A CHAMPIONS League week with a difference. Yes, of course Rafael Benitez made those customary wholesale changes, with half of his starting outfield from Saturday’s win over Manchester United slashed immediately. Some changes forced, most not.

His pre-match message to forget about Saturday was wildly optimistic. But it’s clear he already has.

Hence, the most refreshing change the Liverpool manager will experience this week will be the lack of questioning over his team selection.

Once again, in Europe it was spot on.

The manager has had the calmness and sound judgement to look at Saturday’s victory for exactly what it was.

Not a title-clincher. Not the dawning of a new Liverpool. Not even evidence that Benitez himself has finally discovered the value of out and out width.

It was simply one game and one set of three points. The same he will get for another Anfield success over Stoke City this Saturday.

Supporters have been so exuberant over the long-awaited beating of their bitter rivals that last night was merely the French leg of the post-match celebration party.

But Benitez’s typically analytical approach meant he was able to move on and bring all those high spirits crashing back to earth.

Robbie Keane, Albert Riera, Xabi Alonso and Yossi Benayoun all played varied and valuable parts at the weekend but Benitez had no qualms about leaving them out last night.

He knew keeping his two most potent forces on the bench when fully fit was a bigger risk – and he sensibly decided not to take it.

So Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard were straight back in, the latter with devastating results. After all, you need match-winners when it’s a match you need to win.

That might seem a drastic assessment for a first group game of six. But the fact is, Liverpool could ill afford a similar start to last year’s competition, when they had one point from their first three games.

A poor return that made the climax of Liverpool’s group stages far more of a distraction than they should have been.