Rafael Benitez believes Fernando Torres has shown just why Liverpool spent a club record fee on the striker.
The Liverpool boss put aside his bitterness at the manner of yesterday's 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw with Chelsea to acclaim £20million man Torres, who scored his first goal for the club in the Anfield showdown.
The match was dominated by referee Rob Styles' performance, and the controversial penalty decision against Steve Finnan that gifted Chelsea an equaliser from Frank Lampard.
Finnan was equally incensed by the decision, claiming ‘Chelsea's players will appeal for anything.’
But the bright spot for Liverpool was a quality early goal from Torres, which showcased the Spaniard's pace, control and shooting ability.
Benitez was delighted with his new man, saying: ‘The players know now that Torres has pace and he can score the goals that we need.
‘Fernando showed pace and quality, it was a great goal for him, for us and for the supporters.’
Benitez also defended Torres from Chelsea claims that he was going down too easily after challenges.
Benitez said: ‘Torres learned a lot from this game, but it is too early to judge him, he will need a little more time.
‘He was playing against the best defenders in England, and he had no problems.
‘They were intimidating the referee about him, but if Torres was on the ground it was because he had been kicked and was limping.
‘But I am very pleased, for the future it was positive. He showed the quality he has and we will see more goals from him.’
And Benitez was determined to look ahead to the next game, on Saturday at Sunderland.
Their manager Roy Keane watched the Chelsea match from the Anfield directors' box, knowing Liverpool will be aiming to build on an opening week of three unbeaten games.
Benitez said: ‘We had chances to win but we have two less points, we must now be positive.
‘As for the title race, it is too early to say who are contenders, but we always show when we play Chelsea that we can be there, so now we have to be consistent against the rest of the teams for nine months.’
