[lfc-news] Benitez happy despite last-gasp Dudek error - Post

Liverpool Daily Post, 23 Feb 2005
Benitez happy despite last-gasp Dudek error
By Andy Hunter, Daily Post

RAFAEL BENITEZ admitted Jerzy Dudek handed Bayer Leverkusen a Champions
League lifeline last night - but refused to allow the Pole's last-gasp
error to overshadow Liverpool's latest European conquest.

Liverpool looked to have booked a quarter-final place when Dietmar
Hamann's 90th-minute free-kick gave them a commanding three-goal Anfield
lead.

But a stoppage-time fumble by Dudek enabled Sena De Souza Franca to
claim an away goal for Leverkusen and change the complex of the result
entirely.

The Germans would have needed to win by four clear goals to advance at
Liverpool's expense at the BayArena in a fortnight. Now they require a
clear two-goal triumph.

And Benitez admitted: "If someone had said we could have had a 3-1 win
before the game I would have taken that straight away.

"At the end of the game though I was thinking 2-0 is a good result and
3-0 was much better. Three-one is not bad, but it is not the best. You
know you have to concentrate until the very end in football and we were
punished for not doing that."

The Liverpool manager, however, refused to condemn Dudek for his latest
Anfield error after the Polish international had earlier produced fine
saves to deny Dimitar Berbatov, Bernd Schneider and Paul Freier.

He said: "Jerzy had a good game. The shot bounced in front of him before
he made the mistake but still I thought he played very well.

"They had a few one-on-ones and he made some other important saves. When
any goalkeeper loses the ball it is a big problem but in my opinion he
played very well tonight."

Liverpool had raced into a comfortable first-half lead through Luis
Garcia and John Arne Riise. And though the away goal took the shine off
Hamann's third Benitez insisted his side showed enough quality to
qualify in the second leg.

"I am always positive and if you see your team working hard and creating
good opportunities as we did tonight, although they had good
opportunities too, then you should feel confident.

"We know we can score over there but we also know it is going to be a
difficult game.

"To score three goals in an important game like this is good for our
confidence though and it comes at a good time with the Carling Cup Final
this weekend.

"We will have Gerrard, Morientes and Pellegrino back for that game too."

Liverpool coped superbly without suspended captain Steven Gerrard as
makeshift central mid-field duo Hamann and Igor Biscan produced
outstanding displays.

Benitez added: "Gerrard is a key player and if he is on

the pitch it is better for everyone because the opposition have to watch
him.

"Gerrard is one of the best players for us, he is one of the

best players in the world, but it is important for me that we have a
team not one player and we played as a team tonight."

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