Source: SKY_Sports
Rafa 'satisfied' with key win
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez was delighted to have emerged from a tricky trip to Hull City with three points on Saturday.[LNB] The Reds kept their Premier League title dreams alive with a comfortable 3-1 win at the KC Stadium.[LNB]Goals from Xabi Alonso and a brace from Dirk Kuyt saw the Merseysiders home, while Geovanni notched a consolation for the Tigers.[LNB]Benitez hailed Hull afterwards for the part they played in a competitive contest, while the Spaniard was also pleased to have prevailed on what proved to be a difficult surface.[LNB]"I think we were working very hard and I think we created a lot of chances. I think we have to be satisfied," said Benitez.[LNB]"I think we were a little bit rusty early on because the pitch was terrible. It was dry, it was long and it was very difficult to pass the ball. [LNB]"You can make mistakes when the other team is used to the grass. But it is part of the situation and the second half was better."[LNB]The Reds boss was also delighted to see two-goal hero Kuyt reap the rewards of his recent hard work.[LNB]"Everybody is really pleased at the club because Kuyt is the perfect professional. He always works so hard, so it was very good for him to score today," he said[LNB]ConfidenceBenitez is also refusing to throw in the towel in the title race, insisting his side are still in with a fighting chance of overhauling champions Manchester United.[LNB]"In football, you never know," he said.[LNB]"We needed to win before today and we have. Now we have to keep on winning.[LNB]"We are playing with more confidence. We were in control, we scored two goals, but then we made a mistake, but I don't remember too many more clear chances for them. But we can still improve."[LNB]Referee Martin Atkinson came under scrutiny for his performance on Saturday, with a number of contentious decisions infuriating the Hull support.[LNB]Much has been made of the awarding of a free-kick moments before the interval, from which Alonso scored, but Benitez believes the officials got the big decisions right.[LNB]"It was very clear if you see the replay. The referee was right," he said on the incident preceding the opening goal.[LNB]
