Benfica rout can spark successful finale: Benitez

Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool’s Europa League quarter-final triumph against Benfica can provide the springboard for a successful end to the Reds’ spluttering campaign.

Benitez’s side set up a last four showdown with Atletico Madrid after dispatching the Portuguese league leaders 4-1 in Thursday’s second leg at Anfield.

First half goals from Dirk Kuyt and Lucas were followed by a Fernando Torres double as Liverpool went through 5-3 on aggregate.

After spending much of the season licking their wounds following an early exit from the Champions League and disappointing form in the Premier League, Benitez is hoping Liverpool can salvage some pride by winning the Europa League and finishing fourth in the English top-flight.

“Now we have two targets and we try to win every game,” Benitez said. “We will try to do it against Fulham om Sunday and be close to the top four. After that if we can win the final we will be really pleased.

“We wanted to win because that is the most important thing for the club, the fans and everyone.”

After Arsenal and Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League this week, England was left without a representative in the semi-finals of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2003.

But Liverpool remain on course for an all-English Europa League final against Fulham, who continued their fairytale run with a win over Wolfsburg.

“I think we are one of the top sides in Europe. We have been at this level in the last years,” Benitez said.

“To be in a semi-final of a European competition is really good for us. Hopefully we can see Fulham in the final so we have two English teams there.”

However, despite one of Liverpool’s better displays this season, Benitez continued his quest to convince the club’s American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to give him substantial funds to sign several top-class players for next season.

The Reds boss had already admitted he agreed with Torres’s claim that the club had gone as far as possible with the current group of players and he reemphasised that message on Thursday.

“You could read something that Torres was talking about the future and I agree with him,” Benitez said.

Torres looked short of full fitness for much of the first half after being substituted at Birmingham last Saturday to protect a knee injury.

But the Spain striker was still able to tap in Kuyt’s cross before sprinting clear to put the tie beyond Benfica’s reach after Oscar Cordozo’s free-kick had given hope to Jorge Jesus’s team.

Benitez insisted he had not taken a gamble with Torres’s fitness but he is unsure if the forward will be fit for Sunday’s home clash with Fulham.

“The game was really difficult and Torres was fit so he could play. He had problems with his knee at the beginning and it is important to protect players. Now the most important thing is Fulham,” Benitez said.

Torres will be desperate to shake off the injury in time for two matches with his former club Atletico and Benitez said: “Now we have to go to Madrid and it is exciting for Torres because he was there a long time.

“For us we know Spanish teams are very good and it will be a tough, difficult tie.”

Meanwhile, Benfica coach Jesus hopes his side’s exit will help their bid to win the Portuguese league.

“Yes of course (it will help). We are going to have more time and more days of rest, so we will be in the same position as Porto and Braga,” Jesus said.

“In the physical aspect they were much better than us as we had little time to recover from our last match. As soon as they scored things were difficult and we conceded goals we would not normally allow.”