Benitez punished for Torres gamble

RAFAEL Benitez is hoping against hope that Fernando Torres is fit to face Lyon in Liverpool’s crucial Champions League match on Wednesday.

The Liverpool manager took a gamble by substituting his star striker after 63 minutes with the scoreline locked at 1-1 against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

It backfired when Fulham scored two more goals for a 3- 1 victory which left Liverpool’s Premier league title hopes in tatters.

To make matters worse, they had Swiss defender Philipp Degen and captain Jamie Carragher sent off in what proved to be the worst possible preparation for their big European encounter.

Benitez, however, had no regrets at taking off Torres, who took four days to recover from an 80-minute appearance against Manchester United at Anfield last Sunday.

Benitez said: ‘‘We needed to do something to protect the player. We were more or less in control of the game. If we had left him on the pitch maybe we would have lost the player for a month.

‘‘It was a difficult decision but we decided to start with him because he can do a proper warm-up.

‘‘But we decided to take him out at 60 minutes. The last time he played 80 minutes it took him four days to be fit.’’ It means the Spanish striker, who equalised Bobby Zamora’s opening goal with a brilliant volley for his 10th league goal of the season, is touch and go to be fit for the Group E match which could shape Liverpool’s entire season.

Defeat could see them go out of the Champions League at the group stage and with Steven Gerrard doubtful with his groin injury and Glen Johnson suffering from a calf strain, the Liverpool injury list shows no sign of easing.

Benitez, however, refused to accept his side were out of the title race, even though they have now lost five league matches.

And he revealed the club would be appealing against the two red cards handed out by referee Lee Mason, one picked up by Degen for a reckless lunge on Clint Dempsey and the other shown to Carragher for a foul on Zamora.

Benitez said: ‘‘They were two incidents in a few minutes when we were losing and they were difficult to take.

‘‘The first one was a yellow card. The second one you can clearly see that Carragher was kicking the ball.’’ Benitez shrugged off questions about feeling pressure, but the strain did appear to show as he grimaced on the touchline.

He would also have heard the boos once more from the travelling fans when he substituted Yossi Benayoun in the second half.

They are the murmurings of discontent which doubtless would gather pace if the club were to crash out of the Champions League, which has been Benitez’s saviour over the past five years.

Benitez said: ‘‘We have confidence we can do it but we have to take our chances and not make mistakes like today.

You have to be calm and keep working hard and find solutions.

‘‘We have to be realistic. We have to get three points in the league in the next game against Birmingham.’’ Liverpool’s problems somewhat overshadowed a stirring second-half performance from Fulham which said so much about the job done at Craven Cottage by manager Roy Hodgson.

He took the bold move of throwing on Erik Nevland and Zoltan Gera at half-time and it transformed the game, Nevland scoring the second and Dempsey rolling in a late clincher when Liverpool were down to nine men.

Not that Hodgson was getting carried away, saying: ‘‘We still have got a lot of work to do. I am preaching modesty and humility.

‘‘To be in the Premier League and to be playing Liverpool and Manchester United and Chelsea is a wonderful achievement for Fulham.

Benitez’ frank riposte when asked about his future was: ‘‘The only way to change things is to do your job properly and win games. My future is against Lyon.’’