Although missing a clutch of injured players including Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Glen Johnson, Yossi Benayoun and Daniel Agger, Benitez still chose to leave Ryan Babel out of the matchday squad at the weekend.

And explaining the decision, the Spaniard said: “We have to concentrate on the next game with the players we have available. If Ryan trains hard and is ready to play he will be available. If not, he won’t be available. I was talking with Ryan one week ago and I explained the situation very clearly to him.

“After the meeting everything was fine. He was working and he was on the bench and he played against Reading. After this game I decided he would not be on the bench and that is it.”

Agger suffered a groin strain last Wednesday and is already considered a doubt for Wednesday’s visit of Tottenham Hotspur.

Pepe Reina missed the FA Cup tie through injury, and played through the pain barrier on Saturday after suffering a separate back problem last week.

“The physios were working on him until the last minute and they did a very good job to get him fit to play,” Benitez said.

“He played with some discomfort and some problems but he showed again that he is one of the best keepers there is.”