In the absence of Fernando Torres, Spanish boss Rafa Benitez has backed Dutch striker Dirk Kuyt to come good. Liverpool are taking on Chelsea in a crunch Premiership battle at the weekend.

Benitez said on the club’s official website: "He has scored some goals. If you look at his record in Holland he always scored a lot of goals, but here he is doing a good job for the team."

The Spaniard added that Kuyt has been putting in more efforts after being dropped from Marco van Basten’s side.

"He has been training really well for us and that is the kind of reaction you want from a player. Kuyt is a fantastic professional."