Rafa's praise for Liverpool duo

Rafa Benitez has reserved special praise for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and his brilliant understanding he has forged with Spanish striker Fernando Torres that has seen both venture on a goalscoring spree in recent weeks.

"With the freedom he has now and his quality going forward, he's unstoppable," said the Spaniard.

"Stevie now has the same freedom he had as a right winger when he came inside.

"He's enjoying it because he knows he can go forward with no problem.

"The understanding with Fernando is also very good. He knows that when he goes forward he can pick him out easily.

"It could be that they bring out the best in each other.

"Of course he still needs to help out the midfielders but it's not the same as running back 30 or 40 metres.

"He knows what we expect from him and he is playing well in virtually every game. Every manager talks to their players about what to do but he is clever enough to know that."