kjaer Swoop

Liverpool are reported to have joined the race to sign highly-rated Danish teenager Simon Kjaer.

The 18-year-old defender, currently with FC Midtyjlland, has been linked with Middlesbrough and a number of clubs across Europe.

Reds boss Rafael Benitez is now believed to have sent his scouts to Denmark and is said to have been impressed by their reports.

Kjaer's agent, former Middlesbrough striker Mikkel Beck, insists that the Denmark Under-19 international has the talent to be rated alongside some of the game's greats.

Beck told The Sunday Sun: "You realise how special this kid is when Liverpool watch him and tell you he's good enough to play in their first team.

"Messi, Rooney, Dos Santos - he is special like them.

"Lille and Monaco were the first to show an interest, then Real made a much better offer and it was turned down. He is worth a lot more."

Gerrard 'Hurt' To Be Subbed

Steven Gerrard was 'hurt and disappointed' to be substituted in the Merseyside derby on Saturday.

Gerrard was taken off with 20 minutes to go of Liverpool's 2-1 win at Goodison Park, and was clearly baffled at Rafa Benitez's decision.

However, Benitez explained that he took Gerrard off because he wanted more control in midfield: "In this game, sometimes you need to play with the brain and we were playing with heart. We needed to keep the ball and pass the ball."

Gerrard told The Liverpool Echo: "I'm a local lad so the derby is really important to me and I would have liked nothing better than to play the full game and to be on the pitch when we got the winner.

"But as it turned out I was taken off and Lucas Leiva who replaced me played a crucial role in us getting the winning goal.

"I was hurt and disappointed at being taken off because, like I said, I'm a local lad and the derby means everything to me."

The Liverpool skipper went on to say that he will ask Benitez to explain his decision, but isn't getting too worked up about it:

"I'll be speaking to the manager about it just to find out why I was substituted, but I won't be banging on his door or anything like that.

"We'll just have a chat and whatever is said will remain between us. But I've been in the game long enough to know that no-one is going to play every minute of every game and there will be times when I'm taken off like everyone else."

Gerrard went on to admit that he has been in poor form in recent weeks, but promised to work his way back with the help of the club's fans:

"I know I haven't been at my best lately but I'm doing everything I can to get back there and having that kind of backing really does make a difference.

"I'm working back towards my best and knowing the fans are behind me will definitely help me get there much quicker."

Gerrard Accused Over Red Card

Steven Gerrard was accused of getting Everton's Tony Hibbert sent off after Liverpool snatched an injury-time winner in one of the most controversial Merseyside derbies.

Everton manager David Moyes was furious with the England captain, and with referee Mark Clattenburg for a series of decisions that reduced the hosts to nine men and allowed Dirk Kuyt, only booked for a dreadful tackle, to score two second-half penalties in Liverpool's 2-1 victory.

Moyes was convinced Gerrard had influenced the referee into giving Hibbert a red card after the Everton defender had brought him down in the box for the equalising penalty in the 54th minute.

'The referee pulled out a yellow card for Tony Hibbert and not a red one until the captain [Gerrard] went over and spoke to him, so maybe he has changed his mind,' said an angry Moyes. 'I think the penalty kick itself was debatable. Ours in the last minute was not debatable.'

In a clear barb at Clattenburg, Moyes added: 'The truth is if you didn't see it, maybe you shouldn't be out there doing the job.'

Everton also argued that Kuyt should not have been on the field to score his goals after a crazy 'kung fu' lunge at Phil Neville produced only a caution.

And the home side were visibly incensed when they were not awarded a penalty themselves in the final seconds after Jamie Carragher wrestled Joleon Lescott to the ground.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez, relieved to end a run of three successive draws in the Premier League, backed Clattenburg's decisions and controversially claimed Lescott had dived for his late penalty appeal.

'In England you don't like to see players diving,' said Benitez, who joined his players as they gathered in front of the Liverpool fans to celebrate after the final whistle. But Benitez's accusation brought an angry retort from Moyes.

He said: 'It was not a dive, that is for sure. I think Joleon Lescott would probably be the last person to dive. I think he was just too strong for Carragher and Jamie had to pull him to the ground.'

To complete Everton's sense of injustice, it was Kuyt who scored again from the spot after Neville handled a shot by substitute Lucas and was shown a red card.

Everton felt Kuyt should have been ordered off for his foul on Neville in the 63rd minute.

Moyes said: 'We had a directive that a two-footed tackle off the ground was a sending-off offence. There was four feet of space below Kuyt when he jumped off the ground two-footed. And he goes on to score the winning goal.'

Benitez, whose priority is to lead Liverpool to their first title since 1990, sprang a surprise by taking off Gerrard after 72 minutes.

He said: 'We needed to play with our heads and not our hearts.'