Torres keeps Reds on track

LONDON – Rafael Benitez has underlined the importance of Fernando Torres to Liverpool’s Premier League title bid after the 26,5-million-pound striker came off the bench to sink Fulham.

The Cottagers got within nine minutes of securing a point with a dogged display at Anfield on Saturday, but their defences were breached by a brilliant solo goal from Torres before Steven Gerrard sealed the win with a penalty. The victory lifted Liverpool into fourth place in the table, three points adrift of joint leaders Arsenal, who travel to Reading today, and Manchester United, who were due to host Blackburn later yesterday.”If you want to stay at the top of the table, you have to win at home,” acknowledged Liverpool manager Benitez.”This was a really important win, with the international break coming up, to keep our momentum.”The Spaniard added: “It is good Fernando is back fit, now I have the sort of problems I like with several fit strikers to choose from.It is important that he is back and important that he can score goals like that.”Earlier on Saturday, Sunderland’s derby clash with local rivals Newcastle ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw after a performance that could and should have secured three badly needed points for Roy Keane’s side.The day’s only other match in the top flight saw West Ham inflict a demoralising 5-0 defeat on bottom side Derby in front of their own supporters.Sunderland looked set to claim local bragging rights when Danny Higginbotham headed them into a 52nd minute lead at the Stadium Light.But they allowed Newcastle to equalise when James Milner’s cross crept in at the far post and they are slipping dangerously close to the relegation zone after going seven games without a win.Trinidad striker Kenwyne Jones missed a glorious chance and former Newcastle player Michael Chopra hit the bar as Sunderland pushed for victory in the closing stages and Keane said the missed opportunities should serve as a lesson for his struggling squad.”The beauty of the Premiership is if you don’t take your chances it will come back to haunt you and that’s what happened,” said the Irishman.”We can talk all day about luck but the players had the chances.We keep getting these lessons in the Premiership.”Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce admitted he was relieved to have avoided defeat in his first derby in charge of the Magpies.”It’s a little bit more acceptable if you come back from a goal down away from home in a derby game and get a draw.It’s a big local derby and we haven’t lost.That’s very important for the fans.”Up until the goal Sunderland had out-muscled us and we couldn’t get our passing game going.Their goal was disappointing.We can’t afford to keep giving silly mistakes away.”West Ham took until four minutes before halftime to break down Derby’s defence, with Lee Bowyer giving them the advantage.But Alan Curbishley’s side were ruthless after the restart, killing the match with three goals in the space of eight minutes.Bowyer teed up Matt Etherington to fire home six minutes into the half.An unlucky own goal by Eddie Lewis followed and Bowyer finished off a sweeping counter-attack to claim his second of the afternoon.Nolberto Solano rounded off a win that lifts West Ham into the top half of the table with a superb free-kick that found the top corner of the net.”A crazy 10-15 minutes cost us dearly and at the end it was men against boys,” Derby boss Billy Davies admitted.Curbishley added: “The first goal was always going to be the vital one and we managed to get it.That settled us down and put Derby on the back foot.It’s very difficult when you’re down the bottom there and you go one down.”Nampa-AFPThe victory lifted Liverpool into fourth place in the table, three points adrift of joint leaders Arsenal, who travel to Reading today, and Manchester United, who were due to host Blackburn later yesterday.”If you want to stay at the top of the table, you have to win at home,” acknowledged Liverpool manager Benitez.”This was a really important win, with the international break coming up, to keep our momentum.”The Spaniard added: “It is good Fernando is back fit, now I have the sort of problems I like with several fit strikers to choose from.It is important that he is back and important that he can score goals like that.”Earlier on Saturday, Sunderland’s derby clash with local rivals Newcastle ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw after a performance that could and should have secured three badly needed points for Roy Keane’s side.The day’s only other match in the top flight saw West Ham inflict a demoralising 5-0 defeat on bottom side Derby in front of their own supporters.Sunderland looked set to claim local bragging rights when Danny Higginbotham headed them into a 52nd minute lead at the Stadium Light.But they allowed Newcastle to equalise when James Milner’s cross crept in at the far post and they are slipping dangerously close to the relegation zone after going seven games without a win.Trinidad striker Kenwyne Jones missed a glorious chance and former Newcastle player Michael Chopra hit the bar as Sunderland pushed for victory in the closing stages and Keane said the missed opportunities should serve as a lesson for his struggling squad.”The beauty of the Premiership is if you don’t take your chances it will come back to haunt you and that’s what happened,” said the Irishman.”We can talk all day about luck but the players had the chances.We keep getting these lessons in the Premiership.”Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce admitted he was relieved to have avoided defeat in his first derby in charge of the Magpies.”It’s a little bit more acceptable if you come back from a goal down away from home in a derby game and get a draw.It’s a big local derby and we haven’t lost.That’s very important for the fans.”Up until the goal Sunderland had out-muscled us and we couldn’t get our passing game going.Their goal was disappointing.We can’t afford to keep giving silly mistakes away.”West Ham took until four minutes before halftime to break down Derby’s defence, with Lee Bowyer giving them the advantage.But Alan Curbishley’s side were ruthless after the restart, killing the match with three goals in the space of eight minutes.Bowyer teed up Matt Etherington to fire home six minutes into the half.An unlucky own goal by Eddie Lewis followed and Bowyer finished off a sweeping counter-attack to claim his second of the afternoon.Nolberto Solano rounded off a win that lifts West Ham into the top half of the table with a superb free-kick that found the top corner of the net.”A crazy 10-15 minutes cost us dearly and at the end it was men against boys,” Derby boss Billy Davies admitted.Curbishley added: “The first goal was always going to be the vital one and we managed to get it.That settled us down and put Derby on the back foot.It’s very difficult when you’re down the bottom there and you go one down.”Nampa-AFP