Rafa: We don't fear rival cash

RAFA BENITEZ has warned moneybags Manchester City: Your wealth does not guarantee a Champions League place.

Liverpool travel to Eastlands tomorrow knowing they and Arsenal are the teams most likely to see their spot in the lucrative tournament threatened by City’s Arab takeover.

Yet Benitez is refusing to hit the panic button.

The Anfield boss said: “Will their money make it more difficult for us? At this moment you never know.

“All we are thinking about is this game now and in January we will see what will happen.

“But it’s not easy to improve a squad. Chelsea were spending money for years before they could win the title.

“In the future you never know how dangerous City’s potential will be. Every year you hear about the possible challenges from Aston Villa, Newcastle, West Ham. Now it is City.”

Benitez also insists City will not be the only team looking to spend.

He added: “You also have to take into consideration the level of the other teams.

“If you are talking about money, then Manchester United and Chelsea have been spending big money on players for a long time. So it’s not going to be so easy for Manchester City.

“Money can help to sign the best players. But you must realise how hard the Premier League is to win.”

But Benitez does feel City’s £32.5million striker Robinho can be a major Premier League hit.

He added: “He’s top class. To get Robinho ahead of Chelsea was a good piece of business.”
Benitez also claims Daniel Agger is not heading to Real Madrid.

He added: “He’s not for sale. Agger knows he has to fight for his position and wants to stay.”

Benitez: Now kick on Robbie

RAFA BENITEZ has called on Robbie Keane to score against Manchester City this weekend.

The Liverpool boss is convinced the £19million summer signing can now kick on and start scoring regularly after breaking his duck against PSV in midweek.

Benitez was pleased with the strike in Europe and believes it now time for Keane to do it in the Premier League.

He said: "It was really important for Robbie to score.

"He will now have no pressure and more confidence. He has got his first for the club, but in Europe.

"I would want him now to go out and score his first Premier League goal for us in the next match."

Meanwhile, Keane has called on his team-mates to guard against complacency, ahead of Sunday's clash at Eastlands.

He said: "We don't want to get too cocky yet.

"It was only the first two games for us in the Champions League, and there are some tough ones still to play.

"But it does set us up nicely and we can concentrate now on Manchester City and hope that this form and momentum can continue."

Keane: Now watch me go


ROBBIE KEANE banged in his first Liverpool goal then promised the Kop faithful: There's more where that came from!

The striker netted as the Reds cruised to a 3-1 win over PSV Eindhoven last night.

And Irish ace Keane said: "I'm pleased to get it out of the way, to be honest.

"It was a good ball from Fernando and I managed to get a yard on the defender and connect nicely with it.

"Luckily enough it went in and hopefully now I can get a lot more."

Keane celebrated the goal with his trademark cartwheel and he admitted it was a dream come true to perform it in front of the Kop.

He added: "Last year it only came out for special occasions and obviously this was one of those.

"I've done it throughout the years and I always dreamt that I'd do it here at Liverpool.

"I've done it now, so it can go back in the box for a while!"

Keane also believes he and Fernando Torres have silenced the critics who questioned his partnership with Spaniard.

The £20million summer signing said: "It's like anything – it takes time.

"Things don't work out straight away but me and Fernando are linking up really well.

"I was involved in two goals on Saturday and he set me up tonight.

"It's great but I'm just concentrating on working hard for the team and hopefully the two of us can get a lot more goals."

Liverpool, who are unbeaten in this season, face Manchester City on Sunday but Keane has urged his team-mates not to get too carried away.

He insisted: "We can't get too cocky.

"There's still four games to go but this sets us up nicely and gives us a lot of confidence.

"We've now got Man City and we're looking forward to that – hopefully we can continue this winning run."

Liverpool 3 PSV 1


THE wait is over — and for some it was a hell of a lot longer than for others.

In Robbie Keane’s case, some 11 games — 686 minutes — for the goal which got a monkey the size of King Kong off his back.

In Steven Gerrard’s case, the wait was much less — under three games in fact — before he unleashed the thunderbolt which took him into an exclusive club of Liverpool’s centurions.

Gerrard’s 75th-minute piledriver nearly took the net from its moorings and raised the roof of the Kop, as he made it 100 goals in a Liverpool shirt.

But not even that could compare to the ear-splitting roar which greeted Keane’s first strike since arriving on Merseyside.

The old cartwheeling, gun-toting celebration even got dusted down for the first time since his old Tottenham manager Martin Jol banned it for fear of injury.

Last night no one was going to put a lid on the little Irishman’s salute after he had found himself more of a talking point as the goalless weeks went on.

Yes, Keane is back on the scoresheet at last — for the first time since Tottenham’s winner at Reading on May 3 — and the Liverpool juggernaut rumbles mercilessly along.

And just to cap an evening of firsts, we had a few more thrown in just for good measure.

First up was the sight of striker Fernando Torres bombing down the right, like the niftiest of wingers, to deliver the perfect early cross which allowed his partner to break his duck.

We must stop Torres and Co

PSV EINDHOVEN ace Carlos Salcido reckons Liverpool possess one of Europe's most fearsome frontlines.

The two sides square up at Anfield in their Champions League clash tonight with the Reds on a high after their Merseyside derby triumph.

Fernando Torres grabbed both goals on Saturday and he is again expected to link up with fellow forwards Robbie Keane and Dirk Kuyt.

And Salcido said: "Torres, Keane and Kuyt are a phenomenal offensive line.

"For me it is one of the best in Europe today and it is really is hard to stop this. "We are obliged to give 150 per cent on the pitch.

"To play in a stadium like Anfield is sensational because it is steeped in history. The atmosphere will help PSV to increase our level.

"We don't arrive in England with fear. If that was certain we'd prefer to stay in Holland and avoid travelling but PSV is a champion club with courage and ambition."