Rafa: No-one can rival Torres and Stevie

After playing key roles in the demolition of both Real Madrid and Manchester United during a glorious week for the Reds, Benitez admits he's struggling to identify a better striking combination anywhere in the game.

And he's hoping his deadly double act can fire Liverpool to within one point of Manchester United with victory over Aston Villa later today.

"They are both playing really well," Benitez told Liverpoolfc.tv. "We had an idea of how to play at United and both players did their jobs really well, along with the rest of the team, but these are players who can change games and they were fantastic.

"You can look around the world and see a lot of very good players, but these two together give you power, quality, committment and passion on the pitch. It's difficult to find two players together at this level, and that's good for us, the fans and the club.

"It's good for Steven to have Fernando playing up front because he knows Torres can beat players on his own by running or dribbling and when he has the ball he knows he will always be available."

While happy to highlight the key role played by his attacking stars during one of the most momentous weeks in the club's recent history, Benitez was also keen to praise the unsung heroes in a squad of players which rattled eight goals past two of the biggest names in world football.

"The team has been performing really well," he added. "Everyone involved in the squad has showed the quality they have.

"Against United we didn't know until just before kick off that Sami Hyypia was playing. We also had to move Jamie Carragher to right back but despite these problems the defenders were outstanding.

"Fabio scored a great free kick and showed the quality he has. We know if he can stay fit he is a great asset for us. I remember telling Stevie and Carra when we signed Fabio that he was great at set-pieces, and so it was fantastic to see him score at Old Trafford.

"When I went to Valencia and watched some videos I saw that Fabio never lost the ball. He is a quality player and is playing very well at the moment.

"It was also good to see Dossena score two goals in two games and I thought Lucas played very well against a quality midfield.

"It was a very positive game and you can talk about all of the players making a contribution. It shows the quality we have."

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