Rafa: Trio given me headache

Rafa Benitez admits he now has a major selection headache as Liverpool prepare for two critical fixtures in four days.

The gaffer was thrilled with the performances of Maxi Rodriguez and Alberto Aquilani when they replaced Dirk Kuyt and Lucas for the 4-1 win over Portsmouth.

Benitez also picked out Ryan Babel for special praise and must now assess whether to stick with the trio for the Europa League last 16 decider against Lille on Thursday.

With a trip to Old Trafford following on Sunday, the Liverpool manager suddenly has options aplenty in a season when form and injuries have too often forced his hand.

"I'm really pleased with Maxi and Ryan," said Benitez. "They were really good at keep possession and also Ryan was running at defenders. I'm pleased with the understanding between the players.

"We played Maxi, Ryan and Aquilani because we wanted to go forward. We knew it was important to win and score goals, and we tried to do this from the beginning.

"The main thing is we now have a problem because we had players coming in and playing well. That's a good problem for us."

Aquilani put in a man-of-the-match display as he completed 90 Premier League minutes for the first time.

The Italian grabbed an assist and a goal - though Benitez claims he will consider many factors before deciding who will start in the midfield against Lille.

"In the middle we had Mascherano and Alberto controlling the game and the tempo," said the boss. "That was really good.

"Alberto still has to improve his match fitness. He played 90 minutes and that was a good opportunity for him. We will see now. We have a lot of games in a short space of time so it's important that we have all the players available.

"He can play some games in the same way as Mascherano, Lucas and Gerrard. It depends on the players, the opponents and if the players are fit or not.

"You have to analyse all these things together. The great advantage we have as managers is that we can see the players in every single training session - that's the key."